Religion

Religion

Broadcast Of Sunrise Service Dates To The Early Days Of Local Radio

10:44am April 04, 2015

The Moravian Easter Sunrise Service, an annual Winston-Salem tradition since 1772, will be held Sunday, April 5. It's expected to draw thousands of worshippers to Old Salem.

What many don't know is that the historic service has also become a part of radio history.

Queue Listen Now

Movies Explore The Intersection Of Religion And Violence

10:30am April 04, 2015

There has been a spate of religious movies and documentaries from Killing Jesus to Going Clear. NPR's Linda Wertheimer talks to Rev. Gary Hall of the National Cathedral in Washington.

Queue Listen Now

The Rev. Vernon Holmes leads a Lutheran congregation near Sacramento, Calif., that supports the state's right-to-die bill. He describes his faith as promoting quality of life.

California Faith Groups Divided Over Right-To-Die Bill

6:54pm April 03, 2015

by Pauline Bartolone

Many Christian denominations officially oppose legislation that would legalize medically assisted suicide. But some individual churches, pastors and congregants are lending support to the cause.

Queue Listen Now

Mixed Reaction To Changes In States 'Religious Freedom' Bills

1:39pm April 03, 2015

by Scott Neuman

Revisions to the measures in Indiana and Arkansas were prompted by a loud backlash from opponents who said the laws were meant to condone discrimination against gays and lesbians.

Pope Francis speaks during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on Wednesday. ANSA, the Italian news agency, is reporting that the pope's doctors have urged him to reduce his pasta consumption.

Vatican? More Like Vatican't! Eat Spaghetti, That Is

12:26pm April 03, 2015

by Krishnadev Calamur

Pope Francis' doctors are telling him to lay off pasta and get more exercise. But Francis, who reportedly eats a plate of spaghetti every day, has not taken well to the suggestions.

A sign reading, "This business serves everyone," was placed in the window of Bernadette's Barbershop in downtown Lafayette, Ind., in response to the passage of the state's Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

Indiana, Arkansas Amend 'Religious Freedom' Laws

6:23pm April 02, 2015

by Scott Neuman

The changes aim to prevent businesses from using new legislation to discriminate against LGBT customers.

Southern Baptist Minister: Religious Liberty Law Permits Denial Of Some Services

2:58pm April 02, 2015

Indiana's religious freedom law is the subject of national debate, and for many its wording is a problem. Steve Inskeep talks to the Rev. Tim Overton of Muncie, who is in favor of the measure.

Queue Listen Now

Rev. Robert H. Schuller, pastor of the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, Calif., speaks at the church in 1996. Schuller, who hosted the top-rated Hour of Power telecast for decades, died Thursday at age 88.

Megachurch Founder, Televangelist Robert Schuller Dies At 88

12:34pm April 02, 2015

by Scott Neuman

The pastor who built his church from nothing in the 1960s also launched the Hour of Power broadcast a decade later. By 2010, however, the palatial Crystal Cathedral was forced into bankruptcy.

Indonesian Muslims perform Eid Al-Adha prayer at Al-Akbar Mosque in Oct. 2014 in Surabaya, Indonesia.

World's Muslim Population Will Surpass Christians This Century, Pew Says

11:03am April 02, 2015

by Bill Chappell

Islam is growing more rapidly than any other religion in the world, according to the Pew Research Center, which predicts that Islam will nearly equal Christianity by 2050 before eclipsing it.

Madison, Wis., Council Votes To Ban Discrimination Against Atheism

8:22am April 02, 2015

by Bill Chappell

In what's believed to be a first in the United States, the city's equal opportunities ordinance is amended "to add nonreligion as a protected class."