Prospective Catholic Priests Face Sexuality Hurdles

"Still, since the abuse crisis erupted in 2002, curtailing the entry of gay men into the priesthood has become one the church’s highest priorities. And that task has fallen to seminary directors and a cadre of psychologists who say that culling candidates has become an arduous process of testing, interviewing and making decisions — based on social science, church dogma and gut instinct."

The Trial of Pope Benedict XVI

"The crisis facing the church is deeply complicated by the fact that in 1980, as Archbishop of Munich, the future Benedict XVI appears to have mismanaged the assignment of an accused pedophile priest under his charge. . ."

Unplugged Christians Living Off the Grid

"Like other conservative Christians in this growing movement, Brother Gregory believes that Christianity has strayed too far from its roots, and has given its role in people's lives over to the government -- as with welfare programs or health care."

The Catholic Church and American Nuns

"For more than a thousand years, becoming a nun was the best—and often the only—way for a young woman to get an education and to earn a modicum of independence. In the modern West, though, women have other options. In the United States, the number of religious sisters has shrunk by two thirds since 1965, to 59,600."

Monks Making Money: A Business Beyond Prayer

"Nestled amid lush rolling green hills, the sacred grounds of the Monastery of the Holy Spirit are awash in pastoral tranquility. Here 40 Trappist monks who left the world they once knew -- on Wall Street, in academia and elsewhere -- dedicate their lives to prayer, reflection and the worship of God. . ."

Divers Explore Cleopatra's Sunken Palace

"Archaeologists retrieve artifacts from royal quarters submerged for centuries in Alexandria's harbor."

Atheists, it's Time to Play Well With Others

"What is not so encouraging in America's conversation about origins is the opposition of 'New Atheists' to any thawing of the chilly relations between science and religion."

Catholic Church Reburies ‘Heretic’ Nicolaus Copernicus With Honour

"Nicolaus Copernicus, the 'heretical' 16th-century astronomer who was buried in an unmarked grave nearly 500 years ago, was rehabilitated by the Roman Catholic Church this weekend as his remains were reburied in the Polish cathedral where he had once been a canon."

Southern Baptists Buck Trend, Post Most Baptisms in 4 Years

". . .the Southern Baptist Convention—the nation's largest Protestant denomination — post its highest number of baptisms in four years. Baptisms jumped by 7,539. Specifically, the baptisms jumped from 342,198 to 349,737 last year, reversing years of decline. Baptist leaders say the numbers show the convention's renewed focus on reaching nonbelievers is working."

Evangelical Group: We'll Partner to Reduce Number of Abortions

"The National Association of Evangelicals is making an anti-abortion move that some evangelicals may not welcome: They've announced a willingness to partner with groups that offer contraceptive services and other programs aimed at reducing the number of abortions."

Islamic Nations Say Will Tackle Maternal Deaths: U.S.

"Islamic countries, home to about half the estimated 400,000 women worldwide who die in childbirth each year, have promised to cut maternal mortality, U.S. Secretary of Health Kathleen Sebelius said on Monday."

Evangelical Christian Leaders Call for Immigration Reform

"Evangelical leaders calling for comprehensive immigration reform say their pastors see firsthand the difficulties faced by immigrants who fear arrest and deportation."

The New War Between Science and Religion

"There is a new war between science and religion, rising from the ashes of the old one. . ."

Study: Babies Know the Difference Between Good, Evil

"The view of many psychologists and scientists for years has been that parenting and environmental factors are what determine a person’s morals. The experiments conducted by the psychology department at Yale University showed that babies may already have a sense of right and wrong before it is introduced to them by their family."

Pope Sees Sex Scandal as Greatest Threat to Catholic church

"The clerical abuse scandal represents the greatest threat to the Roman Catholic Church and the crisis was 'born from sins within the church' not outside, Pope Benedict XVI said Tuesday on a trip to Portugal."

Millennials Increasingly Find Their Religion Online

"Young people are defining their own spiritual paths, says Rebecca Phillips, vice president of social networking for Beliefnet.com. 'Young people are not necessarily doing the same thing religion-wise that their parents did, and they're developing their own unique brands of spirituality,' she says. It seems to affirm a Lifeway Christian Resources study showing that 72 percent of Millennials, the generation between 18 and 30 years old, say they are more spiritual than religious. Fewer of them attend worship services, pray or read sacred scriptures."

92% Say There is a God and 83% Say God Answers Prayers

". . .92% say there is a God and 83% say this God answers prayers, according to a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll of 1,000 adults May 1-2. The margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points."