religion

Quran Fragments Found In U.K. Library Are Among Oldest In The World

7:28pm July 22, 2015

NPR's Robert Siegel speaks with Susan Worrall, the special collections director of the University of Birmingham's Cadbury Research Library, where the fragments were discovered.

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An Islamic manuscript, which has been identified as one of the world's oldest fragments of the Quran, is seen at the University of Birmingham in the U.K.

University In U.K. Finds Muhammad-Era Quran Pages Among Its Possessions

6:14pm July 22, 2015

by Krishnadev Calamur

The manuscript is one of the earliest versions of Islam's holy book to survive. Radiocarbon analysis dates the parchment on which the text is written to between the years 568 and 645.

Same-Sex Marriage Ruling Raises Questions Of Religious Rights, Tax Status

2:00pm July 19, 2015

by Tom Gjelten

Religious colleges worry that if they stick to their convictions, they may lose tax-exempt status. That happened to Bob Jones University in 1983 because it continued to prohibit interracial dating.

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DiShan Washington is the author of several books of Christian erotica, as well as a film called Let's Get It On.

Pastor's Daughter Taps Into The 'Spicy Stuff' To Help Save Marriages

9:35am July 19, 2015

by NPR Staff

DiShan Washington, former wife of a pastor, is a writer of what she calls "Christian erotica." She talks with NPR's Rachel Martin about trying to help Christians approach sex with a more open mind.

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Sectarian violence in Northern Ireland flared for three decades during "the Troubles," pictured here. Even today, uneasy feelings simmer among those who live there.

In Northern Ireland, 'Terror Gets Old,' But Divisions Linger

9:00pm July 18, 2015

by NPR Staff

A new documentary looks at the lives of some who took part in Northern Ireland's sectarian conflict, which lasted 30 years. Many are in their 60s now, grappling with their roles in a violent past.

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A recent batch of Veena Mehra's yogurt in Houston. She's been making yogurt the same way, with the same starter, for about 40 years.

The 'Immortal' Homemade Yogurt That Traveled 'Round The World

11:53am July 15, 2015

by Eliza Barclay

An Indian immigrant in Oklahoma missed the yogurt she'd grown up with. So when she traveled to India, she brought some back to use to make it herself. Forty years later, that yogurt lives on.

Pope Francis Apologizes For 'Grave Sins' Against Native People Of America

3:05pm July 13, 2015

NPR's Kelly McEvers talks with Nicole Winfield, an Associated Press reporter currently on tour with the Pope, about his apology for the church's crimes committed against the native people of America.

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Men line up at a takeaway food stand in the Saudi port of Jeddah in the early hours of August 26, 2011. Practicing Muslims eat their suhoor meal before dawn during the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

The Ramadan Breakfast Of Champions To Get You Through A Day's Fast

3:05pm July 13, 2015

by Deena Prichep

Ramadan this year falls in the height of summer when days are longest. Many observant Muslims are fasting 16 hours a day or longer, so their pre-dawn breakfast needs to be hydrating and satiating.

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The Pope Visits Bolivia's Notorious Palmasola Prison

6:31pm July 11, 2015

Pope Francis's Latin American tour brought him on Friday to one of Bolivia's most violent prisons. Sarah Marsh, the Reuters Latin America correspondent, was there and tells NPR's Arun Rath what conditions are like for the inmates and how they responded to the Pope's message.

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Pope Francis speaks to crowds gathered Sunday in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican.

The Pope Is About To Weigh In On Climate Change. Not Everyone Is Happy

1:31pm July 10, 2015

by Scott Neuman

A number of conservative politicians have cast a dim eye on Pope Francis' statements on climate change. A teaching document coming out Thursday aims to make the environment a moral imperative.