Patheos

Patheos was founded in 2008 by Leo and Cathie Brunnick,{{cite news | author=Electa Draper | title=Couple's site invites others on spiritual quest | work=The Denver Post | date=May 10, 2009 | url=http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_12335039 | accessdate=July 17, 2015}}{{cite news | author=David Ian Miller | title=Not all who wander are lost | work=San Francisco Chronicle | date=May 18, 2009 | url=https://www.sfgate.com/living/article/Not-all-who-wander-are-lost-2463407.php | access-date=July 17, 2015}} both web technology professionals and residents of Denver, Colorado. They amassed hundreds of essays and works from scholars, practitioners, and religious leaders, shaping them into a comprehensive peer-reviewed Library. As the site developed, bloggers and columnists from various traditions were added to the format.

The name Patheos is a portmanteau of "path" and "theos", the Greek word for god.

In November 2015, Patheos served over 30 million content page views, making it the largest English-language religion website in the world.{{cite web |url=https://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/Patheos.com |title=Site Overview: Patheos.com |author=Alexa.com |date=December 31, 2015 |publisher=Alexa.com |accessdate=January 8, 2016}}

In September 2016, Patheos was acquired by BN Media, LLC.{{Cite web|last=Beliefnet|title=Beliefnet Announces Acquisition Of Patheos|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/beliefnet-announces-acquisition-of-patheos-300323027.html|access-date=2021-04-26|website=www.prnewswire.com|language=en}} In 2021, BN Media LLC announced that the company would be doing business as Radiant.{{Cite web|title=bnisradiant|url=https://www.radiant.org/bnisradiant|access-date=2021-04-26|website=www.radiant.org}}

Patheos used to include an active nonreligious channel as well. However, after the acquisition, the nonreligious bloggers were told that they could no longer publish posts on the platform that were negative or critical of others' religions or politics. As this was a significant change in editorial policy, most of them departed.{{cite news |last1=Shimron |first1=Yonat |date=January 4, 2022 |title=What happened to the nonbelief channel at Patheos? |work=Religion News Service |url=https://religionnews.com/2022/01/04/what-happened-to-the-nonbelief-channel-at-patheos/ |access-date=July 1, 2023}}

In an early interview, Leo Brunnick described the site's intention as a middle ground between dry academic sites, "gimmicky" popular sites, and faith-based sites that are passionate and knowledgeable but biased toward a single perspective.{{cite news | author=Emily W. Jensen | title=Bloggernacle Back Bench: Patheos.com, He Said/She Said | work=The Deseret News | date=June 9, 2009 | url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705381115/Bloggernacle-Back-Bench-Patheoscom-He-SaidShe-Said.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121007025601/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705381115/Bloggernacle-Back-Bench-Patheoscom-He-SaidShe-Said.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=October 7, 2012 | accessdate=July 17, 2015}} Its Religion Library is intended for students of religion in school or home settings and includes a "Comparison Lens" feature to compare and contrast elements in different religious traditions, including the origins, development, beliefs, rituals, ethics, and community of each tradition.

Patheos hosts eleven "Faith Channels" (Nonreligious,On the structures and history see: Patheos | An Interview with Dale McGowan, managing editor of the Patheos Atheist Channel, September 28, 2015. [http://positivists.org/blog/archives/5199 positivists.org]. Retrieved October 5, 2015. Buddhist, Catholic, Evangelical, Hindu, Jewish, Mormon, Muslim, Pagan, Progressive Christian, and Spirituality), providing commentary from their respective faith communities through more than 450 blogs and columns. Contributors include professors, journalists, authors, activists, and religious leaders.{{cite news | author=Jeninne Lee-St. John | title=What Do Religions Believe? A Website with Answers | work=TIME | date=May 5, 2009 | url=http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1895735,00.html | accessdate=July 17, 2015}}

There are also several topical Channels, including: Entertainment (reviews of movies, television, theater, art, and pop culture); Family (focusing on parenting, marriage, and family issues); Preachers (with sermon tips and biblical exegesis); and Faith and Work (addressing career, vocation, economics, politics, and more).

Patheos Book Club features sponsored material on new releases in religious publishing, including excerpts, book reviews, author Q&As, interviews, and roundtable discussions.

Patheos Public Square is a monthly symposium that poses a single question of timely and general interest, inviting internal and external contributors to shape responses from their own religious perspectives. Past topics have included the Future of World Religions; America and Civil Religion; Faith Communities and the Alleviation of Poverty; Political Engagement and Culture Wars; Politics in the Pulpit; Abortion; and Religion and the Environment.

Patheos Press publishes ebooks and print books on religious topics; Patheos Ad Network provides revenue and advertising management to other websites; and Patheos Labs offers web services and design, creative content development, new media strategies, and technology facilitation.

In June 2014, Patheos began a partnership with TIME.com to provide select religion and spirituality content for the site.{{cite web|url= https://time.com/author/patheos/ |title= Time Religion Site Info | publisher= Time |access-date= July 20, 2015 }}

Time magazine called the materials on Patheos "streamlined" and "reader-friendly". Religion News Service described it as "a more cerebral approach to what Beliefnet's been doing for nearly a decade".{{cite news |author=Kevin Eckstrom | title=Finding your own spiritual path(eos) |publisher= Religion News Service (Archives) |date= May 22, 2009 |url= http://archives.religionnews.com/culture/social-issues/finding-your-own-spiritual-patheos |accessdate= October 11, 2016}} Patheos was featured as one of "21 Ways to Be Smarter in 2011" by Newsweek.{{cite news | author=Newsweek staff | title=21 Ways to Be Smarter in 2011 | work=Newsweek | date=January 3, 2011 | url=http://www.newsweek.com/21-ways-be-smarter-2011-66765 | accessdate=July 21, 2015}}

The site's advertising model has raised questions for some bloggers.{{cite web|last1=An|first1=Jenny|title=Let the spiritual move you at patheos.com|url=http://www.westword.com/news/let-the-spiritual-move-you-at-patheoscom-5114701|website=Westword|accessdate=September 14, 2016|date=November 15, 2011|quote="I think it's kind of funny when I get ads for Christian dating services," says Patheos Pagan blogger Jason Pitzl-Waters, but the off-point ads have been a point of conflict with others. "Many people feel like they need to create a safe space when they talk about religion," Pitzl-Waters notes. And ads, or money in general, destroy that sacred space for them.}}

In January 2021, a comedic blog on Patheos called Laughing in Disbelief published a satirical story reporting that Iceland had made religion illegal and labelled it a mental disorder, placing warning signs on Bibles and banned Christian tourists from traveling to certain places within the country.{{Cite web|url=https://www.patheos.com/blogs/laughingindisbelief/2020/01/iceland-declares-all-religions-are-mental-disorders/|title = Iceland Declares All Religions Are Mental Disorders|date = January 21, 2020}} However, some social media users mistook the satire to be factual and erroneously spread the "story" on social media.{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/fact-check/story/fact-check-chill-iceland-hasn-t-declared-religions-as-weapons-of-mass-destruction-1475856-2019-03-12|title = Fact Check: Chill. Iceland hasn't declared religions as weapons of mass destruction}}

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• {{cite report |last=Bertsche |first=Emily |display-authors=etal |date= 2010 |title=Bridging Babel: New Social Media and Interreligious and Intercultural Understanding |publisher=Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University |url=https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/publications/bridging-babel-new-social-media-and-interreligious-and-intercultural-understanding}}
• {{cite thesis |last=Twist |first=Haley Nichole |year=2016 |title=Editing identity online: Film reviews as religious narratives on patheos |type=MA in Religious Studies |publisher=The University of North Carolina at Charlotte |id={{ProQuest|1865594867}} }}

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• {{Official website|http://www.patheos.com/}}

Category:American religious websites

Category:Internet properties established in 2008

Category:2008 establishments in Colorado