(RNS) — Jews, Muslims and their allies cheered Oct. 2 as California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill prohibiting all local bans on circumcision, making it illegal for local authorities to restrict the medical or religious practice. Anti-circumcision activists had…

(RNS) — Radical American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki may be dead, but the power of the Internet means he won’t soon be forgotten. And that, experts say, could make him just as dangerous dead as he was alive. Counterterrorism experts say…

(RNS) — With the 2012 campaign gearing up before an angry and divided electorate, U.S. Catholic bishops on Oct. 4 reminded Catholic voters that they can’t cherry-pick from church teachings to justify their own political preferences, and cautioned both sides…

LONDON (RNS) — A major new survey by Britain’s national statistics bureau shows that despite growing immigration and competition from other faiths, nearly seven in 10 Britons still describe themselves as Christian. That doesn’t mean, however, that U.K. Christians actually…

WASHINGTON (RNS) — The Washington National Cathedral will need “tens of millions of dollars” over “numerous years” to repair extensive damage to the nation’s second-largest church following an Aug. 23 earthquake, church officials said Oct. 4. The landmark church requires…

WASHINGTON (RNS) — How does a modern filmmaker with qualms about religion make a movie about the power of an ancient Christian pilgrimage? That’s the dilemma that actor/director Emilio Estevez faced when making “The Way,” a new film that opened…

(RNS) — Why do young Christians leave the church? New research by the Barna Group finds they view churches as judgmental, overprotective, exclusive and unfriendly toward doubters. They also consider congregations antagonistic to science and say their Christian experience has…

WASHINGTON (RNS) — More than a thousand rabbis from around the world have signed a statement denouncing the burning of an Israeli mosque as police arrested a suspect who is alleged to be a Jewish extremist. “We condemn those in…

(RNS) — For much of his 92 years, Billy Graham has had one main title: evangelist. But in a new memoir set in the twilight of his remarkable life, Graham reveals a lesser-known side of himself: a grieving and ailing…

BERLIN (RNS) — New guidelines issued by Germany’s largest Protestant body advised parishioners to not invest in companies that make hard liquor, while beer and wine producers are fine. The guidelines, issued by the Evangelical (Lutheran) Church in Germany, are…

(RNS) — Is Catholic opposition to the death penalty losing traction as opposition to abortion, gay marriage, contraception and other causes become the defining “pro-life” issues for the American hierarchy? That’s what some Catholics are asking after the bishops’ Pro-Life…

WASHINGTON (RNS) — Military chaplains can lead same-sex marriage ceremonies on and off military bases, the Pentagon announced Sept. 30 in a move that closely followed the repeal of a ban on openly gay service members. “A military chaplain may…

(RNS) — Poor New Jersey — derided for “Jersey Shore,” aggressive driving and talking too fast. But when it comes to happily ever after, the Garden State is No. 1. A recent U.S. Census report shows the Northeast — and…

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (RNS) — A federal judge jolted the national immigration debate on Sept. 28 by approving most parts of Alabama’s aggressive immigration law that religious leaders had called the “meanest” in the nation. In a ruling hailed by many…

(RNS) — American congregations have grown less healthy in the last decade, with fewer people in the pews and aging memberships, according to a new Hartford Seminary study. But there are also “pockets of vitality,” including an increase in minority…

LANCASTER, Pa. (RNS) — Terri Roberts was eating outside with a co-worker on a bright October day when an ambulance wailed nearby and a helicopter swooped overhead. As she often did at a sirens’ sound, Roberts said a quick prayer.…