Religion

A baptism ceremony for a child on Ikitsuki Island, Nagasaki prefecture. After Japan's military ruler banned Christianity in the late 1500s, many Christians went underground, holding services such as these in their homes.

Driven Underground Years Ago, Japan's 'Hidden Christians' Maintain Faith

8:16am October 16, 2015

by Anthony Kuhn

Spanish and Portuguese missionaries arrived in Japan in the 1500s, but Christianity was later banned and Christians disguised their faith with a Buddhist veneer. Today, some still practice in secret.

Queue Listen Now

Religion

Despite Mass. Court Decision, Parishioners Vow Vigil Will Continue

6:57am October 16, 2015

Parishioners in Scituate, Mass. began occupying their Catholic church 24 hours a day after the Boston archdiocese announced it would be closed. An appeals court ruled this week they're trespassing.

Israel Steps Up Security Amid Increasing Violence In Jerusalem

2:49pm October 15, 2015

by Emily Harris

Israel is increasing security measures amid ongoing violence, bringing objections from human rights activists and Palestinians.

Queue Listen Now

2 Brothers Beaten, 1 Killed, Allegedly By Their Parents And Fellow Churchgoers

11:25am October 15, 2015

by Brakkton Booker

New Hartford, N.Y., police say Bruce and Deborah Leonard are among those who fatally beat the Leonards' son, age 19, inside the Word of Life Church. Another son, 17, is in the hospital.

State Department Report Warns Of Global Threat To Religious Diversity

6:56pm October 14, 2015

by Michele Kelemen

Religious diversity is under threat across the Middle East and other parts of the globe, according to a State Department report on religious freedoms, which recounts the rise of ISIS and its attacks on Christians and other minorities.

Queue Listen Now

'No One Wants' This Level Of Violence In Jerusalem, Rabbi Says

6:42pm October 14, 2015

NPR's Audie Cornish speaks with Rabbi Uri Ayalon, a social activist who lives not too far from the bus attack in Jerusalem Tuesday. He says most of the Palestinian population is not violent.

Queue Listen Now

Vatican Denounces Letter Criticizing Pope Francis On Family

7:54pm October 13, 2015

by Sylvia Poggioli

A letter leaked by a veteran Vatican analyst known to be critical of the Francis papacy, has thrown the synod on the family into turmoil and confusion. Allegedly signed by 13 conservative cardinals, the letter complained to the pope that the assembly has been stacked against them. Within hours of the letter's publication Monday, four of the cardinals said they never signed the letter.

Queue Listen Now

Palestinians Confront Escalating Violence In Jerusalem After Attacks

7:54pm October 13, 2015

by Emily Harris

Families of two Palestinians accused of attacks on Israelis describe their shock and some of the anger driving a new wave of violence.

Queue Listen Now

An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man prays along the Mediterranean Sea in the Israeli city of Herzliya, near Tel Aviv.

In Israel, A New Battle Over Who Qualifies As Jewish

3:42pm October 13, 2015

by Emily Harris

Government rabbis decide who is officially Jewish, which affects issues including marriage and divorce. But religious and political rivals have started their own system for conversion.

Queue Listen Now

John Harris, who runs the T. Cribb & Sons funeral home in the East End of London, stands in the coffin warehouse. The key to staying in business in the changing district is to diversify and specialize, he says.

Family Wakes London Neighborhood's Diversity In A Funeral Home

4:57pm October 10, 2015

by Leila Fadel

John Harris's family has buried Cockney East Enders in style for generations. But London has changed, so the funeral home now has washrooms for Hindus and will soon make room for Muslim rites as well.

Queue Listen Now