HOME / RELIGION IN CONTEXT /

Arts & Culture

Religions are deeply embedded in culture. Institutions, practices, and artistic expression often contain both religious themes and evidence of the deep undercurrent of religions in shaping and reflecting the human experience. Artists and activists seeking to ask questions around power and justice also frequently tap into these themes. In doing so, they make religion's role in global affairs more visible and channel religion's power toward advancing understanding, justice, and peace.

This collection of resources and stories highlights how arts and culture cut across RPL's many fields and focus areas and illuminates how religion is embedded in culture throughout the globe. A clear understanding of these dynamics is essential for those seeking to increase religious literacy and make change in every part of human life.

RPL Partners with Boston Children's Museum to Explore Religious Literacy

Boston Children’s Museum has received a grant from the Lilly Endowment to conduct research into religious identity and spirituality in the context of the public experience of the Museum. The grant is funding explorations into ways to improve understanding of religions and foster knowledge and respect for diverse religious beliefs.

diane more in her office.

Resources

  • A mural depicting Christopher Columbus' arrival to the United States in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

    Education Blog: Using Art to Make the Invisible Visible

    August 3, 2020

    This lesson uses two different images of Christopher Columbus to challenge students to move beyond how they may have been taught to think about violence and peace. It asks them to identify cultural violence and cultural peace in images that may challenge what they think of as violent or peaceful. This lesson presumes students have been introduced to Johan Galtung’s theory of cultural violence and peace.

Stories