WASHINGTON (RNS) — The number of religious advocacy groups in the nation’s capital has more than tripled since the 1970s, with conservative groups seeing the biggest growth, according to a new report. Together, faith-based lobbying and advocacy groups spend $390…
Religious lobbyists spend $400 million a year in D.C.
WASHINGTON (RNS) — The number of religious advocacy groups in the nation’s capital has more than tripled since the 1970s, with conservative groups seeing the biggest growth, according to a new report. Together, faith-based lobbying and advocacy groups spend $390…
Novelist Anne Rice: Committed to Christ but leaving Christianity
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Former vampire novelist Anne Rice says she’s leaving Christianity again because she no longer wants to be identified with such a “quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group.” Anne Rice Born and raised a Catholic, Rice left…
Values voters at annual summit see little value in health care reform
WASHINGTON — Health care reform may be Priority No. 1 in Congress and at the White House, but for the 1,825 religious conservatives who gathered for the annual Values Voter Summit, the subject was barely on their radar screen. Indeed,…
Muslims pray for ‘soul of America’ at U.S. Capitol in first ever event
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Swapping prayer rugs for massive plastic rain tarps, an estimated 3,500 Muslims gathered at the foot of the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 25 to pray for “the soul of America” in a grassroots demonstration of religious and…
Poll shows mixed feeling about same-sex marriage, gay rights
WASHINGTON (RNS) — A large survey on American attitudes toward homosexuality reveals mixed feelings about gay rights, with Americans saying states should not be forced to recognize same-sex unions, but also saying gay couples should have access to federal spousal…
Religion shaped 2008 in big, dramatic ways
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Barack Obama chose Joe Biden, and John McCain turned to Sarah Palin, but in the end, the most sought-after running mate in the 2008 campaign never appeared on a single ballot. God, it seems, couldn't be entirely…
Connecticut high court approves gay marriage
Connecticut became the third state to allow same-sex marriage after its Supreme Court ruled Oct. 10 that it is unconstitutional to deny the legal benefits of marriage to gay and lesbian couples. The 4-3 decision outraged conservative groups, who are…
Looking back at 2007: Quiet year, but signs of change in the air
WASHINGTON (RNS) — History books are full of dates that mark seminal events: 1517, when Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the church door and launched the Protestant Reformation; or 1973, when the Supreme Court legalized abortion. But boldface…