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History & The Arts
The Life of Saint David
This extract from Alban Butler's 18th Century work on the lives of the saints tells the story of Wales' patron saint.
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History & The Arts
The obscure history of the ‘virgin’s disease’ that could be cured with sex
Where did ideals and misconceptions around virginity and the hymen stem from? Helen King explores...
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History & The Arts
A Victorian Christmas: Christmas in Dreamthorp
The essayist and poet Alexander Smith's Dreamthorp is a collection of essays he wrote in the countryside. This extract, titled Christmas, is anchored in the December of 1862, and includes some personal views which are very much of their time.
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History & The Arts
Mizuki Shigeru: An appreciation
Manga artist, folklorist and icon Mizuki Shigeru has died. Nevin Thompson explains the role he played in Japanese culture, and why he'll be so missed.
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Society, Politics & Law
Could Islamic law be the key to defeating ISIS?
The solution to ISIS could be offering a different interpretation of Islamic Law, says Muslim scholar Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im
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History & The Arts
Colour in Byzantine Art
What purpose do different colours serve in religious paintings? Dr Angeliki Lymberopoulou explores...
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History & The Arts
How can the Hajj be made safer?
After a second tragedy at the 2015 Hajj, could understanding the psychology of crowds help to make future pilgrimages safer for everyone?
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History & The Arts
Hajj 2015: Balancing pilgrimage with consumerism
The accident at this year's Hajj is a reminder of the tensions between the devout and the consumerist being played out at the pilgrimage.
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History & The Arts
Mi'kmaq: First Nation people
Can heritage continue to inform the way we live today? Is it possible to balance traditional ideas with a modern life? The Mi'kmaq people have had roots in Conne River Newfoundland in Canada for generations, but it was only officially designated as a reserve in 1987. Many of its indigenous inhabitants still feel a connection with the past and in...
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History & The Arts
Regina Jonas: the first female rabbi
Regina Jonas (1902-1944), who is now widely recognised as the world’s first female rabbi, was ordained in Nazi Germany in 1935. However, for many years after her death at Auschwitz, she remained a largely forgotten figure until the discovery of her papers in the early 1990s. This collection explores Jonas’ story, which raises important issues in...
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History & The Arts
60-Second Adventures in Religion
Ever wondered why Karl Marx thought religion was like Opium - or whether religion is possible without a god? Voiced by David Mitchell, this series of four 60 second animations examines different ways that religion has been viewed by non-religious thinkers. As well as Marx and Dawkins, religion is put under the microscope by thinkers Auguste ...
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History & The Arts
What’s the big deal about virginity?
Celibacy has been valued by women and men within many religious traditions. But why has such high spiritual significance been associated with women’s virginity?