For many religious believers, Tuesday's tragedy evoked a sense of almost apocalyptic horror. As the hours unfolded, people of faith across the country reached out in whatever way they could.

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."

In the week following the tragic events of September 11th, the nation searched for an explanation, a solution, and comfort. Managing editor Kim Lawton surveys the many religious responses to the terrorist attacks.

As a result of the Human Genome Project, we are now able to locate genetic mutations and know much more about a person's medical future than ever before. And this new knowledge has given rise to many medical, legal, and ethical questions.

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.

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 "reasonably certain death or substantial bodily harm." Attorneys who obey the confidentiality rule sometimes do so at the expense of innocent people.

For many, the fundamental issue behind stem cell research is the moral status of tiny, one-week-old human embryos. Scientists think these cells can help them find cures for many severe illnesses, but harvesting those cells kills the embryos. Ethicists say the right and wrong of destroying even unwanted embryos in order to do promising medical research depends on what you think those embryos are.

Buddhism, the world's fourth largest religion, was founded about 2500 years ago in India. Widely practiced across Asia, Buddhism has attracted many converts in this country. They are developing forms of Buddhist practice that are often very different from the practices of Asian-Americans, and some observers believe there is a growing ethnic divide in American Buddhism.

Deborah Rosenthal is a respected artist who is also an observant Jew. As a result, her work is often infused with her religious beliefs. Recently, she was asked by the conservative Jewish congregation to which she belongs to create two stained glass windows for its sanctuary. For the commission, she chose two objects drawn from Jewish faith and Jewish history.

In 1965, a change in the law opened up the US to millions of new immigrants from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. They brought their religions with them and — although they are still only a small percentage of the overall population — in the words of Diana Eck of Harvard University, “We are now religious in so many different ways than we ever imagined before that it takes our breath away.”

In 2001, just over 500 men were ordained as Catholic priests in this country — about half the number ordained in 1965. One of the reasons for the current shortage of priests is that so many men have left the priesthood to get married. Because of that, some have suggested that the Church consider making priestly celibacy optional.

While a Bris, or circumcision ritual, has been the traditional way for Jews to welcome baby boys into the covenant, many families are now creating rituals to welcome their baby daughters. This practice, most commonly called a Simchat Bat, began about 25 years ago and has gained popularity across all branches of Judaism.

Wicca, as modern witchcraft is often called, and its symbol of the pentacle are becoming more visible in today's society. It is a polytheistic, earth-based religion that emphasizes feminism and the environment and encourages diversity of beliefs. It has no theological system or creed, no central text, and no hierarchy.

In India, sex selection by sonogram is officially illegal, but widely practiced. And there is no Hindu or legal prohibition on abortion.

In the past century, Quakers have helped start nearly 200 social service, environmental, and relief agencies such as the American Friends Service Committee. Additionally, they are the only religious organization to win the Nobel Peace Prize. In spite of its many achievements, almost 350 years after its founding, the Religious Society of Friends remains small in numbers.

Klezmer, rooted in the Jewish religious tradition, has become very popular. Based on East European Jewish wedding and folk music, klezmer is being played in concert halls, trendy nightclubs, and on festival stages throughout the world. And it's not just Jews who are listening.

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 as essential to the healing of the person wronged.

The fate of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh has triggered a national debate over the death penalty in the religious communities.

A profile of a man who knows a great deal about poetry and a great deal about funerals. He is Thomas Lynch, writer and mortician, and each of his vocations enriches the other.

Dr. George Carey — the Archbishop of Canterbury — leads the world’s 63 million Anglicans, more than two million of them American Episcopalians. He is an evangelical who believes Christians should try to convert others so they can be saved. But should that be done with Jews, who already have their own covenant with God? If so, how?