Religion

CAIR says the largest number of anti-Muslim bias reports involved employment discrimination, including companies saying they wouldn't hire people who participated in pro-Palestinian rallies.

Anti-Muslim bias reports skyrocket after Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel

12:02pm April 02, 2024

by Jason DeRose

The Council on American-Islamic Relations has released its annual Civil Right Report. It details record-high instances of anti-Muslim hate in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

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Religion

Orthodox Church leaders called on to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine

5:11am April 02, 2024

NPR's Michel Martin talks to attorney Lena Zezulin about growing calls for Russian Orthodox Church outposts abroad to break from the Moscow-based church and its support of the war in Ukraine.

Pope Francis arrives as he celebrates Easter mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, March 31, 2024.

Pope Francis appeals for peace in Gaza and Ukraine at Easter Mass

11:00pm March 31, 2024

by The Associated Press

Pope Francis overcame concerns about his health to preside over Easter Sunday Mass, leading tens of thousands of people in a flower-decked St. Peter's Square.

A woman meditating in the dark. Intense meditation can have negative side effects on mental health.

A new podcast examines the perils of intense meditation

6:00am March 31, 2024

by Andrea Muraskin

For many people, meditation retreats bring peace of mind. But for some, it's the opposite. Reporters heard from dozens of people who experienced hallucinations, paralyzing fear – and worse.

A group of Sikh protesters at a get out the vote rally for the Khalistan Referendum on March 16th in Sacramento, California.

Sikhs in California vote on independence from India

1:29pm March 30, 2024

by Sandhya Dirks

Sikhs in California will vote in a referendum to push for their own independent state in India

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Judge Alla Nazarova attends a hearing in the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation in Moscow on Nov. 25, 2021.

Opinion: Russian Jehovah's Witnesses remain devout despite facing bans

10:26am March 30, 2024

by Scott Simon

Russia's ban on Jehovah's Witnesses has led to raids, arrests and imprisonment. NPR's Scott Simon says that the religion the Russian government calls "extreme" would be better described as "devout."

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Ministering to death row: An unlikely friendship based on a shared calling

5:14am March 29, 2024

by Zanna McKay

Rev. Lauren Bennett, 33, leads a St. Louis church serving the LGBTQ+ community, and Father Gerry Kleba, 82, a retired Catholic priest, talk about ministering to inmates on death row in Missouri.

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Civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr marching from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama alongside Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel.

Fractures in the Grand Alliance between Black and Jewish Americans

10:52am March 28, 2024

by Devan Schwartz

The Grand Alliance between Black and Jewish leaders, known largely for shared work on Civil Rights in the 1960s, has a complicated legacy--and an uncertain future between these communities.

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Then-President Donald Trump holds up a Bible outside St. John's Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., during a controversial 2020 photo-op.

Cash-strapped Trump is now selling $60 Bibles, U.S. Constitution included

3:18pm March 27, 2024

by Rachel Treisman

The "God Bless The USA" Bible is inspired by the Lee Greenwood anthem and includes copies of the nation's founding documents. Trump launched it ahead of Easter as his financial woes mount.

The PRRI poll found that the vast majority of those who are unaffiliated are content to stay that way. Just 9% of respondents say they're looking for a religion that would be right for them.

People say they're leaving religion due to anti-LGBTQ teachings and sexual abuse

5:10am March 27, 2024

by Jason DeRose

People in the U.S. are switching religions and leaving religion altogether in large numbers. A new survey from the Public Religion Research Institute shows a high level of "religious churning."