Religion http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1016&ft=1&f=1016 NPR's stories on U.S. and world religion, spirituality, ethics, and moral issues affecting society and culture. Subscribe to NPR Religion RSS feeds. en Copyright 2013 NPR - For Personal Use Only NPR API RSS Generator 0.94 Fri, 24 May 2013 12:00:00 -0400 http://media.npr.org/images/npr_news_123x20.gif Religion http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1016&ft=1&f=1016 Minister To Lose Job After Performing Same-Sex Marriage? When Methodist minister Reverend Thomas Ogletree officiated his son's same-sex marriage, he didn't think it would cause a stir. But now some New York United Methodist Church ministers are threatening to defrock him. He speaks with Host Michel Martin about the controversy and why he feels he's being singled out. Fri, 24 May 2013 12:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=186440802&ft=1&f=1016 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=186440802&ft=1&f=1016 When Methodist minister Reverend Thomas Ogletree officiated his son's same-sex marriage, he didn't think it would cause a stir. But now some New York United Methodist Church ministers are threatening to defrock him. He speaks with Host Michel Martin about the controversy and why he feels he's being singled out.

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]]> An Ancient Religious Pilgrimage That Now Draws The Secular The 1,200-year-old European pilgrimage route known as the Way of St. James is undergoing a revival. Tens of thousands of people are walking across France to the Spanish coastal city of Santiago de Compostela, and the relics of St. James. Once a religious affair, it's now a cultural and social phenomenon as well. Mon, 20 May 2013 17:19:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2013/05/20/185577205/Modern-Pilgrims-Find-New-Meaning-Walking-An-Ancient-Path?ft=1&f=1016 http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2013/05/20/185577205/Modern-Pilgrims-Find-New-Meaning-Walking-An-Ancient-Path?ft=1&f=1016 The 1,200-year-old European pilgrimage route known as the Way of St. James is undergoing a revival. Tens of thousands of people are walking across France to the Spanish coastal city of Santiago de Compostela, and the relics of St. James. Once a religious affair, it's now a cultural and social phenomenon as well.

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]]> Pope Francis Puts The Poor Front And Center Shunning the formalities of his office and focusing on poverty, Pope Francis is drawing a sharp contrast between his 2-month-old papacy and those of his predecessors. Mon, 20 May 2013 13:51:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2013/05/20/185511880/Pope-Francis-Put-The-Poor-Front-And-Center?ft=1&f=1016 http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2013/05/20/185511880/Pope-Francis-Put-The-Poor-Front-And-Center?ft=1&f=1016 Shunning the formalities of his office and focusing on poverty, Pope Francis is drawing a sharp contrast between his 2-month-old papacy and those of his predecessors.

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]]> Are Buddhist Monks Involved In Myanmar's Violence? When tightly controlled societies open up, long-suppressed sectarian tensions can flare. That's been happening in Myanmar. And the twist is that Buddhist monks, widely viewed as pacifists, are part of this rising Buddhist nationalism. Fri, 17 May 2013 03:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2013/05/17/182904712/Are-Buddhist-Monks-Involved-In-Myanmars-Violence?ft=1&f=1016 http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2013/05/17/182904712/Are-Buddhist-Monks-Involved-In-Myanmars-Violence?ft=1&f=1016 When tightly controlled societies open up, long-suppressed sectarian tensions can flare. That's been happening in Myanmar. And the twist is that Buddhist monks, widely viewed as pacifists, are part of this rising Buddhist nationalism.

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]]> Pope Francis Denounces 'Cult Of Money' In his first major statement on the global financial crisis, the pontiff calls on world leaders not to forget the poor. Thu, 16 May 2013 15:40:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/05/16/184546859/pope-francis-denounces-cult-of-money?ft=1&f=1016 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/05/16/184546859/pope-francis-denounces-cult-of-money?ft=1&f=1016 In his first major statement on the global financial crisis, the pontiff calls on world leaders not to forget the poor.

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]]> Twitter Users Risk Damnation, Saudi Religious Police Say Sheikh Abdul Latif Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh said anyone using social media sites — and especially Twitter — "has lost this world and his afterlife." Many Saudis have turned to social media sites for news and to discuss issues they might otherwise not be able to bring up. Thu, 16 May 2013 08:26:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/05/16/184444451/twitter-users-risk-damnation-say-saudi-religious-police?ft=1&f=1016 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/05/16/184444451/twitter-users-risk-damnation-say-saudi-religious-police?ft=1&f=1016 Sheikh Abdul Latif Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh said anyone using social media sites — and especially Twitter — "has lost this world and his afterlife." Many Saudis have turned to social media sites for news and to discuss issues they might otherwise not be able to bring up.

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]]> Boston Bombing Suspect Buried In Secret At Virginia Cemetery After a funeral director's two-week ordeal to find a place that would accept his body, Tamerlan Tsarnaev is buried at a Muslim cemetery in central Virginia. Fri, 10 May 2013 14:41:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/05/10/182898876/boston-bombing-suspect-buried-in-secret-at-virginia-cemetary?ft=1&f=1016 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/05/10/182898876/boston-bombing-suspect-buried-in-secret-at-virginia-cemetary?ft=1&f=1016 After a funeral director's two-week ordeal to find a place that would accept his body, Tamerlan Tsarnaev is buried at a Muslim cemetery in central Virginia.

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]]> Making Peace With The Bible By Writing It Out Word For Word Reading the Bible from cover to cover might seem like a heavy task. But what about writing it? Host Michel Martin speaks with Phillip Patterson, who is just two verses away from writing out the whole King James Bible. He talks about how he kept the faith in spite of loss and illness. Fri, 10 May 2013 12:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=182861719&ft=1&f=1016 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=182861719&ft=1&f=1016 Reading the Bible from cover to cover might seem like a heavy task. But what about writing it? Host Michel Martin speaks with Phillip Patterson, who is just two verses away from writing out the whole King James Bible. He talks about how he kept the faith in spite of loss and illness.

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]]> Elizabeth Smart, Sexual Assault, And The Mormon Church There's relief this week after three abducted women were found in Ohio. It's an ordeal that kidnap victim Elizabeth Smart knows all too well. She said that abstinence lessons she learned as a child made her feel worthless after being raped by her captor. Host Michel Martin discusses those comments with a Mormon blogger. Thu, 09 May 2013 12:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=182597615&ft=1&f=1016 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=182597615&ft=1&f=1016 There's relief this week after three abducted women were found in Ohio. It's an ordeal that kidnap victim Elizabeth Smart knows all too well. She said that abstinence lessons she learned as a child made her feel worthless after being raped by her captor. Host Michel Martin discusses those comments with a Mormon blogger.

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]]> Bishops Remain Missing After Capture In Syria As orthodox Christians across the world celebrated a late Easter this year, Christian communities in Syria and neighboring Lebanon postponed all celebrations. Instead they gathered in churches only to pray for the safe return of two bishops kidnapped outside of Aleppo last month. While their whereabouts are still unknown, the Syrian opposition and the Assad regime continue to trade blame for the abduction the Syriac Orthodox and Greek Orthodox Archbishops of Aleppo. We speak to the Syriac Orthodox bishop of Beirut and his congregation about how the kidnappings have marred the traditionally celebratory time of year. Tue, 07 May 2013 15:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/07/182000630/bishops-remain-missing-after-capture-in-syria?ft=1&f=1016 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/07/182000630/bishops-remain-missing-after-capture-in-syria?ft=1&f=1016 As orthodox Christians across the world celebrated a late Easter this year, Christian communities in Syria and neighboring Lebanon postponed all celebrations. Instead they gathered in churches only to pray for the safe return of two bishops kidnapped outside of Aleppo last month. While their whereabouts are still unknown, the Syrian opposition and the Assad regime continue to trade blame for the abduction the Syriac Orthodox and Greek Orthodox Archbishops of Aleppo. We speak to the Syriac Orthodox bishop of Beirut and his congregation about how the kidnappings have marred the traditionally celebratory time of year.

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]]> A Search For Faith In 'Godless' Washington When he first moved to Washington, D.C., White House faith adviser Jonathan DuBois had heard people in the nation's capital weren't serious about their religious beliefs. Instead, he found how those in the public eye keep a private faith. Sun, 05 May 2013 16:08:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/05/181388489/a-search-for-faith-in-godless-washington?ft=1&f=1016 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/05/181388489/a-search-for-faith-in-godless-washington?ft=1&f=1016 When he first moved to Washington, D.C., White House faith adviser Jonathan DuBois had heard people in the nation's capital weren't serious about their religious beliefs. Instead, he found how those in the public eye keep a private faith.

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]]> Humanists On Surviving Crisis Without A Prayer Thursday was the National Day of Prayer, and the president called on people of all faiths to remember the victims of recent national tragedies. But what about the growing number of Americans who don't pray? Host Michel Martin speaks with Greg Epstein, the Humanist Chaplain at Harvard University, about where people without faith turn for comfort. Fri, 03 May 2013 12:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/03/180855412/humanists-on-surviving-crisis-without-a-prayer?ft=1&f=1016 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/03/180855412/humanists-on-surviving-crisis-without-a-prayer?ft=1&f=1016 Thursday was the National Day of Prayer, and the president called on people of all faiths to remember the victims of recent national tragedies. But what about the growing number of Americans who don't pray? Host Michel Martin speaks with Greg Epstein, the Humanist Chaplain at Harvard University, about where people without faith turn for comfort.

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]]> Africa's Jewish Heritage In Cape Verde You may not know much about the country of Cape Verde; it's a group of islands off the coast of West Africa. But you may be surprised that many Cape Verdeans have Jewish ancestry. Host Michel Martin speaks with Carol Castiel, founder of the Cape Verde Jewish Heritage Project, about efforts to restore Jewish burial grounds in the country. Thu, 02 May 2013 12:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/02/180570056/africas-jewish-heritage-in-cape-verde?ft=1&f=1016 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/02/180570056/africas-jewish-heritage-in-cape-verde?ft=1&f=1016 You may not know much about the country of Cape Verde; it's a group of islands off the coast of West Africa. But you may be surprised that many Cape Verdeans have Jewish ancestry. Host Michel Martin speaks with Carol Castiel, founder of the Cape Verde Jewish Heritage Project, about efforts to restore Jewish burial grounds in the country.

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]]> It's A 'Tale Of Two Popes' As Benedict Returns To Vatican Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI moves into his newly renovated residence inside the Vatican, where he will be a 10-minute walk from the reigning Pope Francis. Thu, 02 May 2013 11:17:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/05/02/180560728/its-a-tale-of-two-popes-as-benedict-returns-to-vatican?ft=1&f=1016 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/05/02/180560728/its-a-tale-of-two-popes-as-benedict-returns-to-vatican?ft=1&f=1016 Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI moves into his newly renovated residence inside the Vatican, where he will be a 10-minute walk from the reigning Pope Francis.

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]]> Pew Study: Many Muslims Believe In Mixing Mosque And State In a worldwide survey of Muslim attitudes, Pew concludes that substantial minorities believe that Islam should play a "large" role in the societies they live in. Wed, 01 May 2013 11:33:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/05/01/180293705/pew-study-many-muslims-believe-in-mixing-mosque-and-state?ft=1&f=1016 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/05/01/180293705/pew-study-many-muslims-believe-in-mixing-mosque-and-state?ft=1&f=1016 In a worldwide survey of Muslim attitudes, Pew concludes that substantial minorities believe that Islam should play a "large" role in the societies they live in.

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