Why Americans lie to pollsters about going to church. President Obama endorses same-sex marriage in Washington and Maine. Catholic vote too close to call. The rainbow sign.

Photographs of a Mormon service at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Lenexa Ward on Sunday June 17, 2012 in Lenexa, Kan. These slideshows were created by Religion News Service to provide our readers with an inside look at various religious services. From a Catholic Mass to prayer at a mosque, these images help understand the culture and diversity of the religious world, as well as how people pray and celebrate their religion.  Photos by Sally Morrow / Religion News Service

(RNS) Because of its severity and prevalence, female genital mutilation is arguably one of the most important human rights issues in the world. But the practice remains poorly understood, both by supporters who assert it is mandated by Islam, and opponents who, according to some activists, do more to sustain the practice than end it. By Omar Sacirbey.

RNS) Although most major religions discourage sex outside of marriage, Muslims and Hindus are more likely to abstain from extramarital sex than Christians and Jews, according to a new study. By Jeanie Groh.

(RNS) President Barack Obama on Thursday (Oct. 25) endorsed the same-sex marriage referendum on the Washington state ballot and also formally backed a similar measure on the ballot in Maine. By Jeff Mapes.

God's will and the hurricane, genetic engineering and ethics, Israel and Jewish pluralism, and Alan Jacobs leaves Wheaton...

(RNS) In the 50 years since the Second Vatican Council, much has been accomplished in building a new relationship between Catholics and Jews. What Pope John XXIII began in 1962 represented the beginning of the end of anti-Judaism and anti-Semitism within the Catholic Church. By A. James Rudin. 

On June 27, 1844 Mormon prophet Joseph Smith's presidential campaign was cut short by a barrage of bullets. He's the first presidential candidate to be assassinated, according to historians. 

VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI's former butler started serving his jail sentence in the Vatican after being convicted in the Vatileaks affair. By Alessandro Speciale.

WASHINGTON (RNS) A federal grand jury added terrorism to the list of charges faced by the Virginia man who was indicted in the shooting of a security guard at the conservative Family Research Council's Washington offices. By Jeanie Groh.

WASHINGTON (RNS) Rabbi Miri Gold recently won a landmark case before Israel's Supreme Court that will make her the first non-Orthodox rabbi on the Jewish state's payroll. On her American victory tour, she talked about religious freedom, her belated bat mitzvah, and why she believes in the separation of church and state. By Lauren Markoe.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) It's one thing to talk about God's will when life is good. It's another when a doctor is saying your baby won't live. Eric and Ruth Brown were forced to consider religious, medical and ethical issues most parents never will. By Bob Smietana.

PORTLAND, Ore. (RNS) Researchers at Oregon Health and Science University have transferred DNA from donor cells into other donor cells, resulting in tiny embryos that could be free of genetic diseases in a technique that offers great promise as well as ethical pitfalls. By Nick Budnick.

Faith ahead of politics? Partisanship above piety? The elections are less than two weeks away. Friday marks Eid-al-Adha. The theology of rape.

SALT LAKE CITY (RNS) Just two weeks since Mormon officials lowered the age for missionaries, the Utah-based faith has seen applications skyrocket by 471 percent. By Peggy Fletcher Stack.