(RNS) As he competes against a Mormon in the presidential election, President Obama has appointed the first Mormon member of his White House faith-based council. By Daniel Burke 

(RNS) Prominent evangelical author Jonathan Merritt has revealed in an online interview that had an encounter with another man that “went beyond the bounds of friendship.” By Adelle M. Banks.

(RNS) For the second time in less than a year, Gallup reported that a majority of Americans would vote for an atheist for president. Then again, atheists are running behind every other group, including gays and Muslims. By Kimberly Winston.

(RNS) Hundreds of pilgrims are visiting the upstate New York shrine to Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, the 17th-century Native American woman who will become the Catholic Church's first Native American saint this October. By Renee K. Gadoua.

(RNS) Though Mitt Romney talks little about his Mormon faith on the campaign trail, his many years as a church leader in Massachusetts have left a contradictory legacy about how he connected with people then -- and about his challenges connecting with voters now. By Shira Schoenberg.

(RNS) Most Americans who know that Mitt Romney is Mormon say the presumptive GOP nominee’s faith doesn’t concern them. But a new poll indicates there may be an “enthusiasm gap” for Romney among white evangelicals. By Daniel Burke.

(RNS) A hotel in the United Kingdom has replaced in-room Gideon Bibles with the soft-porn best-seller Fifty Shades of Grey. By Nancy Trejos.

I'm writing from Salt Lake City, where last evening I gave the keynote address at the opening of the annual Sunstone Symposium.

Was it evil or liberals behind the Aurora massacre? One man is just setting up crosses. Goodbye Gideon bibles, hello 'Fifty Shades of Grey.'

Was it evil or liberals behind the Aurora massacre? One man is just setting up crosses. Goodbye Gideon bibles, hello 'Fifty Shades of Grey.'

(RNS) Compared to Hispanic Americans, black Americans are far more likely to believe abortion should be legal in most circumstances, even when they personally reject the procedure as immoral. By Lauren Markoe.

WASHINGTON (RNS) Neither Mitt Romney’s trip to Israel Saturday (July 28) nor President Obama’s policies will influence the Jewish vote in the 2012 election, according to a new report that sees Jewish voting patterns as predictable and unchanging. By Chris Lisee.

MARINE, Ill. (RNS) A Missouri judge has ruled that Joseph Haegele can worship at his Catholic church only on the last Sunday of each month. Legal experts say the judge's order illustrates the conflict between protection orders and religious liberty. By Tim Townsend.

(RNS) The liberal Jewish organization Bend the Arc has broken new ground with a lobbying arm and a political action committee. By Lauren Markoe.

Mitt Romney preaches American exceptionalism, a Philly priest gets jail time, and the Catholic Church gave Obama his start: unintended consequences?