Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life
Christmas in America: Belief in the Virgin birth and visits from Santa
By Cathy Lynn Grossman — December 18, 2013
(RNS) Most Americans believe Jesus was born of a virgin, and nearly one in three also pretend Santa will visit their house on Christmas Eve, according to a new survey of Christmas season beliefs and activities.
ANALYSIS: ‘Gravity’ and the unanswered questions of unbelief
By Jeffrey Weiss — October 7, 2013
(RNS) Most of the reviews for "Gravity" don’t mention that the main character represents an increasingly common theme in American religion: The spiritual “none of the above.”
Pope Francis to encounter a church in crisis in Brazil
By Alessandro Speciale — July 18, 2013
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Brazil will encounter a pope unlike any in the church's modern history, and Francis will find a church in crisis in the world's most populous Catholic nation.
Is the growth of the nonreligious good or bad? Americans are divided
By Kimberly Winston — July 5, 2013
(RNS) Some observers caution there's a difference in asking about an increase in the nonreligious rather than a decrease in the religious.
Study: Religious oppression rises despite Arab Spring
By Lauren Markoe — June 20, 2013
WASHINGTON (RNS) The number of countries in the region with sectarian or communal violence between religious groups doubled from five to 10 during 2011, a year that coincided with most of the political uprisings of Arab Spring.
Online Muslim forums foster tolerance and fuel vitriol
By Corrie Mitchell — June 11, 2013
WASHINGTON (RNS) Experts say Muslim websites can help foster dialogue and understanding, but they're also a forum for online fatwas and vitriolic discourse.
Want to improve Muslim attitudes? Get them online
By Omar Sacirbey — May 31, 2013
(RNS) A new Pew study says getting Muslims online can improve their views of the West, but a major problem remains: across 39 countries and territories, just 18 percent of Muslims said they used the Internet.
Poll: U.S. Muslims more moderate than Muslims worldwide
By Omar Sacirbey — April 30, 2013
(RNS) Muslims in America are much less inclined to support suicide bombing than Muslims abroad, and are more likely to believe that people of other faiths can attain eternal life in heaven, according to a new survey.
Pope Francis a huge hit with U.S. Catholics (for now)
By Cathy Lynn Grossman — April 4, 2013
WASHINGTON (RNS) Pope Francis is known now for his keep-it-simple style and focus on the poor. But once he starts making appointments and taking action, his favorable ratings may change.
American Atheists wrestles with its cherished ‘grumpy’ image
By Kimberly Winston — March 29, 2013
AUSTIN, Texas (RNS) The annual Easter weekend convention of American Atheists is a delicate balancing act between the group’s image as the angry bulldog of secular organizations and its need to attract younger and less strident nonbelievers.
Benedict XVI’s poll numbers can’t match John Paul II’s
By Lauren Markoe — February 21, 2013
(RNS) Pope Benedict XVI never inspired the deep admiration enjoyed by his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, but Americans – and Catholic Americans even more so – still look favorably upon the soon-to-be-former head of the Roman Catholic Church.
Catholic migration, and why the next pope should be Brazilian
By Daniel Burke — February 14, 2013
A new analysis of Catholic population shifts raises questions about the upcoming papal election.
Vatican admits it doesn’t fully understand youth culture
By Alessandro Speciale — January 31, 2013
VATICAN CITY (RNS) The Vatican's culture ministry warned that the Catholic Church risks losing future generations if it doesn't learn how to understand young people, their language and their culture.
40 years after Roe v. Wade, how do Americans really feel about abortion?
By Lauren Markoe — January 22, 2013
(RNS) Forty years after the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion, poll numbers reveal how Americans' feelings about abortion have changed -- and remained the same.
The `nones’ now form the world’s third-largest ‘religion’ *
By Kimberly Winston — December 18, 2012
(RNS) A new report on global religious identity shows that while Christians and Muslims make up the two largest groups, those with no religious affiliation — including atheists and agnostics — are now the third-largest “religious” group in the world. The study, released Tuesday (Dec. 18) by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, […]
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