Play, faith, ritual and commerce mingle and sometimes clash in the world of religious-themed toys explored in an engaging book by a pair of religious studies professors. Authors Nikki Bado-Fralick and ...

Australian Muslim comedian Frida Deguise got into stand-up by accident. Twelve years ago, she made an off-hand joke to colleagues about all Muslims being "terrorists" and "gangsters". It was at a time ...

Predictions are always hazardous, but here's one I feel pretty good about: 2011 will be remembered as the year when religious freedom came into focus as the premier social and political concern of the ...

Less than a quarter of Americans -- and Christians -- avoid Halloween due to its pagan roots. This is good news. Many believe Halloween originated as a Celtic pagan festival when the souls of the dead ...

REDMOND -- It wasn't a terrible, swift sword that materialized in the yellow and red paint he smeared on a sheet. But to 4-year-old Kyle deBruyn, it was close enough. Here was, if not clarity, ...

Elaine Stritch grew up Catholic but went on to embrace, most of all, a devotion to fun. Her career shows why that matters. “I don’t think I’m gonna die tomorrow or even two weeks from now, or even ...

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or ...

The viral photo of a young woman in “skimpy” shorts impersonating Jesus’ crucifixion hours after the Good Friday activities in Angeles City, Pampanga has caused quite a stir lately. Pampanga, one of ...