Contraception Mandate; Story of the Jews; Women's Purim
Religious business owners argue against federal contraception requirement; Simon Schama tells "The Story of the Jews"; Orthodox Jewish women lead in Purim festivities.
Gun Violence; Dorothy Day; Sikh Children Turbans
A growing interfaith movement is organizing against gun violence.; A young radical becomes a devoted Catholic and role model of service; Sikh children learn to tie their turban for the first time.
Philomena; Solitary Confinement; Ash Wednesday
"Philomena," an Oscar-nominated film based on the true story of an Irish Catholic woman forced to give up her son for adoption; the debate over the use of solitary confinement in American prisons; and the imposition of ashes on the streets of Washington, DC to observe Ash Wednesday.
Detroit Bankruptcy and Worker Pensions; Secular Ethics
The ethics of cutting retired city worker pensions to pay the bankrupt city of Detroit's creditors; the Dalai Lama teaches secular ethics at Emory University in Atlanta; and a worship service for racial reconciliation in a predominantly white Episcopal congregation in New Orleans.
The Ethics of Whistle-Blowing; Jordan, The Other Holy Land
The debate over the morality of Edward Snowden's actions; and the Christian presence in Jordan.
UN Report on Vatican Abuse, Coping with Loss, India's Cows
A conversation with National Catholic Reporter senior analyst Rev. Thomas Reese on the UN's criticism of the Vatican's handling of the sex abuse crisis; grieving and learning to live with the loss of a loved one; and the growing conflict between the age-old Hindu reverence for cows and a modernizing India.
Nuns Versus Pipeline, Living Wage Factory
A 200-year-old order of Catholic nuns, the Sisters of Loretto, have successfully opposed construction of a gas pipeline in Kentucky; and American businessman Joe Bozich adheres to a sustainable corporate model that pays his garment workers fairly while staying competitive with apparel suppliers that use much cheaper labor.
Jordan's Syrian Refugees, Inoculation Ethics
The mobilization of faith-based groups—Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Orthodox, Mennonite, and more—in Jordan to aid Syrian refugees; and the growing number of parents who refuse vaccines for their children.
Camden Priest, Social Entrepreneurship in the Philippines
Father Michael Doyle and his ministry to the poor in Camden, New Jersey; and economist Antonio Meloto's campaign to fight poverty in his country.
Typhoon Faith, Tu B'Shevat, Jews and Humor
Prayer and recovery in the Philippines after Hurricane Hayaan; Tu B'Shevat, a Jewish celebration of trees; and the importance of humor in Jewish culture through centuries of persecution.
Look Ahead 2014
From watching what Pope Francis will do as he finishes his first year to major court cases on religious liberty to immigration reform, it’s our annual look ahead to the top religion and ethics stories we expect to be covering in 2014.
Look Back 2013
We take our annual look back at the top religion and ethics news of the year—Pope Francis and his priorities, such as helping the poor, and also churches divided over homosexuality and same-sex marriage.
Christmas Peace, Fifty Years after Gideon
What "peace on earth" during the Christmas season means; the representation of indigent defendants 50 years after Gideon; and the centennial of St. Olaf College's musical Christmas festival.
Mormon Missionary Expansion, El Salvador Abortion Ban
More than 80,000 Mormon missionaries are now serving around the world; all abortions are against the law in this Central American country; and this dancing by Sufi Muslims is also a spiritual offering.
Nelson Mandela, Pundits and the Pope, Christmas Gift Giving
The legacy of Nelson Mandela; the pope's document urging Catholics to do more for the poor; churches and alternative Christmas gift-giving; and the growing number of Hispanic Protestants in the U.S.
Methodist Gay Marriage, Civil Rights 50th Anniversary
Divisions in the United Methodist Church over same-sex marriage; historian Taylor Branch on the key civil rights events of 1963; students and tutors recite the Gettysburg Address in honor of its 150th anniversary
Thanksgivukkah, Relocating the Homeless, Comfort Dogs
A rare convergence of Hanukkah and Thanksgiving on the same day; the ethics of making it illegal to help the homeless; and a Lutheran charity that uses dogs to comfort disaster victims.
Catholic Bishops, Catholic President; Gun Violence
A conversation on the agenda of the US Catholic bishops and the anniversary of JFK's assassination; the debate over gun control in communities of faith; and a movement to identify the unmarked graves of mentally disabled patients.
Legislative Prayer, American Dream, Kristallnacht
A Supreme Court case tests the limits of public prayer and the First Amendment; income inequality threatens to put an end to the American Dream; its 75th anniversary recalls a violent anti-Semitic pogrom known as the "night of broken glass"; and the destruction of a historic British cathedral during World War II leads to a ministry of peace and reconciliation.
Pope Francis, Predicting Violence, Reza Aslan's Zealot
Changing expectations for reform under Pope Francis; violence, neuroscience, and the ethics of probing the human brain to predict violent behavior; and Reza Aslan, author of "Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth."
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