In France, the government has stepped into a furor over whether there is or should be a right not to be born. The highest court implied there should be, but the National Assembly said no. The issue came to a head when the court awarded money on behalf of a handicapped child, saying that he could claim damages because doctors had not detected his disability in the womb. More →

January 18, 2002

Should a pastor offer people any counseling on sex other than to maintain abstinence outside of marriage? Does saying anything about safe sex seem to condone behavior the Bible forbids? It’s a real issue in the deep South, especially in black churches, and especially regarding women. More →

January 11, 2002

Paryushana Parva is a festival of fasting, friendship, and forgiveness. Members of the Jain faith are celebrating the holiest time of the year. It coincides with monsoon season in India, which is where Jainism began.
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August 24, 2001

One of the most difficult of all religious teachings is the importance of forgiving. Forgiveness is taught as something a person should do for God or for others. But, more and more, both religious and secular counselors are encouraging forgiveness … More →

May 18, 2001

One of the greatest powers a president has is appointing new justices to the Supreme Court. In the next few years, the Court is expected to rule on a variety of closely-disputed and controversial issues, many of them of special interest to religious communities: school prayer, for instance, and other church-state questions. More →

November 3, 2000

At St. Paul Community Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York, Reverend Johnny Ray Youngblood has developed a powerful program of music, dance and theater. The pageant is called the “Ma’afa Suite”, and the objective of the show is to help African-Americans heal slavery’s hidden wounds.
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September 29, 2000

As corporate farming displaces more and more family farms in America’s Great Plains, ranchers and farmers move away. Local businesses are forced to shut down, schools consolidate, and congregations become so small they have to close their churches. More →

June 23, 2000

Dorchester Temple Baptist Church is home to what is perhaps best known and most successful church-based program in the country fighting violence among inner-city youths. Through Boston’s Ten-Point Coalition, religious leaders and police are working together to make the area safer for all. More →

November 19, 1999

With modern neonatal technology and under federal law, doctors can keep alive tiny premature babies, even if the babies’ parents want to let them die. But often those babies survive to grow up significantly damaged and in pain. Should they be kept alive? Who should decide? More →

October 22, 1999

November 27, 1998