Religion

Five facts about the world's smallest army and their time-honored traditions.

A brutally drawn-out election in 1271 led to the formation of the secretive, secluded conclave—and quicker elections.

Since 1555, every pope has changed his name upon election, symbolizing a new beginning and hinting at the papacy’s future direction.

Tradition dictates that cardinals' votes be burned for secrecy.

These seven pontiffs left lasting legacies on the course of the Catholic Church—and world history.

The tradition has practical and symbolic reasons.

Centuries of history and symbolism inform the tradition.

The ancient office of the pope is rich in symbols and insignia. Here are some of the most visible and meaningful of the papal symbols.

These discoveries tie biblical stories to the history of the ancient world.

The famously secretive papal conclave, with its ceremonies and traditions, is informed by hundreds of years of history.

Mother Teresa was an Albanian-Indian Catholic nun and the founder of the Order of the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic congregation of women dedicated to helping the poor.

The Hajj is the most ritualistic obligation in Islam and one of the largest Muslim pilgrimages in the world. It takes place once a year across several sacred sites in and around the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia—the birthplace of Islam.

Small mosques may have been built in America in the 16th century, but these structures constructed later persist to this day.

Jesus wasn't the only one believed to have risen from the dead. Stories of resurrection appear in ancient cultures around the world.

The idea of listing the vices began in the fourth century.

Scholars have investigated the issue for centuries, but many questions persist.

The controversial shroud that is claimed to have once covered the body of Jesus first appeared in the 1350s and is now available for online viewing.

While historians and scholars debate many aspects of Jesus' life, most agree on what language he mainly spoke.

Around the globe, the serpent carries potent symbolism.

Satanism is a modern, largely non-theistic religion based on literary, artistic and philosophical interpretations of the central figure of evil. It wasn’t until the 1960s that an official Satanic church was formed by Anton LaVey.

The split between the two main sects within Islam goes back some 1,400 years.

The third president had a secret: his carefully edited version of the New Testament.

As a young man, Lincoln openly admitted to his lack of faith. As a politician, he spoke about God but refused to say he was a Christian.

Not only was it the first 'people's Bible,' but its poetic cadences and vivid imagery have had an enduring influence on Western culture.

Once one of Jesus’s most trusted disciples, Judas became the poster child for treachery and cowardice.

Historical accounts of the man who sentenced Jesus to death paint him as arrogant and cruel; the Bible goes easier on him, shifting the blame.

What's really known about the Bible's most mysterious woman?

Some argue that Jesus wasn't an actual man, but within a few decades of his lifetime, he was mentioned by Jewish and Roman historians.

Gospels recount that it was delivered on a platter to Herod Antipas. After that, things got murky.

He is one of the most commonly painted figures in Western art. But what do we really know about his appearance?

Readers like Thomas Jefferson were curious to learn about the Ottoman Empire’s religion and laws.

A sixth-century image discovered in Israel depicts Jesus with short, curly hair.

The latest analysis adds to a centuries-long debate over the shroud’s authenticity.

Young led the Mormons on their great trek westward through the wilderness some 1,300 miles to the Rocky Mountains—a rite of passage they saw as necessary in order to find their promised land.

Scientists say wounds found on the heel of a man buried some 2,000 years ago in northern Italy suggest he had been nailed to a wooden cross.

This 140-square-mile stretch of land located along the Mediterranean coast between Egypt and Israel, has endured decades of protest, military operations and violence.

WHAT IS WICCA? Wicca is considered a modern interpretation of pre-Christian traditions, though some involved claim a direct line to ancient practices. It may be practiced by individuals or members of groups (sometimes known as covens). Wicca also has so...

Before it was a Disney movie, many thought the book was heretical.

Zoroastrianism is an ancient Persian religion that may have originated as early as 4,000 years ago. Arguably the world’s first monotheistic faith, it’s one of the oldest religions still in existence. Zoroastrianism was the state religion of three Persian dynasties, until the Muslim conquest of Persia in the seventh century A.D. Zoroastrian refugees, called Parsis, escaped Muslim persecution in Iran by emigrating to India. Zoroastrianism now has an estimated 100,000 to 200,000 worshipers worldwide, and is practiced today as a minority religion in parts of Iran and India.

The Bible is the holy scripture of the Christian religion, purporting to tell the history of the Earth from its earliest creation to the spread of Christianity in the first century A.D. Both the Old Testament and the New Testament have undergone significant changes over the centuries, including the the publication of the King James Bible in 1611 and the addition of several books that were discovered later.

Islam is the second largest religion in the world after Christianity, with about 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide. Although its roots go back further, scholars typically date the creation of Islam to the 7th century, making it the youngest of the major world religions.

Judaism is the world’s oldest monotheistic religion, dating back nearly 4,000 years. Followers of Judaism believe in one God who revealed himself through ancient prophets. History is essential to understanding the Jewish faith, which is embedded in tradition, law and culture.

Junipero Serra Although Spain claimed California as its territory in 1542, Spaniards didn’t try to occupy the land until the late 1700s. Around the time of the first missions, Spain had a considerable presence in Mexico. In 1769, the Spanish king ordere...

Beliefs Mormons consider themselves Christians, but many Christians don’t recognize Mormonism as an official denomination. Mormons believe in the crucifixion, resurrection and divinity of Jesus Christ. Followers claim that God sent more prophets after J...

The archives’ treasures are the stuff of legend—but their existence is absolutely real.

The Inquisition was a powerful office within the Catholic Church which rooted out and punished heresy throughout Europe and the Americas for hundreds of years.

Five centuries after his defiant act, scholars question whether it actually happened.

Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, is primarily celebrated by followers of the Hindu, Sikh and Jain faiths.

Christianity is the most widely practiced religion in the world, with more than 2 billion followers. The Christian faith centers on beliefs regarding the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Buddhism is a religion that was founded by Siddhartha Gautama (“The Buddha”) more than 2,500 years ago in India. With about 470 million followers, scholars consider Buddhism one of the major world religions.

Hinduism is a compilation of many traditions and philosophies and is considered by many scholars to be the world’s oldest religion, dating back more than 4,000 years. Today it is the third-largest religion behind Christianity and Islam.

Rising from the proliferation of Ethiopianism and Pan-Africanism, Rastafarianism took root in Jamaica following the coronation of Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I in 1930. A spiritual movement based on the belief in Selassie’s divinity, its followers ...

L. Ron Hubbard and “Dianetics” Born in 1911 in Tilden, Nebraska, Lafayette Ron Hubbard left George Washington University, where he was studying civil engineering, after two years. He later launched a successful career writing stories for “pulp” magazine...

From crucifixion to suffocation, poisoning to beheading and stoning to starvation, check out 10 particularly gruesome deaths suffered by popes in the early history of the Catholic Church.

The Vatican’s history as the seat of the Catholic Church began with the construction of a basilica over St. Peter’s grave in Rome in the 4th century A.D. The area developed into a popular pilgrimage site and commercial district, although it was abandone...

The Vatican’s official records state that all of the more than 260 Catholic popes have been men, but according to a medieval legend, a lady pontiff may have reigned for a brief period in the ninth century. As the story goes, this “Pope Joan” was a young woman who disguised herself as a man and […]

A medical examination of a 1,000-year-old Buddha statue has revealed a shocking surprise hidden inside.

An ancient Hebrew text provides clues to what may have happened to the Ark of the Covenant, along with the other treasures in King Solomon’s Temple.

A recent discovery has shed new light on an age-old mystery.

From their accidental discovery to their sale in the classifieds, find out more about the ancient collection of texts.

Explore 10 things you may not know about the seat of the Catholic Church.

Dating the Reformation Historians usually date the start of the Protestant Reformation to the 1517 publication of Martin Luther’s “95 Theses.” Its ending can be placed anywhere from the 1555 Peace of Augsburg, which allowed for the coexistence of Cathol...

Brigham Young succeeded founder Joseph Smith as the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1847; he led the church until his death in 1877. After guiding an exodus of thousands of Mormons westward to the Great Salt Lake Valley, Young founded Salt Lake City and served as the first governor of the Utah Territory.

Since the beginning of recorded time, people have been thinking about the end of the world. As such, the planet’s major religions have formulated elaborate viewpoints on this topic. In Christianity, the Bible’s Book of Revelation details Armageddon, the...

Martin Luther was a German theologian who challenged a number of teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. His 1517 document, "95 Theses," sparked the Protestant Reformation. Read a summary of the document, the reasons he wrote it and watch a brief video.

For years there was speculation that on December 21, 2012, the world as we know it would end. Some predicted that we’d be wiped out by a natural disaster like a giant tidal wave, an Earth-wide earthquake or a tremendous volcanic eruption.