Part four of a five-part series: According to the Gallup organization, between 1984 and 1998 there was a phenomenal jump in the number of people who said they felt a need for greater spiritual growth — from 56 percent to 82 percent, in just 14 years. Part five looks at the many Americans, both religious and nonreligious, who have turned to alternative practices to facilitate this spiritual growth. More →

May 17, 2002

Some devout Muslims believe the Koran forbids them from paying any interest. So when preparing to make a large purchase such as a house, they seek out not a lender, but a partner. Although not common, some financial institutions exist that allow customers to finance purchases in a way compliant with shariah law. More →

February 8, 2002

Read commentary on human cloning, gene therapy, and other ethical issues from five members of President Bush’s Council on Bioethics. More →

January 18, 2002

When a person has a religious experience, what happens within the brain? What kind of changes take place? In one experiment, brain scans examine the parts of the brain that are activated during prayer. In another, mystical and religious experiences are simulated by using bursts of electrical impulses. These experiments have created no small amount of controversy. More →

November 9, 2001

A new report from the Institute of Medicine, which advises the government on health policy, calls on the U.S. to do far more than is now being done to relieve the suffering of dying children and their families. Doctors and families face a dilemma in trying to choose between painful treatment that is unlikely to work and palliative care to make possible a so-called “good death.” More →

September 7, 2001

BOB ABERNETHEY: When may a lawyer reveal what a client tells him in confidence? The American Bar Association recently made the rule less restrictive. It permits — but does not require — lawyers to disclose confidences to prevent, quote, “reasonably … More →

July 27, 2001

Millions of spiritual seekers and New Age practitioners are drawn to the Red Rocks of Sedona, Arizona each year. More →

March 16, 2001

  Editor’s Note: John O’Donohue died in 2008. BOB ABERNETHY: And now, the rediscovery of Celtic spirituality. When the pagan Celts of Ireland were converted to Christianity by St. Patrick in the fifth century, they brought with them their love … More →

March 9, 2001

Opponents, led by the nation’s Roman Catholic bishops, say the FDA’s approval of the abortion pill RU-486 will “further numb our conscience to the violence of abortion.” More →

September 29, 2000

Imagine the sadness of dying alone. To that dismal prospect, add the thought of dying alone in prison. Not long ago, one of the toughest prisons in the country created a hospice program to ensure that that doesn’t happen to its inmates. More →

March 17, 2000