Religion

Why calling for an ‘Islamic Reformation’ is lazy and historically illiterate

7 February 2015 9:00 am

What’s wrong with calls for an ‘Islamic Reformation’

How to save Islam from the Islamists

17 January 2015 9:00 am

It’s time to reclaim Islam from the Islamists

'Religion of peace' is not a harmless platitude

17 January 2015 9:00 am

Despite what our leaders tell us, Islamic extremism is all about Islam

‘The Census at Bethlehem’, 1566, by Pieter Bruegel the Elder

Climate change, Bruegel-style

13 December 2014 9:00 am

The world depicted by the Flemish master is not so different from our own, says Martin Gayford

Watch out Pope Francis: the Catholic civil war has begun

8 November 2014 9:00 am

Uncertainty over how much reform Pope Francis wants is splitting his church into factions

The cult of 'mindfulness'

1 November 2014 9:00 am

Separating meditation from faith might not be as harmless as it seems

Jonathan Sacks on religion, politics and the civil war that Islam needs

1 November 2014 9:00 am

Former chief rabbi Jonathan Sacks on the return of religion to public life and the civil war that Islam needs

Jane Horrocks as the slovenly matriarch still fond of her bullying husband George (‘East is East’ playwright Ayub Khan Din, left)

Is London's West End Jewish enough for David Baddiel’s musical The Infidel?

25 October 2014 9:00 am

David Baddiel has turned his movie, The Infidel, into a musical. The set-up is so contrived and clumsy that it…

Spectator letters: St Augustine and Louise Mensch, war votes and flannel

11 October 2014 9:00 am

Faith and flexibility Sir: What a contrast in your two articles on religion last week: one liberal atheist parent (Claire…

My boy the radical Muslim

4 October 2014 9:00 am

Reckoning with my stepson’s turn to radical Islam

Photo: Mary Turner/Getty

Conservative Anglicans’ emergency plan to escape women bishops

20 September 2014 9:00 am

To escape women bishops, Church of England conservatives are preparing a communion of their own

Knee-jerkers vs knee-tremblers

13 September 2014 9:00 am

A little joke by Paddy, Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon, turned upon something to be shunned. Conservative ministers, he said, had…

Is Britain hardening its heart against Muslims?

6 September 2014 9:00 am

The headlines give British Muslims good reason to worry

Six rivals for the name Isis

30 August 2014 9:00 am

Not in their name The BBC decided to start calling the Islamic terror group Isis by the acronym IS instead.…

The SNP’s 'cybernats' are a modern political scourge – with the zeal of converts

30 August 2014 9:00 am

The push for Scottish independence is driven forward by converts’ zeal

Romance isn't a religion. Stop looking for The One and join The Queue

23 August 2014 9:00 am

Pity the modern starlet. Be she steaming-hot pop-tart or reality-show show-off, her range of emotional experiences will, thanks mostly to…

The bizarre – and costly – cult of Richard Dawkins

16 August 2014 9:00 am

It’s like a church without the good bits. Membership starts from $85 a month

Spectator letters: VAT and sugar, Boris Johnson and cricket, whisky and bagpipes

28 June 2014 9:00 am

Sugar added tax Sir: Julia Pickles (Letters, 14 June) suggests a sugar tax to combat the obesity epidemic and discourage…

The bloody battle for the name Isis

28 June 2014 9:00 am

‘This’ll make you laugh,’ said my husband, looking up from the Daily Telegraph. For once he was right. It was…

Churchgoing is good for you (even if you don’t believe in God)

21 June 2014 8:00 am

And that’s true whether or not you believe in God

Spectator letters: The trouble with religion, alternatives to HS2, and whisky-drinking dogs

14 June 2014 9:00 am

Old cabby’s tale Stephen Rommei’s London cabby story (Diary, 7 June) reminded me of catching a cab one cold night…

Spectator letters: Ken Loach defended, and the music of Pepys

7 June 2014 9:00 am

We need religion Sir: Roger Scruton (‘Sacred hunger’, 31 May) describes a reason, dare I say a ‘purpose’, for religion in…

Spectator letters: How schools fail boys, Jonathan Croall answers Keith Baxter, and why atheists should love the C of E

10 May 2014 9:00 am

Why girls do better Sir: Isabel Hardman notes that girls now outperform boys at every level in education (‘The descent…

Yes, Britain is a Christian country

26 April 2014 9:00 am

I can’t say it was a great surprise to read a letter from a group of well-known authors, academics, comedians…

It's time to reclaim Islam from the fanatics. Here's how

29 March 2014 9:00 am

Can Islam be reconciled with free expression? The answer is yes