Religion and Faith

Since the presidential election, we've been checking in with congregations around Minnesota to find out what parishioners were thinking as they cast their ballots. At Established Heart Community Church in St. Paul, moral values was a top priority for some members who spoke with MPR's Lorna Benson.
Churches in small towns all over Minnesota are struggling to stay afloat. But some find creative ways to stay alive and independent. Some churches are returning to an old tradition -- sharing pastors.
The Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi have made Rochester their home for more than a hundred years. Now the nuns are having difficulty maintaining their convent, known as Assisi Heights. On New Year's Eve many of the Sister's loyal fans will gather for a fundraiser to help bring their living quarters up to date.
Every day brings new headlines of horrific violence perpetrated in the name of Islam. This program from American Public Media's Speaking of Faith unit asks: What makes the Muslim religion such a potent vehicle for violence and danger at this moment in time?
Christianity is not the only world religion that embraces Jesus as a holy symbol. The figure of Jesus plays a central role in Islam.
Christianity is not the only world religion that embraces Jesus as a holy symbol. The figure of Jesus plays a central role in Islam.
What's it like for a teen who's been home schooled all of her life to plunge into high school life? One Duluth girl shares her reactions in a diary of her first months in school.
Since the November election, we've been talking with congregations around Minnesota about "moral values." Exit polls suggest that many Christians cast their ballots based on moral concerns, including strong opposition to gay marriage. That issue is deeply personal for six gay or lesbian members of a St. Paul congregation.
Before the Islamic revolution of 1979, Iran was the first country in the Middle East to bring together secular and sacred law. A legal code developed in 1927 did away with gruesome Islamic punishments such as stoning and lashing. Iranian-born NPR Producer Davar Ardalan's great-grandfather was the architect of Iran's legal code in the early 1920s. Ardalan and co-producer Rasool Nafisi look at Iran's long search for a lawful society in this American RadioWorks documentary.