religion

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.

Michigan Bank Discovers The Need For Islamic Finance Products

7:36am May 12, 2016

by Sally Helm

Some interpretations of Islam outlaw charging interest. That makes most banking pretty hard, but there are ways to practice Islamic compliant finance. One bank in Michigan gave it a go.

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The audience at last month's Together for the Gospel conference in Louisville, Ky.

As U.S. Attitudes Change, Some Evangelicals Dig In; Others Adapt

5:47pm May 10, 2016

America's culture war is being fought inside evangelical Christian circles. Some are resisting secular society's trends that conflict with biblical teaching. Others have found a way to live with them.

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Nick Wilson (left), at his ordination last month, is given a framed sign from Pastor Matt Johnson that reads "Just As I Am," the title of one of Wilson's favorite hymns.

Acceptance Grows, Slowly But Steadily, For Gay Evangelicals

5:44pm May 10, 2016

Growing up, gay evangelicals may have thought they had to be one or the other. It's different now. At one welcoming Baptist church in Kentucky, a member says, gay congregants "walk through the door."

President Barack Obama gives his commencement address to the 2016 graduating class of Howard University.

Obama Gets All In His Blackness At Howard

3:01pm May 10, 2016

by Leah Donnella

Some applauded the president's speech at the historic black university as a break from "respectability politics" that demean African-Americans. Other saw it as more of the same.

Police stand guard during demonstrations in reaction to a Cleveland police officer being acquitted of manslaughter charges on May 23, 2015, in Cleveland.

Watch Live: PBS Presents, 'Armed In America'

9:01pm May 09, 2016

PBS explores gun violence in the United States during its two-night Armed In America special, which will include town hall discussions moderated by All Things Considered weekend host Michel Martin.

The FDA is asking consumers to help define what "natural" food is. It's an ancient philosophical question with no easy answers.

What Is 'Natural' Food? A Riddle Wrapped In Notions Of Good And Evil

5:48pm May 08, 2016

by Alan Levinovitz

Time is almost up for consumers to tell the FDA what "natural" food means. It's an ancient philosophical question with no easy answers.

Zarqa Nawaz's Little Mosque on the Prairie ran on the CBC from 2007 to 2012.

'Little Mosque' Creator Zarqa Nawaz On Mixing Comedy And Religion

8:44am May 07, 2016

by NPR Staff

The writer/filmmaker uses humor to help people understand Islam, but it took years for some mosque members to come around to her jokes. Nawaz's new memoir is called Laughing All The Way to the Mosque.

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Sadiq Khan, whose Pakistani father was a bus driver in London for more than 25 years, has been elected mayor. He is the city's first Muslim mayor.

London Elects First Muslim Mayor, Sadiq Khan Of The Labour Party

8:52pm May 06, 2016

by Laura Wagner

The former human rights lawyer beat Conservative Party candidate Zac Goldsmith. Khan's religion was a flashpoint throughout the campaign; he accused Goldsmith of trying to scare and divide voters.