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Atheist student groups flower on college campuses - 11/21/2009
The sign sits propped on a wooden chair, inviting all comers: "Ask an Atheist." Whenever a student gets within a few feet, Anastasia Bodnar waves and smiles, trying to make a good first impression before eyes drift down to a word many Americans rank down there with "socialist." Bodnar is the happy face o

Bishops discuss authority over Catholic colleges - 11/18/2009
Fallout continues from the summer controversy over the University of Notre Dame awarding an honorary degree to President Barack Obama, who supports abortion rights. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops went behind closed doors at their fall meeting Wednesday to discuss, among other issues, what action they should take to increase o

'Holy hip-hop' trying to break into mainstream - 11/18/2009
Terverius Black believes in hip-hop gospel so much he sold his first home to get the money needed to start his Christian-themed entertainment company. It was a risky move, but the 34-year-old entrepreneur believes the company's diversity, which is producing music, a film, a reality television show and a gospel cruise, will help boost

Religion News in Brief - 11/18/2009
Former megachurch pastor Ted Haggard said he will continue to hold weekly prayer meetings at his home, three years after he was ousted from the church he founded amid a scandal involving a male prostitute and drug use. Haggard said that he was heartened by the 150 people who attended last week's first prayer and that he wants to conti

Catholic bishops say gay marriage hurts society - 11/17/2009
The nation's Roman Catholic bishops have affirmed that the church defines marriage between one man and one woman, and sex is meant for procreation. The pastoral letter was issued Tuesday in Baltimore by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The bishops say they are disturbed that a growing number of people view marriage

Pope names new leader for Milwaukee archdiocese - 11/13/2009
The Archdiocese of Milwaukee says a successor has been named to the archbishop post once held by Timothy Dolan. Bishop Jerome Listecki of La Crosse, Wis., was named the 11th archbishop of the archdiocese by Pope Benedict XVI. A news release from the archdiocese says the Vatican announced the selection Saturday. The 60-year-

Mormons throw support behind gay-rights cause - 11/11/2009
It looked like a stunning reversal: the same church that helped defeat gay marriage in California standing with gay-rights activists on an anti-discrimination law in its own backyard. On Tuesday night, after a series of clandestine meetings between local gay-rights backers and Mormons in Salt Lake City, the Church of Jesus Christ of L

Federal judge nixes SC license tag with cross - 11/10/2009
A federal judge ruled Tuesday that South Carolina can't issue license plates showing the image of a cross in front of a stained glass window along with the phrase "I Believe." U.S. District Judge Cameron Currie's ruling said the license plate was unconstitutional because it violates the First Amendment ban on establishment o

Another attack leaves US Muslims fearing backlash - 11/07/2009
As word spread that a gunman had opened fire at Fort Hood leaving a trail of carnage, a chilling realization swept across the U.S. Muslim community: He has an Islamic name. From a professor who just testified in Congress, to a White House adviser appearing before a Jewish group and a former Marine driving home from work, Muslims acros

Correction: Rick Warren-Reader's Digest story - 11/06/2009
In a Nov. 4 story about the end of a publishing partnership between pastor Rick Warren and Reader's Digest, The Associated Press erroneously reported that subscriptions to the Purpose Driven Connection totaled 2,500 to 5,000 per month. Subscriptions were growing by 2,500 to 5,000 per month, a project editor said. A Reader's Digest spokesman decl

Mosques step up security after Fort Hood rampage - 11/06/2009
U.S. mosques fearful of a backlash after the shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas are stepping up security. The man accused of opening fire at Fort Hood, Texas in a rampage that left 13 people dead and dozens wounded is Muslim. A board member at All Dulles Area Muslim Society in Sterling, Va., contacted local police to ask

Rick Warren, Reader's Digest part ways on project - 11/05/2009
A joint publishing venture between influential pastor Rick Warren and Reader's Digest magazine has collapsed less than a year after it was announced with great fanfare. The multimedia project, called the Purpose Driven Connection, will continue in a different form but be operated solely by Warren's Saddleback Church in Southern Califo

Internet believers: Pastors open online churches - 11/02/2009
Church volunteers greet visitors entering the lobby. The worship band begins its set and a pastor offers to pray privately with anyone during the service. When the sermon is done, it's time for communion, and the pastor guides attendees through the ritual. Later, worshippers exchange Facebook and e-mail addresses so they can stay in t

Defections, court fights test Scientology - 11/01/2009
The Church of Scientology is going through a difficult season. Over the course of two days last week, a French court convicted the church of fraud and Oscar-winning filmmaker Paul Haggis' resignation from the church over a litany of concerns was aired publicly. On one hand, it was just another bad press week for the embattled institut

Evangelical leader Dobson leaving radio show - 10/30/2009
James Dobson, the voice of conservative Christian group Focus on the Family, will no longer host its flagship radio broadcast and is cutting formal ties with the organization that he founded more than 30 years ago, the evangelical group said Friday. Dobson, 73, and the board of directors both agreed about the moves, which will go into

SC Episcopalians to distance from national church - 10/24/2009
The Diocese of South Carolina voted Saturday to distance itself but not completely split from the national Episcopal Church because of church positions on same-sex unions and ordination of gays. Eighty-seven clergy members voted to pass the resolution after a nearly hour-long debate during a special convention in Mount Pleasant, Canon

Baptists' ex-president sues over lost election - 10/16/2009
The former president of the National Baptist Convention USA has sued the denomination over an election he overwhelmingly lost. Delegates to the convention, the nation's largest and oldest black denomination, chose the Rev. Julius R. Scruggs over the Rev. Henry Lyons in last month's vote. In a lawsuit filed Oct. 9 in Washing

Mormon leader: religious freedom at risk - 10/13/2009
The anti-Mormon backlash after California voters overturned gay marriage last fall is similar to the intimidation of Southern blacks during the civil rights movement, a high-ranking Mormon said Tuesday. Elder Dallin H. Oaks referred to gay marriage as an "alleged civil right" in an address at Brigham Young University-Idaho t

Report: Global Muslim population hits 1.57 billion - 10/07/2009
The global Muslim population stands at 1.57 billion, meaning that nearly 1 in 4 people in the world practice Islam, according to a report Wednesday billed as the most comprehensive of its kind. The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life report provides a precise number for a population whose size has long has been subject to guesswork,

Top Africa cardinal: next pope could well be black - 10/05/2009
A prominent African cardinal says there's no reason why the next pope can't be black. Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson of Ghana is playing an important part in a three-week meeting at the Vatican on the role of the Catholic Church in Africa. At a news conference Monday, Turkson was asked whether he thought the time was r