Losing Your Religion May Be Unhealthy

"Forty percent of members of strict religious groups say they are healthy, but that drops to 20 percent if they leave the religion, U.S. researchers suggest."

Don't Know Much About Religion? You're Not Alone, Study Finds

". . .although the United States is one of the most religious developed countries in the world, most Americans scored 50 percent or less on a quiz measuring knowledge of the Bible, world religions and what the Constitution says about religion in public life."

Bishop Long's 'Anointed' Path to Power at New Birth

"Bishop Eddie Long, facing accusations of sexual coercion, is considered 'anointed' by his congregants. Scholars say his rise has followed a familiar pattern, with worshipers fiercely devoted to a powerful leader."

British Library Posts Greek Manuscripts to Web

"The British Library said Monday that it was making more than a quarter of its 1,000 volume-strong collection of handwritten Greek texts available online free of charge, something curators there hope will be a boon to historians, biblical scholars and students of classical Greece alike."

Family, Friends and Politics, Not Theology, Shape Faith

Political scientists Robert Putnam of Harvard and David Campbell of Notre Dame, in "their new book, American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us. . .argue that America is simultaneously religiously devout, diverse and tolerant, based on comprehensive surveys they conducted."

The Push to Ordain Women Priests Gains Ground

"But there is a movement against the no-women rule, one that began eight years ago when a cluster of renegade male clerics (including a European bishop whose identity the female priests won't reveal in order not to risk his excommunication) ordained the first women. Now, in Jacko's hometown of Chicago, three women have entered into the priesthood."

Muslims Facing Discrimination at Work

"Though Muslims are less than 2 percent of the United States population, they accounted for about one-quarter of the religious discrimination claims filed by workers."

A Religious Revolution in China

A series of articles on religion in China

Renovated Vatican Library Reopens

"The Vatican Apostolic Library reopened its hallowed halls Monday following a three-year renovation, according to library officials. Climate-controlled rooms for precious manuscripts, electronic microchips in books, and state-of-the-art security measures to prevent theft and loss are just a few of the changes made to the library, officials said."

Study Seeks to Explain the Parting of the Red Sea

"The study, published today in the online journal PLoS ONE, finds that strong, persistent winds could offer a physical explanation for the event, which was made eternally famous by Charlton Heston in the epic film The Ten Commandments."

Pope Addresses Sex Abuse Scandal as He Starts Visit to Britain

"Pope Benedict XVI said Thursday the Roman Catholic Church has not been vigilant enough or fast enough in responding to the problem of sexual abuse by priests."

Amish Population Growing, Heading West

"Amish communities are now in 28 states, and the continent's population will double by 2024 if the annual growth rate of around 5% continues, the survey says. The highest rates of growth over the past year were recorded in New York (19%), Minnesota (9%), Missouri (8%), Wisconsin (7%) and Illinois (7%). The survey attributes the population boom to Amish families tending to be large, with five children or more on average."

Catholic Colleges 20 Years After 'Ex Corde'

"Twenty years ago, Pope John Paul II issued Ex corde Ecclesiae (From the Heart of the Church), an Apostolic Constitution that defined Roman Catholic colleges and created guidelines to assist them in fulfilling their missions."

Muslims Face Growing Bias in the Workplace

"Claims of bias against Muslims in the workplace rose to 1,490 last year from 1,304 in 2008 and just 697 in 2004, according to EEOC figures. Last year's total was even higher than in the year after the 9/11 attacks, when bias claims hit 1,463."

SBC Compensation Study 2010

"What are Attendance, Experience, Education, and Location Worth?"
SBC Compensation Study 2010: Analysis of full-time senior pastor compensation and vacation (Lifeway Study)

Report: Hundreds of Catholic Clergy Sex Abuse Victims in Belgium

"Hundreds of sex abuse victims have come forward in Belgium with harrowing accounts of molestation by Catholic clergy that reportedly led to at least 13 suicides and affected children as young as two, an independent Belgian commission said Friday."

Religious Laws Long Recognized By U.S. Courts

". . .U.S. courts already accommodate Shariah law, following a long history of incorporating religious laws into the U.S. legal system.

A Chaplain and an Atheist Go to War

"They say there are no atheists in foxholes. There's one on the front lines here, though, and the chaplain isn't thrilled about it. Navy Chaplain Terry Moran is steeped in the Bible and believes all of it. His assistant, Religious Programs Specialist 2nd Class Philip Chute, is steeped in the Bible and having none of it."

Why God Did Not Create the Universe

Excerpt of a book by Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow.

Religious Leaders Condemn "Anti-Muslim" Frenzy

"U.S. religious leaders joined on Tuesday to condemn an 'anti-Muslim frenzy' in the United States, and the head of U.S. forces in Afghanistan warned that a Florida church's plan for a Koran-burning could endanger American troops abroad."

Hawking: God Did Not Create the Universe

"God did not create the universe and the 'Big Bang' was an inevitable consequence of the laws of physics, the eminent British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking argues in a new book."

Methodists See Clues for Growth in Thriving Churches

"The United Methodist Church. . .commissioned an ambitious survey of nearly all its 33,000 U.S. churches to find out what its growing memberships are doing to keep congregations thriving. Of those churches, the four key factors of vitality stood out as 'crystal clear findings that are actionable,' according to the survey."

U. of Wisconsin Cannot Exclude Religious Group From Student Fees, Court Says

"Federal judges rule that a Roman Catholic group cannot be excluded from receiving student fees for activities such as worship, proselytizing, and religious instruction."