Have you ever had the feeling that your doctor doesn’t have enough time for you, or, if you’re a doctor, that you are under so much pressure it’s hard to be compassionate with your patients? Physician Rachel Remen thinks medicine is losing its soul, and she’s trying to rescue it through her best-selling books and popular lectures.

Every year as Passover approaches, Jewish children learn the significance of unleavened bread -- matzah -- eaten at each Passover seder. R&E joined a group of some younger Jews learning to make matzah at the Temple Sha'arey Shalom School in Springfield, New Jersey. The chief baker is Rabbi Zalman Grossbaum.

For many years, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- the Mormons -- barred African-Americans from full membership. That all changed in 1978, and now black membership in the LDS church is growing, along with the church's outreach to African-American communities.

Expanding medical technologies continue to create a host of new ethical dilemmas. Researchers can now detect early in a pregnancy if a fetus has Down Syndrome. The condition usually results in some degree of physical and mental disability, and armed with that information, some expectant parents face the wrenching decision of whether to terminate the pregnancy.

Altruism is the phenomenon of generosity to others with no expectation of reward. For many, giving is a religious requirement: the Christian Golden Rule; for Jews, the 613 “mitzvot” — good deeds to be done; for Muslims, it's “zakat” — distributing some of your income to the poor and treating others as you would like to be treated. Others just do good whether they are religious or not.

When is a preventive war, such as the invasion of Iraq, justified? Pacifists such as the Christian Peacemaker Teams say never. Others, like President Bush, say it depends on practical national interest and whether the benefits outweigh the costs. Meanwhile, consciously or not, most of us probably weigh the morality of war using centuries-old just war theory.

Evangelist Billy Graham and his son Franklin are holding a series of meetings in New Orleans called a "Celebration of Hope." They came with an optimistic vision of a city that will emerge from its hardships stronger than ever.

At Old St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church in Chicago, Valentine's Day is observed not with flowers or chocolate, but with what's known as the Mass for Lovers. It's a Mass in which hundreds of couples renew the vows they made to each other.

The bestselling author talks about faith, failure, forgiveness, finding Jesus, and being a Christian.

Scott Neeson is a former movie executive who found himself moved by the horrific living conditions of young kids in the slums around Phnom Penh, Cambodia. In 2004, a year after his first visit, he started the Cambodian Children’s Fund. For many kids, it’s a live-in school where they attend classes by day and learn about their culture by night.

Observances mark the 100th anniversary of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s birth. The German theologian was involved in a plot to kill Hitler, and was subsequently put to death by the Nazis for his resistance.

On January 29, Vietnamese people all over the world celebrate Tet — the first day of their new year. The week-long holiday is a time for prayer and family reunions, and it usually combines bits of Buddhism, ancestor worship, and Daoism, the Chinese system for harmonizing with nature and observing life’s passages.

In the aftermath of the Hamas victory in the Palestinian elections, big questions piled up about the prospects for peace and democracy in the Middle East.

In some observant Jewish families, a little boy’s first haircut is more than just a haircut. It marks the beginning of not only his formal education but also his obligation to keep the commandments and perform mitzvot -- good deeds. The ceremony itself is called the “upsherin.”

According to a survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, solid majorities of all major American religious groups back stronger measures to protect the environment. Even though some conservative evangelicals are less likely to make environmental protection a priority, evangelical leaders are speaking out about what they see as a biblical obligation to protect all of creation.

One of the numerous ways that people in this country try to get fit these days is through the practice of yoga. There are many different forms of this discipline, but the most commonly taught is called Iyengar. It’s named for the Indian guru B.K.S. Iyengar, who teaches that yoga has a deeply spiritual component uniting the body, mind and soul.

When Christmas and the first night of Hanukkah fall on the same day, the growing number of interfaith families who observe both holidays face an unusual challenge. We visited the Miller family in Takoma Park, Maryland, to find out how they're handling this "December dilemma."

A new report says this year Americans gave record amounts of private charitable donations. Another report says Americans donated nearly $3 billion to post-hurricane relief efforts. Yet nearly four months after Hurricane Katrina, the magnitude of the destruction is still difficult to comprehend. In the midst of it, many people here say the themes of Christmas are echoing in new and poignant ways.

In Germany, several of the concrete slabs at Berlin's memorial to the Holocaust were defaced by vandals yellow Stars of David were painted on them -- symbols of Nazi anti-Semitism. In spite of anti-semitic incidents and other difficulties, the number of Jews moving to Germany has been going up dramatically. Also growing are the accompanying efforts to help them recover a sense of Jewish identity.