death and dying

Choosing to die well

By Thomas Reese — August 29, 2019
(RNS) — A controversy over a Seattle man’s blessing at a Catholic church points up the differences between a peaceful death and assisted suicide.

How the place comforts us

By Jeffrey Salkin — April 5, 2019
These are the most powerful lessons I have learned in the month after my father's death.

Why American doctors need to hold the line on physician-assisted suicide

By Charles C. Camosy — November 16, 2018
(RNS) — As younger physicians appear to abandon a longtime code of medical ethics, the trend is toward acceptance of a practice that raises questions about the very meaning of health care.

What is hell?

By Joanne M. Pierce — April 18, 2018
(The Conversation) — The Christian belief in hell has developed over the centuries, influenced by both Jewish and Greek ideas of the afterlife.

PBS film explores how we go gently – or kicking and screaming – into the night

By Aysha Khan — March 26, 2018
(RNS) - Veteran filmmaker Helen Whitney asks nine men and women grappling with death to tell their stories in this two-hour documentary.

The ’Splainer: Billy Graham, lying in honor and civil religion

By Kimberly Winston — February 28, 2018
(RNS) — Some see the honor as worthy of a preacher who had the ear of American presidents from Harry Truman to Barack Obama, while others see it as a violation of the separation of church and state.

Is it ethical to defy evacuation orders?

By G. Jeffrey MacDonald — November 2, 2012

(RNS) As Sandy cleanup continues, so does an ethical debate: Is evacuation a moral duty? By G. Jeffrey MacDonald.

Parents accept daughter’s rare illness as ‘God’s will’

By Bob Smietana — October 25, 2012

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.

Tuesday’s Religion News Roundup: NC Prayers, Moon’s heirs, pot in the churchyard

By Lauren Markoe — September 4, 2012

Here's the prayer lineup for the DNC. The Rev. Sun Myung Moon's heirs have a history of squabbling over his money. And how did the marijuana get into the churchyard? 

Sikh temple shooting victims remembered for kindness, generosity

By Tracy Gordon — August 8, 2012

(RNS) The six Sikhs killed Sunday at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin died as they lived, shot down amid acts of prayer and kindness. 

Counter-protesters targeting Westboro Baptist Church

By Kellie Moore — July 23, 2012

(RNS) Thousands of people wearing red shirts gathered in downtown Columbia, Mo., in response to word of a planned protest by the Kansas-based group Westboro Baptist Church. By Kellie Kotraba.

Aurora worshippers seek solace, guidance after movie theater shooting

By Tracy Gordon — July 23, 2012

AURORA, Colo. (RNS) Worshippers in this city rocked by Friday's mass shooting flocked to church Sunday, seeking solace within their faith communities.

Religious leaders call for prayer and tighter gun control after Colorado shooting

By Daniel Burke — July 20, 2012
(RNS) President Obama and his likely GOP challenger Mitt Romney called for prayers and reflection after a deadly shooting at a Colorado movie theater, while liberal religious leaders called for stricter gun control laws. By Daniel Burke.

People of faith respond to Colorado shooting

By Daniel Burke — July 20, 2012

(RNS) People of faith - including President Obama and his GOP challenger Mitt Romney - are responding to Friday's shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, Colo. 

Technology shifts the meaning of ‘death us do part’ in funeral rituals

By Laura Petrecca — May 31, 2012

(RNS) Technological advances have dramatically altered how we grieve for and memorialize the dead. In Mourning 2.0, bereaved share their sorrow on Facebook, and light virtual candles on memorial websites. Mourners affix scannable barcode chips to tombstones so visitors can pull up photos and videos on a smartphone. By Laura Petrecca.

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