TOK: Faith
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Fright night revels spread across the globe
Is Halloween good for society? The ghoulish industry is worth billions of dollars. And as more countries around the world embrace the festival of horrors, it is expected to get even bigger.
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Reformation still divisive, 500 years on
Was the Reformation a mistake? Forget Halloween — tomorrow marks 500 years since one of the biggest events in history: Martin Luther triggering the split between Catholics and Protestants.
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‘No smoking gun’ in new JFK death files
Why are we still debating who killed John F. Kennedy? Today, over half a century on, the government’s last secret files on the assassination are being released. But they may not change much.
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Philip Pullman: ‘human nature demands meaning’
Is it possible to be spiritual but not religious? Philip Pullman thinks so. After a 17 year wait, yesterday he finally published the prequel to the celebrated His Dark...
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Monstrous hurricane rakes through Florida
In the face of nature’s awesome destructive power is it any surprise that so many people believe it could be a portent of the complete destruction of the world as foretold in the Bible?
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‘Beginning of the end’ for Western religion
Should we care that organised religion is dying out in Western societies? A survey published earlier this week revealed that levels of religious belief in Britain are at an all-time-low.
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After IS: a new fight to unite Iraq
Iraq’s Islamic State nightmare is slowly drawing to its close. But defeating the militants will still leave a society mired in complex tensions. Can Iraq ever become a normal nation again?
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Trump changes mind on troops in Afghanistan
Donald Trump has outlined his much-delayed strategy for the future of America’s longest war. His decision to boost troop numbers goes against his personal philosophy. Is it the right move?
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Relics from Nazi death camp to go on tour
The first ever travelling exhibition of objects from Auschwitz concentration camp has just been announced. The aim: to help fight rising anti-semitism in Europe. But will it be effective?
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Expert on ghosts and UFOs joins Euro Parliament
The newest member of the European Parliament is an expert on aliens, man-apes, hauntings, sea-serpents, lake monsters, predictions and curses. Should we all learn more about the paranormal?
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‘We are less safe than cows’ say Indian women
The epidemic of violence against women in India has prompted some to wear cow masks, saying that the sacred cattle are safer than women. How much effect will this campaign really have?
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Mosque’s destruction is ‘death knell for ISIS’
An ancient mosque in Mosul where ISIS first promulgated its “caliphate” has been destroyed. Iraq’s prime minister says this is “an official declaration of defeat”. Is he correct?
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‘How making friends could fight extremism’
This weekend, thousands of people in the UK attended street parties as part of the Great Get Together. The message: make friends to overcome society’s deep divisions. Can it be that simple?
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Far-right terrorist attacks London mosque
Just past midnight on Monday a man drove a van into worshippers at a London mosque. One man is dead. Many are now blaming the attack on a pervasive Islamophobia in the UK. Is this fair?
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May to clinch deal with anti-abortion DUP
Today Theresa May is set to seal a controversial alliance with Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party. Liberals are aghast at their views. Here are six of their most divisive stances.