religious

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (right) has sued the CDC over its air travel mask mandate, while Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt (left) has sued and sent cease and desist letters to dozens of school districts over mask mandates.

Conservative blocs unleash wave of litigation to curb public health powers

5:00am July 18, 2022

A coalition of religious groups, conservative think tanks, and Republican attorneys general have chipped away at local and state authority, altering how the nation can respond during health crises.

Catholic worshipers attend Mass at Saint Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. Celebrating Holy Communion without shared wine is fine, in the age of COVID-19, many churches have decided.

Keep The Faith, Lose The Germs: Clergy Rethink Customs In The Age Of Coronavirus

5:00am March 07, 2020

As more cases of coronavirus are confirmed in the U.S., clergy are reconsidering a variety of practices during religious services, from handshakes to close contact. Experts say that's a wise idea.

Study Asks If War Makes A Person More ... Or Less ... Religious

10:29am July 30, 2019

by Diane Cole

The researchers looked at responses of 1,709 people in three countries that have undergone prolonged, brutal conflict. The findings hold encouraging news — and a cautionary note.

Health care workers sometimes oppose procedures on religious or moral grounds.

'Patients Will Die': One County's Challenge To Trump's 'Conscience Rights' Rule

2:39pm June 12, 2019

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

California's Santa Clara County argues that if the rule goes into effect in July, the county will suffer irreparable harm in terms of patient care and staffing costs.

Queue Listen Now

People enjoy an afternoon at Eminonu Square in Istanbul in January. A recent survey of personal beliefs and lifestyles in majority-Muslim Turkey has found a smaller portion of people describing themselves as religious.

Turks Examine Their Muslim Devotion After Poll Says Faith Could Be Waning

7:00am February 11, 2019

by Peter Kenyon

Despite a rise in religious doctrine from the government, a recent survey shows a dip in the portion of people identifying as religious, compared with a poll in 2008.

National

More States Say Religious Agencies Can Turn Down Same-Sex Couples For Adoptions

7:36pm June 11, 2018

by Rachel Hubbard

Oklahoma and Kansas recently passed laws that religious adoption agencies do not have to work with same-sex couples if they don't want to. That's a law that's already on the books in seven other state

Queue Listen Now

As they travel the parade route, tuxedoed men and youths distribute strings of colorful beads, dried fava beans and genuine Italian kisses.

Move Over, St. Patrick: St. Joseph's Feast Is When Italians Parade

8:00am March 18, 2017

by Nicole Jankowski

The wearing of the red honors the patron saint of Sicily. But the real celebrating centers around extravagant altars filled with traditional food, religious symbols and tributes to loved ones.

Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Haslam signed a law that allows mental health professionals to refuse treatment to patients based on personal or religious beliefs.

Tennessee Enacts Law Letting Therapists Refuse Patients On Religious Grounds

7:09pm April 27, 2016

by Laura Wagner

Republican Gov. Bill Haslam signed a law allowing mental health counselors to refuse to treat patients based on religious objections. Critics say the measure discriminates against LGBT people.

Attendees pray during the Family Leadership Summit — an event sponsored by the conservative Family Leader organization — in Ames, Iowa, in July.

Conservatives Call For 'Religious Freedom,' But For Whom?

5:42pm December 11, 2015

by Tom Gjelten

Republican presidential candidates decry what they call a "war on faith." Religious conservatives say they face anti-Christian bigotry. But the rise of anti-Muslim sentiment reveals a double standard.

The Supreme Court will hear another challenge to the Affordable Care Act about religious objections to providing contraception.

Supreme Court Will Hear More Religious Objections To Obamacare

3:47pm November 06, 2015

by Laura Wagner

Birth control and the Affordable Care Act are back on the Supreme Court's docket, in what could be called a sequel to the Hobby Lobby ruling.