Forty-six states have what are known as "conscience clauses" that allow health care workers the right to refuse to perform abortions. What concerns many women and men is that several states are now debating legislation that would expand these clauses to include not only abortion but emergency ...

There is an old but persistent stereotype that some religious believers are so strict and stern they have no time or taste for laughter. Brad Stine is a successful performer who thinks evangelical Christianity and standup comedy can go together, and that humor can help spread faith.

In Darfur, in western Sudan, a perfect storm of religious, racial, political, military, and environmental conflicts produced warnings of a humanitarian disaster. But that has been averted for now by a massive relief effort. The situation is still dangerous, especially because of marauding fighters ...

Before World War II, 80 percent of the residents Dzialoszyce were Jewish. Then came the Nazi Holocaust, and the few Jews who returned after the war were killed by Poles. Menachem Daum is a filmmaker, the son of Holocaust survivors, who grew up hearing stories about Polish anti-Semitism. Daum visited Dzialoszyce with his two sons to learn about the Jews who once lived there and anti-Semitism today.

Today, there are about 800 Internet dating sites, among them those catering specifically to men and women of many religious faiths. All you need to do to find that special someone is log on.

Across the political and theological spectrums, religious conservatives, moderates, and liberals all have their own hopes for President Bush’s second term. Some conservatives say it’s payback time for their support in the election. Others say, “Don’t forget the poor.”

Matt Diffee is a NEW YORKER cartoonist making people laugh in spite of a lot of competition and rejection.

Twenty-five years ago, in Greensboro, North Carolina, there was a shooting that left five people dead and the city polarized. Recently, a group of volunteers formed what they call a Truth and Community Reconciliation Project. The idea is to try to find out what happened that day and to create some ...

The yoga tradition goes back thousands of years, to ancient Indian philosophy and the Hindu religion. In this country, many Americans find the beginning exercises of yoga good ways to reduce stress. But lifelong practitioners also find it very much a spiritual discipline, using the most severe ...

With religion a significant factor in how people vote, we begin this week a three-part series on religious voting blocs. Today, one of the most important of those blocs: Catholic voters. Once loyal to the Democratic Party, Catholics are now as divided as the rest of the nation.

In Utah, people who get licenses to carry concealed weapons can carry them even in church. If a church does not want its worshippers armed, it can either post a "No Guns" notice at the door or register with a state agency as a no-guns site. That has provoked a battle between the gun lobby and the ...

In India, in the city of Kalimpong, the poorest children have one place to go to school. It is called the Gandhi Ashram, and it's run by a Canadian Jesuit priest. Father Thomas McGuire seeks students out, feeds them, teaches them, and gives them confidence -- and violins.

Father Joe Maier is a Catholic priest who, over 30 years, has set up schools that have educated thousands of poor Thai children in the slums of Bangkok. In the process, he has skirmished with all kinds of people from drug dealers to church hierarchy.

The debate over abortion and Catholic politicians affects all Catholic public officials who are pro-choice. Catholic politicians, both past and present, often face many challenges when it comes to questions of faith and politics.

Immigrants have been pouring into the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Minnesota is now home to many Muslims, East African Somalis, Indian Hindus and Laotian Hmong -- all of whom are trying to find a balance between their cultural traditions and U.S. customs.

Part two of a four-part series: the politics of America’s evangelicals. An overwhelming number of all white evangelicals, 70 percent, are Republican or lean toward the political right. But not all evangelicals share the same views.

The pros and cons of gay marriage are frequent topics of discussion and conflict. The topics are especially sensitive when it comes to same sex couples having children. According to the Census Bureau, of the country's nearly half a million same-sex couples, nearly a quarter -- 28 percent -- are raising children.

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that under their constitution, same-sex couples are legally able to marry. Opponents of gay marriage want an amendment to the constitution defining marriage as being between a man and a woman. Correspondent Kim Lawton explored the implications of the ruling with Scott Keeter, associate director of the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.

There's a movement under way among many Catholic women and women scholars to revise the reputation of Mary Magdalene. For centuries, she was reviled as a prostitute. But now, with the discovery of ancient text, several recent movies and novels are portraying her as an important figure in early ...

The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington celebrated its 10th anniversary with a tribute to survivors of the Nazi persecution of the Jews. They honored the survivors, their families, and those who rescued them at the end of World War II.