religion

Catholics In Las Vegas On Faith And Politics

4:26pm February 21, 2020

In another installment of a series about faith and politics, NPR's Audie Cornish talks with a diverse group of Catholics in Las Vegas about the role religion plays in their choices at the ballot box.

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Amid Census Concerns, Religious Leaders Asked To Quell Fears

6:26am February 19, 2020

by Hansi Lo Wang

The Census Bureau plans to rely on houses of worship to help promote participation. But some faith leaders are not sure how to address fear among their congregants on how census data could be misused.

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In this March 2, 1995 file photo, Word of Faith Fellowship church leader Jane Whaley talks to members of the media, accompanied by her husband, Sam, in Spindale, N.C.

Word Of Faith's Pattern Of Abuse 'Got Worse Over Time,' Says 'Broken Faith' Author

8:55pm February 17, 2020

by Rachel Martin

Pulitzer Prize winner Mitch Weiss and Holbrook Mohr detail the alleged secret life of abuse in the Word Of Faith Fellowship: "They take more and more control of your lives" over time, they say.

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Kody Brown, pictured in Feb. 2017, protested Utah's felony laws against polygamy. Brown and his three wives star in the TV show Sister Wives.

Utah Bill Decriminalizing Polygamy Clears First Hurdle, Moves To State Senate

6:20pm February 12, 2020

by Vanessa Romo

"Vigorous enforcement of the law during the mid-twentieth century did not deter the practice of plural marriage," Sen. Deidre Henderson said. She said it's time to end secrecy around the practice.

Pope Francis Sidesteps Comment On Catholic Ban On Married Priests In The Amazon

4:20pm February 12, 2020

by Sylvia Poggioli

Pope Francis has called for "bold proposals" to meet the needs of Catholics in the Amazon, but they do not explicitly include allowing married priests in remote regions with a shortage of clergy.

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Pope Francis says married male deacons and women can "regularly assume important responsibilities" for the Catholic Church in the Amazon region, but he turned down bishops' request to allow those deacons to become priests and women to become deacons.

Pope Francis Won't Allow Married Men As Priests, Women As Deacons

12:19pm February 12, 2020

by Bill Chappell

Bishops from the Amazon region had sought the changes to address a shortage of clergy. But some Roman Catholic conservatives warned that enacting them would lead to the end of clerical celibacy rules.

It's A Dangerous Time For Christians In Northeastern Syria

7:43am February 12, 2020

by Jane Arraf

Christians have been worrying since Turkish troops entered the area in November to attack Kurdish forces, after U.S. forces moved troops out of the way. Some Christians vow to stay no matter what.

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Fellowship of Wildwood, a Baptist church in west St. Louis County, allows certain trained congregants to carry weapons. Church leaders say their volunteer security team helps provide peace of mind to the congregation.

Houses Of Worship Struggle To Balance Security And Belief In Wake Of Violence

7:00am February 09, 2020

by Shahla Farzan

Violence at houses of worship in recent years has congregational leaders adding security. But the move is sometimes at odds with their beliefs and their missions to the communities they serve.

The Link Between Mitt Romney's Impeachment Vote And His Faith

5:40pm February 08, 2020

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Hal Boyd, who teaches courses on the philosophy of religion at Brigham Young University, about the role faith played in Utah Sen. Mitt Romney's impeachment vote.

On the facade of the Wittenberg Town Church in Germany, a relief depicting Jews and a large pig is at the heart of controversy and a legal battle.

A German Jew Vows To Fight On To Remove Anti-Semitic Sculpture After Court Defeat

9:00am February 08, 2020

by Aaron Labaree

"This is a church, a holy place. You can't mix it with such a shameful assault on the Jews," plaintiff Michael Düllmann says of the medieval work portraying Jews with a pig.