PBS NewsHour: Religion Archive | 2011

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RELIGION


	2011 DECEMBER Dec. 26, 2011 In 'Man Seeks God,' Author Eric Weiner Hunts for Divine Meaning Former NPR reporter Eric Weiner's new book, "Man Seeks God: My Flirtations with the Divine," recounts his voyage around the world to discover more about his own beliefs. During a season that, for many, centers on religion and spirituality, Ray Suarez and Weiner discuss the quest for God and personal faith.

	Dec. 26, 2011 Author Eric Weiner: U.S. a 'Flexible, Porous' Nation for Religious Beliefs Nearly one in three Americans will change religions sometime in their lives. Author Eric Weiner looks at how religious preferences play out in his new book, "Man Seeks God: My Flirtations With the Divine." In a conversation with Ray Suarez, Weiner says there is more tolerance for religious diversity than studies might suggest.

	Dec. 23, 2011 Minn. Church Recalls How Christmas Carols Saved Some U.S. Lives in World War II A Minnesota congregation celebrated Christmas this year by retelling the true story of a Christmas Eve attack on the SS Leopoldville troop-transport ship during World War II's Battle of the Bulge. Special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro reports on the unusual holiday tale as part of the Under-Told Stories Project.

	Dec. 8, 2011 The Daily Frame Kosho Sudo, a Buddhist sculpture master craftsman from Kyoto, Japan, and students carve a statue of Buddha. The Buddha is made of pine from Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, which was hit by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. About 5,000 people have contributed to the carving of the nearly nine-foot-tall, six-foot-deep statue.



	OCTOBER Oct. 26, 2011 Waiting for a Revelation in 'A Bright New Boise' There's no shortage of man-made and natural disasters, political upheavals, economic collapse and nationwide pessimism dominating the current state of affairs. This bleak societal backdrop sets the stage for the religious fervor and search for deliverance at the heart of Samuel D. Hunter's play, "A Bright New Boise."

	Oct. 25, 2011 Calif. University Introduces First U.S. Multi-Faith School of Theology Claremont Lincoln University, a graduate school in California, is the first in the United States to bring together Christians, Jews and Muslims in the same classrooms to educate the future leaders of churches, synagogues and mosques. Special correspondent Saul Gonzalez reports.

	Oct. 14, 2011 Why Did Assad, Saddam and Mubarak Protect Christians? Recent attacks on a Christian church in Egypt led to violent protests and dozens dead on the streets of Cairo.

	Oct. 10, 2011 Mitt Romney's Mormonism Marks Tricky Territory for GOP Rivals After endorsing Gov. Rick Perry at the Value Voters Summit in Washing on Friday, Baptist minister Robert Jeffress focused on GOP candidate Mitt Romney's faith, saying, "Mormonism is a cult." Judy Woodruff discusses the role of religion in the Republican presidential race with the Christian Broadcasting Network's David Brody.



	SEPTEMBER Sept. 11, 2011 How 9/11 Shaped the Lives of American Muslims After 19 Muslim hijackers attacked the United States on 9/11, many Muslims living across the country had their allegiance to America questioned and faced problems being able to practice their religion. Ray Suarez reports from Tennessee on the state of life for Muslim-Americans, 10 years after the Sept. 11 attacks.



	AUGUST Aug. 30, 2011 In Brazil, Women's Changing Roles, Attitudes Leading to Smaller Families Despite having the most Catholics in the world, 80 percent of Brazilian women of childbearing age are using some form of artificial contraception. In partnership with National Geographic Magazine, special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro examines the declining fertility rate, which has dropped to just 1.9 children per woman.

	Aug. 30, 2011 '30 Mosques' Explores Where Muslim Americans Fit in Modern Society Earlier this month, two Muslim Americans embarked on a 12,000-mile Ramadan road trip across the United States to explore the relevance of Islam a decade after the Sept. 11 attacks.

	Aug. 2, 2011 Survey: Muslim-Americans Have Rosier Outlook Than Other Americans Nearly 10 years after the 9/11 attacks and with the American military involved in multiple Muslim nations, a Gallup survey showed strong positive feelings among Muslim-Americans about their prospects in this country. Ray Suarez discusses the poll's findings with Mohamed Younis of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies.



	JULY July 26, 2011 Rift Grows Between Ireland, Vatican Over Priest Abuse Allegations The breach between the Vatican and Ireland grew even wider Monday when the Vatican recalled its Ambassador to Ireland, Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza. Ray Suarez discusses the growing division over the handling of sexual-abuse claims with RTE's Richard Downes.

	July 26, 2011 In Ireland, Words of Prime Minister 'Touched a Chord' With Public Ireland's prime minister drew much praise throughout the heavily Catholic country when he criticized the Vatican for putting Church law above state law when dealing with child abuse allegations.



	JUNE June 17, 2011 Could Saudi Women's Driving Protest Usher in Social Reforms? Videos posted on YouTube Friday showed several Saudi Arabian women driving in Riyadh and other cities -- a direct violation of a religious ban that prohibits women to drive a car or obtain a drivers license. Judy Woodruff discusses the protests' impact with blogger Hala Al-Dosari and Arab Reform Bulletin Editor Michele Dunne.

	June 17, 2011 Saudi Women Take the Wheel to Protest Religious Ban on Driving Some Saudi Arabian women coordinated through social media to get behind the wheel Friday in protest of a religious ban on them driving legally. Judy Woodruff reports on the women who risked arrest to fight for new rights.

	June 6, 2011 Monastery Works to Preserve Ancient Christian Texts Fred de Sam Lazaro tells the story of one Minnesota monastery's mission to preserve sacred religious texts from deterioration.



	MAY May 30, 2011 Vatican Maintains Stance on Condoms at HIV/AIDS Summit At a weekend HIV/AIDS conference at the Vatican, the Catholic Church stood firm on its stance against the use of condoms to protect against the transmission of HIV. Ray Suarez and the NewsHour's Global Health Unit report from Rome.

	May 30, 2011 World Week Ahead: Vatican's Study on HIV; Mediation Talks in Libya In this week's top news from around the globe, the NewsHour has a team in Vatican City, reporting on a meeting about the care of people with HIV/AIDS. And later in the week, the U.N. Security Council meets on the continuing struggle in Libya.

	May 30, 2011 Vatican Holds Line on Condoms at Conference An AIDS conference hosted at the Vatican over the weekend quickly stamped out any lingering speculation that the Church might shift or broaden its policy against use of condoms to protect from HIV.

	May 27, 2011 Vatican Hosts AIDS Meeting In Wake Of Condom Controversy The NewsHour's global health unit is in Rome this week to report on a two-day conference being hosted by the Vatican on the global fight against AIDS.



	APRIL April 21, 2011 Tree in Germany Blooms 9,800 Easter Eggs An apple tree in eastern Germany is home to nearly 10,000 hand decorated Easter eggs, and thousands of people are flocking to see it.

	April 20, 2011 Hillsong UNITED Finds a Following When Brian and Bobbie Houston moved from New Zealand to Baulkham Hills, Australia, in 1978 they didn't realize they were on the brink of starting a global Christian movement.



	MARCH March 10, 2011 Watch Live: Hill Hearings on Muslim Radicalization Watch Live: Hill Hearings on Muslim Radicalization

	March 4, 2011 The Doubleheader: Shields and Brooks on Money, Muslims and the NFL Mark Shields and David Brooks shed some light on the rhetoric behind the federal spending debate in Congress. They also touch on a controversial set of hearings about Muslims in America, as well as the stalled NFL labor talks.



	JANUARY Jan. 6, 2011 News Wrap: Daley Named White House Chief of Staff; al-Sadr Back in Iraq In other news Thursday, William Daley, part of a Chicago political dynasty, was named White House chief of staff. Also, Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who commanded a militia combating U.S. and Iraqi troops, returned to Iraq from four years of exile. His political movement is now part of Iraq's new government.

	Jan. 5, 2011 Egypt's Christian Community Shaken in Wake of Church Bombing Christians and supporters held a mass protest in Cairo following the bombing.