From Commentary, a review of The Stillborn God by Mark Lilla and The Law of God: The Philosophical History of an Idea by Remi Brague. A review of Evolving God: A Provocative View of the Origins of Religion by Barbara J. King. A review of Religion and Law in Classical and Christian Rome by Clifford Ando and Jorg Rupke. A review of Blasphemy in the Christian World by David Nash. From Cracked, a look at the five biggest badass Popes. What are the Knights Templar up to now? (and more) The inside story of the Western mind: A review of Twentieth-Century Catholic Theologians by Fergus Kerr. A review of Black Mass: Apocalyptic Religion and the Death of Utopia by John Gray. From Ovi, an article on religion and the secular state. Why do religions now use the conjunctions "religion and morality" or "religion and ethics"? The phrases are not, historically, within their remit. To a group of earnest academics who study faith, the Flying Spaghetti Monster — the spiritual icon of a new internet-based religion — is more than just a spicy pop-culture dish.
