The Harvard Religion Beat

Psychedelics, Spirituality, and a Culture of Seekership

Sixty years ago on Good Friday, a famous experiment took place at Boston University's Marsh Chapel conducted by Harvard Divinity School student Walter Pahnke, where he tr

Putin's Unholy War

Vladimir Putin's invasion and war on Ukraine is a crisis. It's a crisis that is unfolding before our very eyes across social media and cable and online news, and it's mor

When Boston Banned Christmas

‘Tis this season of peace and goodwill, of traditions, both familial, and religious, and to some, it’s the time of year to freak out about the so called “War on Christmas

Fantastic Faiths and What We Can Learn From Them

Dune. The Matrix. Blade Runner. Star Wars. We know that fantasy and sci-fi use religion, but do they change actual religion in the process? Do they impact how we believe,

Finding Beauty in a Broken World

The modern environmental movement was born 51 years ago when millions of people took part in protests and rallies in streets, parks, auditoriums, and on college campuses

Religion in the Time of Pandemic

Examining religion's role in past pandemics, the responsibility faith leaders have during a health crisis, and how religious practice has been changed by the Coronavirus.

What Black History Month in 2021 Means for a Rising Spiritual and Ethical Movement

In February of 1926, Carter G. Woodson, a Harvard-education historian, had a very specific goal in mind when he established what was then called Negro History Week. He ho

How Joe Biden’s Faith Will Shape His Presidency

In an October 2020 op-ed for the Christian Post, Joe Biden wrote: “My Catholic faith drilled into me a core truth—that every person on earth is equal in rights and dignit

Mainstream Meditation and the Million-Dollar Mindfulness Boom

The Rundown 00:01 - Jon Kabat-Zinn speaking with Bill Moyers 00:36 - Birth and rise of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction 02:03 - Mindfulness meditation gains popularity

Why Hate Crimes Are on the Rise

The Rundown 00:01 - Phone call and defacing of synagogue library 01:19 - Violence against religious minorities is on the rise 02:56 - Responsibility of politics leaders

For Trump’s Evangelicals, the Inconvenient Teachings of Christ

The Rundown 00:26 - White evangelical support for Trump 01:53 - Intro to the pod and to my guest, Prof. Dudley Rose 02:25 - Evangelical oppression? 05:01 - Abortion as a