Religion

Spires from the Mormon temple in downtown Salt Lake City reach to the sky.

Podcaster Risks Excommunication For Defending Gay Mormons

4:26pm September 03, 2014

by Terry Gildea

Earlier this week, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints excommunicated an advocate for female priesthood. This weekend, a Utah man who questioned church doctrine might face a similar fate.

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Christ In Context: 'Zealot' Explores The Life Of Jesus

2:48pm August 27, 2014

Reza Aslan converted to Christianity when he was a teenager, but became more interested in Jesus than as a Messiah. His book, Zealot, considers Jesus in the context of the time and place he lived in.

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Letter From Beyond The Grave: A Tale Of Love, Murder And Brazilian Law

6:23pm August 10, 2014

by Lourdes Garcia-Navarro

Lenira de Oliveira and her boyfriend were on trial for murder. Then an astonishing piece of evidence was submitted in their defense: a letter from the victim, as communicated to a medium.

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Visitors look at an exhibit at the National Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, Mass.

Effort To Preserve Yiddish Works Not 'Bupkes'

11:40am August 09, 2014

by Jon Kalish

The preservation of Yiddish as a spoken language gets more attention, but Yiddish once had a vibrant written tradition as well, filled with plays, poetry, novels and political tracts.

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A volunteer at a Christian church in Qosh, Iraq, loads aid onto a handcart Monday for delivery to displaced Shiites who are sheltering there.

For Iraqis In Crisis, Dividing The Country Seems A Poor Solution

7:35am July 29, 2014

by Alice Fordham

For centuries, Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds had coexisted in Mosul, but some fear ruptures there may be harbingers of the partition of Iraq. If that happens, Ahmed Ali may never see his farm again.

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As Millions Of People Fast For Ramadan, Does The Economy Suffer?

2:19pm July 24, 2014

by Shankar Vedantam

New research examines the effects of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month during which millions of people around the world go without food all day. Does religious practice affect economic growth?

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Morals Clauses Prove Controversial For Catholic School Teachers

10:56am July 21, 2014

by Sandhya Dirks

Catholic schools are requiring teachers to sign morality clauses, which have gotten some educators fired for marrying same-sex partners.

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FBI, NSA Spied On American Muslims, Report Says

7:19pm July 10, 2014

by David Welna

The latest revelation from Edward Snowden's NSA trove is a story that appeared in the online publication The Intercept. Five prominent American citizens say they were spied on because they're Muslims.

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Religion

Supreme Court's Hobby Lobby Ruling Yields Polarized Debate

11:14am July 03, 2014

Debate involving religion and contraception was ignited by the ruling. Steve Inskeep discusses the court's case with Thomas Berg, a professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law.

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Keone Nunes, a Native Hawaiian tattoo artist, says prayers to "awaken" the tattoo tools and bless the ink. Two "stretchers" pull the skin tight on the chest of Kaiola Farin to enable Nunes to tap straight lines.

Honolulu Police Chief's Ban On Visible Tattoos Sparks Criticism

7:37pm July 01, 2014

by Wayne Yoshioka

Native Hawaiians on the police force have criticized the ban. Many say tattoos are part of their cultural heritage and should remain in plain sight.

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