Religion

After 11-Year Vigil, Massachusetts Catholic Church Holds Final Service

7:29pm May 30, 2016

by Craig LeMoult

In 2004, the Archdiocese of Boston announced the closure of St. Frances X. Cabrini Church in Scituate, Mass. Parishioners have fought to keep it open, but finally exhausted their legal appeals.

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Pastor Writes To Dispel Embedded Misconceptions About Transgender People

8:54am May 22, 2016

As churches seek understanding about the LGBT community, a Dallas pastor wrote a blog post sharing seven things he learned about transgender people. Rachel Martin speaks with Pastor Mark Wingfield.

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Each province represented at the festival used to carve out heavy chunks of ice from the glacier — symbol of water and life — to bring back to their communities.

The Sacred Glacier Is Melting But The Festival Goes On

7:00am May 21, 2016

by Paula Dupraz-Dobias

That's the sad situation facing thousands of Peruvians who climb a mountain for the 'Snow Star' festival, which starts on Sunday.

Meet Bonbibi: The Indian Forest Goddess Worshipped Across Religions

4:27pm May 19, 2016

by Ari Shapiro

In the Indian mangrove forest called the Sundarbans, Bonbibi is worshipped by Hindus and Muslims alike. Her story reflects some of what makes this landscape so unique.

Jehovah's Witnesses sing songs during a meeting in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, in November 2015. The country's top prosecutor is threatening a nationwide ban for alleged "extremism."

Russia's Jehovah's Witnesses Fight 'Extremist' Label, Possible Ban

5:07pm May 17, 2016

by Corey Flintoff

Under Russia's anti-extremism law, Jehovah's Witnesses, who number fewer than 200,000, could be barred from practicing their religion in Russia. Their website and some publications are already banned.

Supreme Court Sends Obamacare Contraception Case Back To Lower Courts

4:24pm May 16, 2016

by Nina Totenberg

The Supreme Court Monday punted on the constitutional merits of a religious freedom challenge to the Affordable Care Act. The court said it was feasible to satisfy religious groups and women seeking contraception and sent the case back to the lower courts.

With Interfaith Sunday Schools, Parents Don't Have To Choose One Religion

2:21pm May 16, 2016

by Rami Ayyub

Interfaith marriage is on the rise, putting parents in a tough spot to choose one religion to pass to their kids. Rami Ayyub reports on a Maryland Sunday school that says it's possible to have both.

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The pastor of Fort Des Moines Church of Christ in Des Moines, Iowa, says Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is "morally loathsome."

Many Evangelicals Are In 'An Awkward Place' With Trump Atop GOP

1:50pm May 16, 2016

by Sarah McCammon

Donald Trump's popularity with self-described evangelical Christians fades among those who attend church regularly. "The true evangelical," says an Iowa pastor, is in "a quandary, a dilemma."

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State Religious Freedom Laws Surface In Opposition To Same-Sex Marriage

6:30pm May 12, 2016

by Tom Gjelten

In the year since the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage, dozens of religious freedom bills have been filed in state legislatures around the country. The proposals are not meant to limit the court ruling, but rather to protect those who say their religious beliefs do not allow them to work with same-sex couples.

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Pope Francis Says He's Open To Studying Whether Women Can Be Deacons

5:01pm May 12, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

The pontiff says he is willing to create a commission on the issue. It could signal a turning point for the Roman Catholic Church, which does not allow women to serve in ordained ministry.