Religion and Faith

Exploring the divinity of Jesus
Historian Garry Wills argues that political evocation of Jesus by the left and the right obscures the true meaning of the Gospels.
The Bible we don't know
A biblical scholar says studying the original texts of the New Testament led him to a whole new understanding of the Bible we use today.
Protests over prophet drawings spread
The international row over cartoons depicting Islam's Prophet Mohammad has pitted the principle of free speech against that of respect for religions and their taboos. The global controversy and violence over the Prophet Muhammad cartoons shows no signs of abating.
Hindus believe that if they die in the city of Varanasi, on the banks of the River Ganges, they will ascend straight to paradise. They no longer have to go through the painful cycle of death and rebirth. U.S. filmmaker Gayle Ferraro visited the city to learn about the river. But she soon became fascinated by the way the city is tied to the business of death. It is set up to help those who come to Varanasi to die.
A new play tells the story of the movement behind the People's Temple, a movement that ended in the deaths of 913 people in Guyana in 1978. Photo credit: The Jonestown Institute
Questions about the origins of our species have been plaguing human beings and dividing Americans for more than a hundred years, if not for all time. The new American RadioWorks documentary "Intelligent Designs on Evolution" looks at the heated controversy over which biological theories should be taught in public schools.
As families have changed over time, some churches have adjusted as well. A new study looks at the practical connections between places of worship and people in the pews.
A dispute simmers at the University of Minnesota, where a respected scientist insists on teaching a class questioning the validity of evolution. Intelligent Design is one of the topics he explores.
Monday is the first full day of Chanukah, and that means it's time for a public radio tradition: "Chanukah Lights," a collection of short stories about the Jewish winter holiday in everyday life.
U.S. Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert doesn't want to call the brightly decorated spruce that will adorn the Capitol grounds this December a "holiday tree." Hastert says it's a Christmas tree, and he requested that the name be officially changed in a letter to the architect of the Capitol. Hastert's letter is just the latest salvo in an ongoing battle over religious symbols in public places.