Art and Culture

The first in a series of articles on diversity and new religious movements, this article investigates the general influences which have encouraged Western culture to diversify religiously, particularly in the past several decades.

Learn what Scientologist celebrities say about why they have embraced Scientology, as well as controversial incidents in their lives that are frequently linked to the Church of Scientology.

New religions are constantly developing, and sizable numbers of people are converting from older, more traditional religions to these new faiths. Explore the reasons for this trend and what makes these new religious movements attractive to many.

Reggae artist Bob Marley introduced the Rastafari religion to many Westerners. Jamaican culture and history influenced this native religion which, in turn, profoundly affected Marley's self-expression.

Rastas frequently follow a limited diet known as Ital (or vital) cooking. Learn about common foods both eaten and avoided by practicing Rastas.

The Ital Cooking practices of Rastafari are commonly viewed as religious taboos concerning pure and impure foods. John Pasmore demonstrates that Ital Cooking is strongly linked to Jamaican culture, encouraging the eating of available home-grown foods while avoiding expensive foreign ones.

A comparison of concepts of Satan in Christianity, LaVeyan Satanism, and common culture.

A large collection of essays addressing various science-fiction works and the impact they have had on religious understanding and practice, as well as the influence older religions have had on various works of science-fiction.

Religion is an important influence on my pieces of fiction. However, fiction can also be highly influential on religion. While fictional religion cannot be taken literally, many of the ethics, worldviews, practices and metaphysics can be (and are) adopted by people who find real world meaning in them.