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Agnostic and Questioning:

God Discussion: This blog, which features commentary from a variety of writers, scholars and even astrologers, bills itself as being for “seekers who don’t go to church.”

Killing the Buddha: “A religion magazine for people made anxious by churches,” Killing the Buddha publishes articles, personal essays, and book reviews. The site’s title references the Zen adage that “if you meet the Buddha, kill him,” a is caution against “complacency of belief,” and a call toward “struggling honestly with the idea of God.”

Not About Religion: Don’t believe the title for a minute. Exploring “the world of faith and belief from the perspective of an outsider,” this site approaches religion through the lenses of popular culture, art, and science, as well as via more traditional pathways. Viewing faith from an “optimistically skeptical” perspective, the site’s editorial slant is that of a sympathetic and curious, but nonetheless critical, outsider.

Comparative/Pantheistic Sites

On Being: Available online and on public radio stations throughout the US, National Public Radio’s On Being (formerly Speaking of Faith) describes itself as “a spacious conversation — and an evolving media space — about the big questions at the center of human life, from the boldest new science of the human brain to the most ancient traditions of the human spirit.” Its online presence includes archives and transcripts of past shows, as well as a blog that solicits listener-submitted content.

Patheos: A site featuring a library of information on world religions as well as essays, discussion forums, and tools for educators and others interested in religious traditions, customs, and holidays, Patheos offers a thorough and engaging portal for study and discussion.  Truly, a fabulous resource!

Religion Dispatches: With sections devoted to sexuality, politics, culture, science, theology, and book reviews, this site provides a three-dimensional view of religion and culture.  With a free online newsletter, and frequently-updated Facebook and Twitter feeds, this thoroughly modern magazine provides a constant stream of news on religion and related topics.

The Revealer: “Interested in all sides, disdainful of dualistic arguments, and enamored of free speech as a first principle,” this site, updated daily, publishes and links to writing on religion from people from all faiths and religious perspectives. Conceived of an founded by journalists, the site operates from the perspective that religious belief infuses and informs all aspects of human culture, from high art to NASCAR, and as such should not be dismissed or ignored.

Inquiries into specific faiths:

Websites providing an introduction or overview to current thought within a specific religion. Unless otherwise noted, sites reflect a Western, often North American perspective.

Buddhism:

Bodhi Monastery: This website supports New Jersey’s Bodhi Buddhist Monastery in its mission to “promote the study and practice of Buddhism as an integral whole rather than to focus on the teachings of a particular Buddhist sect or branch.” With audio lectures and links to Buddhist history resources, this site provides book recommendations as well as current and back issues of the Bodhi Bulletin, a quarterly newsletter exploring different aspects of Buddhist practice.

Tricycle: A nonsectarian Buddhist magazine published quarterly since 1991, Tricycle features interviews with Buddhist teachers, as well as articles and essays centered around the practice of Buddhism in the United States. In addition to supporting its print publication, Tricycle’s website features a frequently updated blog as well as a community page that fosters discussions on many aspects of Buddhist practice in the United States.

Zen Habits: Taking its cue from Aristotle’s dictum that “excellence is not an act, but a habit,” this San Francisco based site looks at ways for readers to incorporate Buddhist principles into their daily lives, finding ways to breathe, be still, and go slowly through the chaos of modern life.

Christianity:

Books and Culture: A Christian Review: A bimonthly review of religious and non-religious books from a Christian perspective.

The Christian Century: A print and online magazine with free as well as subscriber-only online content, The Christian Century provides articles, blog posts, and book reviews from a Protestant Christian perspective. First published as The Christian Oracle in 1884, the magazine provides commentary and reflection on Christian life and culture in from a generally liberal, US-centered perspective.

Disseminary: Operating under the motto that “Wisdom Wants to be Free,” Disseminary publishes and distributes peer reviewed academic articles as well as non-peer reviewed writing that merits “publication apart from peer review.”  Disseminary’s goal is to make academic work on theology available under a Creative Commons license so that students and educators around the world can access theological writing free of charge.

Geez: Billing itself as a magazine for the “over-churched, out-churched, un-churched and maybe even the un-churchable” this quarterly, ad-free journal for hipster Christians seeks to “answer ideology with mischief rather than more ideology.” Geez’s sassy, irreverent take on religion is balanced by an underlying earnestness, with articles written by and for believers, questioners, and seekers who would like to be a force for good in the world.

The Immanent Frame: A group blog dedicated to publishing “interdisciplinary perspectives on secularism, religion, and the public sphere.”

Mars Hill Review: Essays, reviews, fiction, poetry and interviews from an Evangelical Christian perspective.

Ship of Fools: Built “for people who prefer their religion disorganized,” this British site features an online community and magazine centered around “self critical” Christianity. The discussion boards explore issues sacred and profane, including the nature of hell, the validity of Mormonism, and Prince William’s impending nuptials.  Other features include The Laugh Judgement, a search for both the funniest and the most offensive religious jokes online, an online church called St. Pixels, and a shop featuring  ”Gadgets for God” such as rosary steering wheel, a bottle “popener” featuring Pope Benedict, and spiritually-themed Smartphone apps.

Islam:

AltMuslim.com: This site provides a global perspective on the Muslim faith, with links to news, essays, book & movie reviews, and editorial commentary. Founded in 2001 to promote “critical (and self-critical) analysis of issues regarding the Muslim world,” the site offers an international, introspective look at the Muslim world.

The American Muslim: “Dedicated to the promotion of peace, justice, and reconciliation for all humanity,” The American Muslim seeks to foster discussion between faiths and within the Muslim community.

Illume: With original content, updated daily, this site provides a window into the Muslim-American experience. The site features essays, videos, podcasts, photo essays, and reviews, as well as preview content from its print magazine.

Islamicate: A site that works to engage with the full spectrum of Islamic thought, Islamicate promotes public debate on news and events that impact the Muslim world.

Q-News: The online presence of a British magazine “providing independent analysis, critique and review of politics, culture and ideas” for Muslims living in the Western world, this website provides some content from the current issue, as well as free access to .pdf copies of selected back issues. Back issues are also available for purchase.

Tabsir: An online resource “committed to fair, open-ended scholarly assessment of the current political issues of terrorism, gender inequality and intolerance,” Tabsir provides essays, articles and commentary relating to Islam and the Middle East from a global array of scholars and public intellectuals.

Judaism:

Beyond the Pale: The online presence of a radio show that has aired on WBAI New York since 1995, Beyond the Pale “explores cutting edge Jewish culture and offers local, national, and international political debate and analysis from a Jewish perspective.” The website offers downloadable podcasts and the option of listening live via the website during the Sunday broadcast.

Guilt and Pleasure: A quarterly magazine centered around “issues of community and identity in America,” Guilt and Pleasure offers essays from the current issue through its website, as well as exclusive online content, podcasts, and “DIY” instructions for hosting your own real-world salon to foster debate, discussion and conversation about religion and culture.

JewSchool: With a blog as well as links to other websites and listings for real-world events, this website seeks to “promote critical thought and provide engagement opportunities for disenfranchised Jews alienated — and bored to death — by the Jewish mainstream.”

Tablet: A project of NextBook, a not-for-profit Jewish press, Tablet provides free online content, including essays and podcasts relating to Jewish life, faith, and ideas and culture. The Life and Religion section has some particularly moving essays.

Paganism:

The Wild Hunt: Since 2004, this blog has been an online resource for modern Paganism, providing an ongoing critique and examination of how Pagans are portrayed in the mainstream media.