Religion

A recent report, "Muslim Americans: Middle Class and Mostly Mainstream," attracted a great deal of attention but also raised a number of questions about the research. Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions.

For most of the nation’s history, public religious displays were not controversial. But in recent decades, a growing number of citizens and civil liberties groups have sued towns, cities and states over religious symbols in the public square, arguing that these displays should be removed because they violate the First Amendment’s prohibition on government establishment […]

by John C. Green The role of religious voters in the Republican Party has been highlighted by the sharp criticism of the Republican presidential front-runners – Rudy Giuliani, John McCain and Mitt Romney – by conservative religious leaders. Are religious Republicans abandoning President Bush and perhaps the GOP as well? The latest national survey by […]

The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life examines the support for the 2008 presidential candidates among some religious groups, including white evangelical Protestants, white mainline Protestants and non-Hispanic Catholics.

Twenty years after a landmark Supreme Court decision, Americans are still fighting over the teaching of creationism and other alternatives to evolution in the nation's schools.

by David Masci, Senior Research Fellow, Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life Twenty years ago, on June 19, 1987, the Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling that dramatically reshaped the debate over teaching evolution in public schools. In Edwards v. Aguillard, the high court struck down a Louisiana law requiring that schools teach creation […]

The Brookings Institution Washington, D.C. Years after the tragic events of 9/11, tensions between the Muslim and Western worlds remain acute. Seeking to establish dialogue and understanding between Islamic and Western cultures, internationally renowned scholar Akbar Ahmed led a team of dedicated young Americans on a daring and unprecedented tour of the Muslim world. Journey […]

There have been a few twists and turns in the eight-year history of Beliefnet.com, the faith-oriented web site. But the outlet, which recently captured a major National Magazine Award, has reinvented itself by trying to turn a potentially polarizing subject into an all-inclusive gathering place.