Complete Index
Religion and Spirituality
Religious Holidays-
Accused “Witches” Attacked in Gambia - March 20, 2009 11:14 AM
Amnesty International reports that up to 1,000 people have been accused of witchcraft and persecuted in Gambia. -
Are Angels Out There? America Says Yes - March 19, 2009 11:20 AM
A study of America’s religious beliefs and moral values yields surprising findings about belief in angels. -
New Book Claims the Believed Authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls Didn’t Exist - March 19, 2009 07:29 AM
An Israeli scholar is claiming that the Essenes, the possible authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls, did not actually exist. -
On This Day: First St. Patrick’s Day Celebrated in America - March 17, 2009 05:00 AM
On March 17, 1737, Boston became the first U.S. city to celebrate the feast day of Ireland’s patron saint. New York followed suit 19 years later. -
Lay Catholics Seek More Church Oversight in Connecticut - March 12, 2009 01:03 PM
Concerned by flagging parish finances, Connecticut Catholics asked the state to intervene in church administration, but the bill died in committee. -
Roadside Memorials Spark Debate Over Religious Symbolism in Utah - March 11, 2009 04:15 PM
A lawsuit challenging roadside crosses that mark troopers deaths in Utah offers a new twist on an old debate over such tributes. -
On This Day: Gunmen Take 149 Hostages in Washington, DC - March 11, 2009 06:00 AM
On March 11, 1977, 12 gunmen seized three Washington, D.C., buildings, beginning the 39-hour Hanafi Muslim siege that left two dead. -
Latest Church Shooting Underscores the Need for Security - March 09, 2009 03:00 PM
Officials were working to improve security at an Illinois chuch where an attack on Sunday took the life of the congregation's pastor. -
Religion Reduces Anxiety—A Matter of Faith or Fact? - March 06, 2009 05:45 PM
Two studies show that the brains of religious people have less intense responses to error, suggesting that faith in God can reduce anxiety. -
Religious Leaders Debate: Can Evolution and God Coexist? - March 04, 2009 04:30 PM
The Vatican is currently sponsoring a five-day conference on evolution, marking the 150th anniversary of Darwin’s “Origin of Species.” -
Somali President Agrees to Sharia Law, But Rebels Reject Truce - March 03, 2009 12:05 PM
Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed agreed to institute a lenient form of sharia law in response to rebel demands. However, rebels vowed to continue fighting. -
Jewish Group Joins Fight Against Construction of Wiesenthal Museum - February 26, 2009 11:37 AM
The Simon Wiesenthal Center, renowned for hunting Nazi war criminals, has angered Jews and Muslims alike by planning to build a museum on an old Muslim cemetery site. -
Supreme Court Rules Against Summum Religious Group in Freedom of Speech Case - February 25, 2009 05:44 PM
In a case that examined freedom of expression in public forums, the Supreme Court says a city does not have to place a religious groups’ monument next to the Ten Commandments. -
Leader of Catholic “Regnum Christi” Movement Led Double Life - February 25, 2009 02:57 PM
The late Rev. Marcial Maciel Degollado left behind sexual misconduct charges and a daughter, reminiscent of other religious leaders involved in scandal. -
Hawaii’s Father Damien to Become Saint, Vatican Says - February 22, 2009 12:02 PM
The canonization of Father Damien, a 19th-century missionary in Hawaii, could mean loss of privacy for people at a former leper colony in the state. -
Catholic Denomination Says Gay Priests Are OK - February 20, 2009 12:55 PM
An alternative Catholic denomination is ordaining openly gay priests, but will such rogue religious groups ever be recognized by the papacy?
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Bosnian Council’s Decision to Teach Islam in Schools Recalls Ethnic Rifts - February 17, 2009 10:32 AM
A move to allow Islamic education in Sarajevo’s preschools raises concerns that the sectarian tensions of the 1990s could be reignited. -
Understanding US-Muslim Relations: History and Perspective - February 13, 2009 01:38 PM
As intellectual leaders from around the globe converge at the U.S.-Islamic World Forum in Doha, Qatar, many question how the relationship arrived at its current state.
(For information on the U.S.-Islamic World Forum, please visit Will the U.S.-Islamic World Forum Create a New Way Forward?) -
Indian Women Launch Valentine’s Day Panty Raid on Hindu Hardliners - February 12, 2009 12:33 PM
An Indian women’s group is protesting a militant ultranationalist Hindu group’s efforts to squelch Valentine’s Day by asking supporters to mail pink panties to the hardliners’ leader. -
Uganda’s Witchcraft Crackdown Yields Arrests - February 11, 2009 11:28 AM
The arrest of a group of suspected witchdoctors after the ritual murder of a woman in Kampala underscores increased efforts to combat witchcraft-related violence in the region. -
Woman Invokes UK's New Forced Marriage Law - February 11, 2009 10:59 AM
A 22-year-old woman in Britain of Pakistani descent is using the newly promulgated Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act to avoid having to marry her father's relative. -
Eluana Englaro Dies, Ending Saga that Divided Italy - February 09, 2009 05:34 PM
Eluana Englaro, a 38-year-old Italian woman in a vegetative state, died Monday days after her feeding tube was removed, ending a contentious right-to-die case. -
Seminary Ousts Holocaust-Denying Bishop As Vatican Struggles With Its Image - February 09, 2009 12:29 PM
The controversy over Bishop Richard Williamson, who denies the extent of the Holocaust, took a new turn Sunday when an Argentinian seminary removed him as director. -
Eluana Englaro Case Divides Italian Government - February 09, 2009 12:04 PM
Italy’s Parliament may pass a bill that would require doctors to resume feeding Englaro, a woman in a vegetative state who is at the center of a contentious right-to-die case. -
In Austria, the Stars Determine Whether You Get Hired - February 07, 2009 07:59 AM
A Salzburg company is restricting its job openings to applicants born under one of five specific signs of the Zodiac. -
Christian Group Counters Atheist Ads With Own Bus Campaign - February 06, 2009 12:56 PM
A Christian group in London is responding to the atheist bus advertisements that have spread throughout London and the world by launching its own pro-God campaign. -
Valentine’s Day Under Attack by Religious Hardliners Worldwide - February 04, 2009 02:15 PM
A militant ultranationalist Hindu group in India vows to assault any couple seen celebrating Valentine’s Day. Groups in other localities have also cracked down on the Western holiday. -
Pope’s Reinstatement of Bishop Causing Outcry in Germany - February 04, 2009 10:29 AM
Angela Merkel criticized Pope Benedict XVI’s decision to reinstate an excommunicated Holocaust-denier, as have many others in the Pope’s home country. But now the Vatican has changed its views. -
On This Day: First Groundhog Day Celebrated - February 02, 2009 06:00 AM
On Feb. 2, 1887, Punxsutawney, Pa., celebrated the first official Groundhog Day, a holiday with roots in ancient traditions. -
Controversial Atheist Ads Make Their Way to Calgary - January 29, 2009 12:29 PM
Calgary is the newest city to experience atheist ads on public transit. The ads that began in Britain have also caused debate in countries such as Italy and Australia.



