Tulsi Gabbard, Mazie Hirono Break Congressional Barriers for Non-Christians
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard – Alex Wong/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Tuesday’s election brought some religious firsts for Congress, with a victory for Tulsi Gabbard, who will be the first Hindu congresswoman, and Mazie Hirono, the first Buddhist senator. Both ar…
Parents May Sue Over Yoga Lessons in Public Schools
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(SAN DIEGO) — Parents in a southern California community are considering legal action over the constitutionality of a form of yoga being taught to their children, which they claim is introducing religion into public schools.Last …
Number of Americans Without Religious Affiliation on the Rise
George Doyle/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Nearly 20 percent of Americans do not identify with any particular religion, according to a new poll. The number is much higher among younger Americans, according to the survey from the Pew Forum on Religion and Pub…
Texas Cheerleaders Fight Back over Bible Verses
ABC News(KOUNTZE, Texas) — Cheerleaders in a small East Texas town that worships two things — God and football — are now fighting back after the Bible verses they painted on banners to display at games were banned.The cheerleading squad at Kountze H…
Oregon Faith Healer Parents Get Probation in Son’s Death
Hemera/Thinkstock(PLEASANT HILL, Ore.) — The “faith healer” parents of an Oregon teenager who died due to a lack of medical care will be required to contact a doctor when any of their other six children are sick for more than one day, according to the…
Secretary Clinton Delivers Powerful Religion Speech After Middle East Embassy Attacks
Win McNamee/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Secretary Clinton delivered a powerful and personal speech about religion at an Eid ul-Fitr reception, marking the end of the Muslim holiday of Ramadan. The speech, at times, was a direct response to the attacks …
Mitt Romney Talks God on the Campaign Trail
Geoff Burke/Getty Images(MANSFIELD, Ohio) — With the party conventions in the rearview mirror and Election Day less than two months away, Mitt Romney has found God once again.At a campaign rally in Mansfield, Ohio, on Monday, Romney pledged that, if e…
Paul Ryan Hits ‘God’ Absence from DNC Platform
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images(ADEL, Iowa) — Paul Ryan weighed in Wednesday on the Democrats’ 2012 platform, which makes no reference to “God,” calling the omission “rather peculiar.”“It’s not in keeping with ou…
Deeply Religious Parents Often Reluctant to Cease Medical Care
Hemera Technologies/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — When a child is seriously ill or injured, parents understandably move heaven and earth to save them. However, a new study has found that sometimes deeply religious families test the limits of medical sc…
State Department’s Religious Freedom Report Indicates Back Sliding
FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Declaring that religious freedom is an essential component of democracy, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared on Monday that the world seems to be regressing in allowing people to worship as they …
Half of Americans Do Not Know the President’s Religion
MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Three and a half years into President Obama’s first term as president, half of Americans cannot accurately say what religion he is, according to a poll released this week.Only 49 percent of respondents …
Michelle Obama Cites Jesus as Model for Citizenship
Official White House Photo by Sonya N. Hebert(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) — First lady Michelle Obama Thursday offered a rare public reflection on her religious faith, telling a conference of the African Methodist Episcopal church that the life of Jesus Christ …
First Edition Book Of Mormon Stolen
File photo. Jeff Blake/For The Washington Post(MESA, Ariz.) — For decades, parents would bring their newborn babies to Helen Schlie’s bookstore so their infants could touch a first edition copy of the Book of Mormon. Missionaries from around th…
New Jersey Woman Says She Was Fired for Being too Busty
Hemera/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — A New Jersey woman says she was fired from her job after her manager told her to “tape her breasts” down, and now has filed suit against the company claiming religious and sexual discrimination.Former data entry worker La…
Religious Faithful Lack Logic, Study Implies
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — A rare and controversial study merging science and faith suggests that analytic thinking, a process that favors reason over intuition, promotes religious disbelief.Canadian researchers used math puzzles and “pr…
Egypt’s Most Popular Comedian Guilty of Insulting Islam
AFP/Getty Images(CAIRO) — The verdict of a popular Egyptian comedian convicted of offending Islam has been upheld by a Cairo court, raising fears among Egyptian liberals and secularists about the Islamic tide rising since the downfall of former Presid…
Marco Rubio, a Catholic, Remembers Little of His Time in the Mormon Church
Joe Raedle/Getty Images(MIAMI) — Florida governor Marco Rubio, whose name is being floated as a potential top pick running mate for Republican Mitt Romney, said recently that he doesn’t remember much about his family’s time in the Mormon c…
Obama Says Easter Story Puts His Challenges In Perspective
Win McNamee/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Reflecting on his Christian faith, President Obama said Wednesday that the story of Easter puts the challenges he faces into perspective and inspires him to overcome troubled times.“We all have experiences …
Attending Religious Services Makes People Happier, Survey Finds
George Doyle/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — If you’re down in the dumps and not feeling especially happy about anything, a trip to a religious service could be the thing that puts you in a better mood.Findings in the latest Gallup-Healthways Well-Being …
Church of England Looks to Twitter for Leader
KIMIHIRO HOSHINO/AFP/Getty Images(LONDON) — The Church of England has been around since the 1530s, but leaders are turning to a modern means of communication to choose its new leader. The UK Telegraph reports the church is using the social networking …