A 2003 survey indicates that 52 percent of Americans would favor a law that prohibits same-sex marriage. However, two Canadian provinces have now made same-sex marriages legal, and the highest court in Massachusetts may soon rule on the issue.

In the latter half of the twentieth century, institutions run by Roman Catholic nuns could amount to virtual prisons for young women. Some spent their entire adult lives in these places. They were called the Magdalene Laundries, and they were in Ireland. THE MAGDALENE SISTERS chronicles the lives of three Dublin girls living in the Laundries.

Aki Ra is a truly remarkable and extraordinarily brave man. He is a Cambodian, and was orphaned as a child. Then, before he was a teenager, he became a soldier. Now, he is devoting his life -- and risking it, almost daily -- compensating for, atoning for, the harm he once did. Ra defuses and clears land mines, the ones he once placed, so they won't kill or maim any more of his countrymen.

The new governing council in Iraq met this week, a first step toward creating a constitution and holding elections. The council includes representatives of all the country’s major religious and regional groups. But on the ground, U.S. forces continue to take casualties almost every day.

Many churches encourage their young people to memorize Scripture. In the Free Methodist Church, they do it through a friendly competition called “Bible Quizzing.” 2003 marks the 50th anniversary of Bible Quizzing in the evangelical denomination. 123 teams from across the nation competed in the Church’s National Bible Quizzing Final Tournament.

The Buddhist festival called Bon or Obon is a two-day celebration and memorial for the dead. RELIGION & ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY takes a look at the festival as it’s observed in the United States.

MRI technology is currently used to gain insight into how behaviors and thoughts function biologically, and might one day lead to the ability to predict future behavior. However, the potential for such technology leads to troubling ethical questions.

For the first time, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has included religious buildings on its list of the country’s most endangered historic places. Also this week, the federal government reversed a longstanding policy, saying that churches which are historic landmarks can receive government money for historic preservation. The move provoked sharp church-state debate.

An exhibit at Washington National Cathedral celebrates what can happen when people of different religions live together in peace. It displays treasures from the Middle Ages in Spain, before the Spanish Inquisition, when Spanish Jews, called Sephardim, lived peacefully alongside Christians and Muslims in a time of vast artistic and scientific achievement.

Texas has executed more prisoners than any other state for several years now. All executions in Texas occur in one place -- Huntsville.

The Sisters of Mercy run a program that allows the mentally challenged to lead happy lives with dignity. "We can provide opportunities that no isolated house could ever provide. They have art, they have music, they have swimming, they have a health club. They have all kinds of activities. And that really enhances their lives," says Sister Rosemary Connelly, general manager of Misericordia.

What happens when one state governor declared a moratorium on capital punishment? As the U.S. continues to debate the rightness or wrongness of the death penalty, we look at two aspects of the issue from those who support it and those opposed.

Southern California's Soka University resembles a charming Mediterranean village. Opened in 2001 by a powerful Japanese religious sect called Soka Gakkai International, it is the first college campus in the United States whose academic values and teaching principles are inspired by Buddhism. Inside, one can find 103 acres of stately architecture, spacious gardens, and tranquil gardens.

Yom Hashoah is Holocaust Remembrance Day; a solemn tribute to the six million Jews put to death by the Nazis before and during World War II. There was a range of reactions to Nazi persecution -- some people looked away, while others risked their own lives to help. Flora Singer survived the Holocaust as a child because of the heroism of Christians who protected her.

We take a look at the meaning of Holy Week and Easter through the eyes of best-selling author Frederick Buechner. Buechner is one of the most highly acclaimed modern Christian writers. He's also an ordained minister whose works on life and faith are widely quoted in Easter sermons.

As the U.S. declared Saddam Hussein's regime ended, one huge diplomatic question outstanding was whether victory in Iraq would lead to new steps toward peace between Israel and the Palestinians. After two years of the latest violence, are the two sides ready to negotiate? How much pressure will the U.S. apply?

Carol Zaleski is a professor of religion at Smith College and her husband, Philip Zaleski, is a religion writer and editor. Together they are writing a book about prayer in all cultures, and both have much to say on the role of prayer during wartime.

To celebrate Passover, Jews gather for a Seder, a special dinner where they retell the story of their ancestors' exodus from Egypt. The Seder ritual is guided by a special book called the Haggadah. In recent years, some Jewish groups have developed Seders with a special focus. Ma'yan, the Women's Project at the Jewish Community Center of Manhattan, celebrated the anniversary of its feminist Seder.

As U.S. officials debate who should run Iraq after the war, one reality is the division between the two main branches of Islam, Shi'ite and Sunni. Dr. Phebe Marr, a historian and expert on Iraq, joined us to discuss the future of the conflict.

Every year, close to the anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and that of "Black Sunday" -- the day in 1965 when state troopers attacked protesters marching from Selma to Montgomery -- the nonpartisan Faith and Politics Institute in Washington organizes a trip to Alabama. The trip's purpose is to remind members of Congress what the civil rights movement was all about.