Religion

Father Najeeb Michaeel shows off one of the many Christian manuscripts he saved from Iraq's Christian libraries.

Piece By Piece, Monks Scramble To Preserve Iraq's Christian History

2:40pm January 25, 2015

by Alice Fordham

Fleeing ISIS, an order of Dominican monks had to leave much behind. But when Father Najeeb Michaeel helped the Christian community escape, he took one thing with him: a collection of manuscripts.

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Luke Whitworth, a Baptist missionary, came to Guinea to teach English and to preach. He's added Ebola education to his list of duties.

American Millennial Missionary In Guinea Isn't Scared Off By Ebola

12:14pm January 23, 2015

by Kevin Leahy

Luke Whitworth, 23, came to Guinea from South Carolina 13 months ago. That's when the outbreak there began. His sponsoring group gave him the option to leave — but he's determined to stay.

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Supreme Court Rules For Muslim Inmate In Prison Beard Case

1:22pm January 21, 2015

by Nina Totenberg

The court said a ban on beards violated the prisoner's religious freedom. The state of Arkansas had argued that the beard presented security concerns and that it could be used to hide contraband.

Pope Francis waves to the crowd in Manila, capital of the Philippines, before boarding his flight back to Rome on Monday.

Pope Francis Says Catholics Don't Need To Breed 'Like Rabbits'

2:31pm January 20, 2015

by Jasmine Garsd

On his return from a weeklong trip to Asia, Pope Francis emphasized the church's ban on artificial means of birth control and said Catholics should practice "responsible parenthood."

Cover detail of The Girl from Human Street.

A Memoir Of A Family's Diaspora, And A Mother's Depression

11:25am January 19, 2015

by NPR Staff

New York Times columnist Roger Cohen looks back on his life and asks: Could a family's constant movement — four countries in four generations — contribute to a mother's struggle with mental illness?

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Building Ties To Counter Religious Extremism In LA

12:57pm January 18, 2015

Law enforcement is working to detect and prevent radical Islam in the U.S. NPR's Rachel Martin presents different perspectives on what prevention looks like.

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Longtime Church Organist Keeps Traditional Hymns Alive

12:57pm January 18, 2015

by Susan Sharon

Churches are retiring their hymnals and organs, hoping to attract younger crowds, but at West Auburn Congregational in Maine, Charles Marshall has been playing for 70 years with no plans to retire.

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Ireland's Health Minister Leo Varadkar, 36, who has publicly come out as gay.

Prominent Irish Government Minister Comes Out As Gay

10:59am January 18, 2015

by Scott Neuman

Leo Varadkar, speaking to Irish radio, also says he supports an upcoming referendum to approve same-sex marriage in the traditionally conservative Catholic country.

A mentally disabled Yazidi man is carried to a bus that will bring him to the Kurdish city of Dohuk, after being released by Islamic militants, in Alton Kupri, outside Kirkuk, Iraq, on Sunday.

ISIS Frees 200 Elderly Yazidis; Reportedly 'Too Expensive To Feed'

9:07am January 18, 2015

by Scott Neuman

The mostly infirm refugees from the religious minority were released by the self-declared Islamic State. Speculation is that they had become a burden to the militants.

Pope Francis waves to the crowd as he arrives at Quirino Grandstand to celebrate his final Papal Mass in Manila, Philippines, on Sunday. In his homily, Francis warned about the Philippine government's

Record Turnout For Pope's Sunday Mass In Manila

8:08am January 18, 2015

by Scott Neuman

Francis concludes his four-day visit to the region's only predominately Catholic country advocating for the poor and warning against the government's "insidious" family planning program.