On euthanasia, the Catholic bishops of eastern Canada say, ‘Who are we to judge?’ By Rod Dreher.

What would your priest, rabbi, or imam say if we discovered alien life? By David A. Weintraub.

‘It creates deep-seated wells of rage that find no release.’ Miriam Toews on how pacifism can lead to violence.

Iraq’s sectarian political leaders have plunged back into a dispute over the status of Shi’ite armed groups, undermining efforts to reunite the country as its troops press on with the assault of Mosul, Islamic State’s biggest stronghold. By Michael Georgy, Isabel Coles and John Davison.

Everywhere Western man longs for Constantinople and nowhere has he any idea how to find her. By Marcia Christoff-Kurapovna.

Mike Pence’s ascent to the second most powerful position in the U.S. government is a tremendous coup for the radical religious right. By Jeremy Scahill.

‘In Turkey, we are progressively putting behind bars all people who take the liberty of voicing even the slightest criticism of the government, By Gwynne Dyer.

British missionaries hated the sari; US feminists would ban the burqa. Why do empires care so much about women’s clothes? By Rafia Zakaria.

Jakarta Governor Basuki Purnama has given Islamic extremists the opportunity they were looking for. By John McBeth.

Where pregnant women have more to fear than Zika. By Rachel Nolan.

Standoff leaders Ammon and Ryan Bundy and five others were charged with conspiring to impede federal workers from their jobs at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon. By Hal Bernton.

A new doctrinal rule requires Roman Catholics to store cremains at cemeteries. By Erin Blakemore.

An antiscience movement once limited mostly to the U.S. is gaining ground on the eastern side of the Atlantic

How Europe will eat Halal — Why you don’t have to smoke in the smoking section — Your food choices on the fall of the Saudi king –How to prevent a friend from working too hard –Omar Sharif ‘s conversion — How to make a market collapse. By Nassim Nicholas Taleb.

Critics see Saudi Arabia’s export of a rigid strain of Islam as contributing to terrorism, but the kingdom’s influence depends greatly on local conditions. By Scott Shane.

In a recent article, lawyers for the Utah legislature attempt to persuade the American public that national forests, monuments, and other federal land in the West pose a danger to civil rights and self-determination. Do you believe them? By Jimmy Tobias.

Aiding and abetting the Saudi slaughter in Yemen. By Andrew Cockburn.

Tim Kaine isn’t shy about trading on his year in Honduras as a Catholic missionary. Accepting the V.P. nomination, he said, “My faith  is my North Star for orienting my life...” By Daniel Hopsicker.

A 15th-century chapel in the Scottish city of Aberdeen was equipped as a prison for accused witches snared during the city’s “Great Witch Hunt” in 1597. By Tom Metcalfe. (July 19, 2016)

For decades, the people of Hinsdale gave little thought to the mysterious brick building in town. Then came a scandal. By Bryan Smith.