Religious Studies at UQ

08/09/2026

The man who gave the gods new faces. In nineteenth-century India, Ravi Varma dared to paint the gods in a way no one had before. What followed was a cultural revolution that carried his vision into homes across India and around the world.

Their faces are everywhere: on calendars, incense packets, and soap packaging. But how did the Hindu deities' faces go beyond temples and shrines? In nineteenth-century India, Ravi Varma dared to paint the gods in a way no one had before. What followed was a cultural revolution that carried his visi...

06/09/2026

With religious hostility surging in Australia, we need to rethink our approach to religious education

My research has found religious education can encourage critical thinking in children, instil kindness and tolerance, and help expand students’ worldviews.

03/09/2026

For those who wanted more data on the myth of religious violence, check out this (re-)post from the History for Atheists blog. Its author, himself man atheist, notes: "The idea that religion is essentially and particularly violent is a founding myth of the modern nation state, though one with highly dubious historical and philosophical foundations."

It is often claimed that religious wars and violence are one of the main reasons religion is bad. But is religion really uniquely violent?

25/08/2026

Many people assume religion is inherently violent, and that violent religious extremism is a symptom of religion. Decades of research has disproven this assumption. Now, a new study into non-religious and religious extremist movements has found that one thing connects them all: Misogyny. "What they share is an ideology that men ought to dominate women, that transgression of the natural gender order deserves punishment and that violence in service of restoring the natural gender order is legitimate."

A new study finds that violent attitudes towards women are not just a social issue but a matter of national security.

21/08/2026

Most people assume that religion is a matter of belief. The evidence says otherwise. It is more about bonding than belief.

Bonding with God: Attachment Science and the Psychology of Faith Victor Counted, PhD Associate Professor of Psychology, Regent University; Faculty Affiliate, Human Flourishing Program, Harvard University   For most of its history, the scientific study of religion has measured what people believe. S...

17/08/2026

Holy Trouble: the New York Nuns taking on President Trump | ABC Compass

“Jesus was a troublemaker” is a favourite quote of the Sisters of C...

13/08/2026

Pauline Hanson calls Australia ‘Judeo‑Christian’. But the term is a meaningless modern invention. From Phil Almond, Emeritus Professor in the History of Religious Thought.

There is no such thing as ‘Judeo-Christian values’. The term hides essential differences between Judaism and Christianity.

04/08/2026

World Religions Experience Day in Rockhampton featured in local newspaper! Chara Scroope pictured delivering an expert presentation. Great to have so many schools involved in a terrific day!

04/08/2026

Rudyard Kipling’s Buddhism: How the famed writer, who wrote “The White Man’s Burden,” reflected Victorian Britian's growing respect for Buddhism.

Long read as an imperial novel, Kim also reflects Britain's changing ideas about Buddhist thought and spiritual practice.

31/07/2026

UQ World Religions Experience Day heads to Rockhampton

Year 11 and 12 Study of Religion students from Catholic colleges across the Rockhampton region recently took part in The University of Queensland’s World Religions Experience Day.