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December 25, 2012 Christians the world over are celebrating Christmas. India, the birthplace of Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism, marks the birth of Jesus with a national holiday. In this land of great religions, Christians and non-Christians join in the festivities of this season with song and special meals.

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December 24, 2012 Author Ayad Akhtar writes about three books that deal with the intersection of religion and literature in the U.S. What is your favorite book on American faith? Tell us in the comments.

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December 22, 2012 Each Dec. 23, they descend upon Oaxaca's main plaza: giant root vegetables carved into human figures and other vivid forms. The Night of the Radishes is a major tourist draw these days, but it all started with Spanish missionaries in the 1500s. When a new religion and imported crops met indigenous woodcarvers, a novel art form was born.

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December 19, 2012 In the aftermath of tragic events like the school shooting in Newtown, Conn., people often question why an all-powerful God would allow such evil to happen. Throughout human history, different faiths have attempted to reconcile belief in a benevolent God with the inevitability of human suffering.

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December 17, 2012 Many Russians will join their Georgian neighbors in feasting on Georgian specialties for St. Barbara's Day. But the countries' political relations have led to restrictions on imports of Georgian wine and mineral water. A recent thawing offers hope for a sweeter future.

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December 16, 2012 Sunday morning could see a pants revolution at church, at least if you're Mormon. A group of women in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is inviting all sisters to shed their skirts and dresses, and wear slacks or pantsuits in an attempt to change the conservative dress code.

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December 14, 2012 KUERFor years, Mormons in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community say they've felt shunned from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A newly formed LGBT choir believes it's making strides in the right direction, despite troubles securing rehearsal spaces in LDS churches.

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December 14, 2012 The Jewish Igbo may not be recognized by Israel's rabbinate, but that doesn't stop them from being devoted to their faith. William Miles, who wrote about them in the book Jews of Nigeria: An Afro-Judaic Odyssey, talks with Michel Martin about celebrating Hanukkah in Abuja.

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December 13, 2012 MRAcross the country, so-called hip-hop churches fuse religion, music and dance to lure gang members off the streets. Troy Evans, a former gang member, leads Edge Urban Fellowship in Grand Rapids, Mich. He says that leading church congregants isn't that much different from leading gang members.

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December 11, 2012 Two physicists, a skeptic and a scholar try to answer that question in the latest Intelligence Squared U.S. debate.

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