The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has called for new laws to protect religious sensibilities that would punish “thoughtless and cruel” styles of speaking.Dr Williams, wh  read more »

Can the cracks in the road or the formation of potholes create a profile of a person or an animal? How about a profile of Jesus' face?

A children’s story based on the tale of the Three Little Pigs was rejected for an award after judges became concerned that it would offend Muslims.

A German taxi driver who shouted "Oh, for Christ's sake, it's Christmas Eve!" when a robber put a gun to his head scared the thief away.

The makers of "What Would Jesus Buy?" have a problem -- how do you sell a film documenting performance artist Rev. Billy and his Stop Shopping Gospel Choir on a guerrilla U.S. to  read more »

In his upcoming biography of Jesus, "Basic Instinct" director Paul Verhoeven will make the shocking claim that Christ probably was the son of Mary and a Roman soldier who raped her during  read more »

The University of Richmond's chapel is one of many churches across North America offering Blue Christmas services this year, aimed at addressing a season that brings many people depres  read more »

The effort to speak up for decency at checkout stands in retail establishments is the motivation behind the « Fools for Christ » campaign from the American Decency Association (ADA). From magazines to newspapers, advocates are hoping to remove objectionable material as members of nationwide communities speak up.

Two deputies with Italy's small but vocal Radical Party caused an uproar among legislators in this predominantly Catholic country on Wednesday when they placed dolls representing two gay couples in Parliament's nativity scene.

Organizers of San Francisco's hedonistic Folsom Street Fair — sponsored by Miller Brewing, Co.  read more »

Next Friday, staffers from Next Level Church of Matthews will go to bars in the Ballantyne area of Charlotte to hand out shot glasses which ask patrons to "give us a shot" and be  read more »

Fatah officials in Ramallah claimed over the weekend that Professor Sana al-Sayegh, who teaches at Palestine University in Gaza City, was kidnapped by Hamas militiamen who forced her to convert to Islam against her will.

Not long ago, most American churches frowned on tattoos, but modern times have softened the stance.  read more »

A director who shares the ideas of Iran's hardline president has produced what he says is the first film giving an Islamic view of Jesus Christ, in a bid to show the 'common ground  read more »

The director of the Lost Tomb of Jesus documentary, which claims that Jesus of Nazareth and his family were laid to rest in a burial tomb in what is today the Jerusalem neighborhood of East Talpiot, has rejected claims that scholars who were interviewed in the film have now backtracked and revised their conclusions.

Jesus Pizza, as the students call it, is warm. It's good. It's free. And it's available to T.C. students for lunch every Wednesday at the First Baptist Church of Alexandria. Some weeks, as many as 150 students or more trek the half-mile down King Street from the school to lounge on old couches, thumb through Bibles or play pool while waiting for free slices and sodas in the church basement.  read more »

'Kingdom Come' is set to hit stores April 3. The end times series helped shepherd the rise of Christian publishing.

An Arizona man shocked cops in the East Village this week by walking into the local precinct and announcing that he'd strangled a woman on East 13th Street during an argument in 2004 - and that Jesus Christ wanted him to turn himself in.

They took us into the future with the apocalyptic thrillers of the "Left Behind" series. Now, Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins are taking readers back to early Christianity with "The Jesus Chronicles." The four-book series focuses on the writers of the Gospels.  read more »

People are seeing the outline of the Virgin Mary in the charred trunk of a California sycamore tree on the side of Sierra Highway north of Davenport Road.

An advertisement for a religious campaign has been ruled out of order for lack of evidence that Jesus can heal AIDS.

A new survey of the sex lives of students at Cambridge University has revealed that promiscuity adversely effects a person's ability to score good grades.

India's most watched religious channel, Aastha, has announced plans to introduce a religious version of the reality television show, Pop Idol.

While the Anglican Church may shun Yoga, in Kerala the Syro-Malabar church - regarded as the oldest in the country - has decided to embrace the Hindu tradition of sanyas.  read more »

Are Sarah and John Connor a sci fi version of Mary and Jesus?

Did you know that Jesus Christ was a pimp? He must have been. I saw it on TV.

Two French Protestant churches have agreed to start discussions with the aim of creating a united denomination by 2013 bringing together Reformed and Lutheran Christians.

Religious extremists have killed at least 40 women this year in Basra because of their "un-Islamic" dress, according to Iraqi police.

A federal appeals court in Washington cleared the way for the U.S. Navy to dismiss Chaplain Gordon Klingenschmitt, who earned the ire of his commanders with his prayers "in Jesus' name".  read more »

Leaders of one of Georgia's oldest churches have voted to leave the Episcopal Church over its liberal-leaning interpretation of Scripture and acceptance of homosexuality.

About 15,000 DVDs of the film "Jesus Christ/Joseph Smith" were dropped off at homes in Mesa, Gilbert and Tempe over the weekend, said Jim Robertson, executive director of Concerned Christians, an organization largely made up of former Mormons.  read more »

U.S. President George W. Bush is coming to the Vatican for his first formal audience with Pope Benedict XVI, a meeting seen on both sides as immensely important.

Victor Vazquez and David Margolis began to use nonexistent religious organizations in April 2006 to apply for federal government licenses that would allow U.S. residents to travel to Cuba, U.S.  read more »

Two New York inmates challenging a ban on some religious books in chapel libraries at U.S.  read more »

The atmosphere was tense, laced with nearly a century of mistrust and bitter feelings, when President Vladimir V. Putin met in New York in 2003 with leaders of an émigré church that had broken with the Russian Orthodox Church after the Bolshevik Revolution.  read more »

A church that wanted to do something special for Hurricane Katrina victims gave a $75,000 house, free and clear, to a couple who said they were left homeless by the storm. But the couple turned around and sold the place without ever moving in, and went back to New Orleans.

A Muslim militant from Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, was yesterday sentenced to twenty years in prison for masterminding the beheading murder of three Christian girls.

Mitt Romney’s run for president has put his Mormon faith in the spotlight, but the religion remains a mystery to most.FOXNews.com compiled a list of 21 questions representing some widely  read more »

Four Mormon missionaries were released unharmed Wednesday after being held hostage for more than three days by kidnappers in Nigeria's oil region, church officials said.

An Egyptian court accepted an appeal yesterday from 45 Copts who were denied the right to reclaim their religious identities after they decided to convert back to Christianity from Islam, a lawyer and court officials said.

50 CENT's mother was so keen to keep his father's identity from him, she told the rapper he was the product of an immaculate conception - just like JESUS CHRIST.

After films like The Da Vinci Code and The Passion of The Christ, another controversial film on anti-Christ is on the cards.

Professor Richard Dawkins has caused a sensation this year with the runaway success of his anti-religious book The God Delusion. Here, through the pen of John Cornwell, the Almighty delivers a counterblast

Catholic bishops say the new course usurps the family's freedom to shape a child's morality and will impart values that in some instances diverge radically from their own.  read more »

The Democratic Party has undertaken an ostentatious outreach to religious voters, creating a Faith Advisory Council and cultivating clergy around the country.  read more »

Happened today on Good Morning America. The show ran a segment on a painting by someone named Ron Burns who has recreated da Vinci's Last Supper with dogs substituted for Jesus and his disciples. Even more than the image itself, some will surely find the title that the "artist" gave to his work offensive: "Dinner and Drinks with Son of Dog."  read more »

More than a quarter of all Americans identify themselves as evangelical Christians, and the number is growing. There were dozens of fascinating stories in American religion in 2006, and on Monday, Christmas night, we'll be taking a look back at some of the people and trends that defined the year in Jesus.

A precedent-setting package of abortion bills is now before the Michigan Senate, having passed the House in late July. Collectively called the Coercive Abortion Bills, the package is intended to protect women from being forced or intimidated into having abortions.

Police and environmental officials are investigating the improper disposal of medical waste and patient records at a suburban Detroit abortion clinic after an anti-abortion group found hum  read more »

Jesus has no place in Slidell City Court, or so says the Louisiana ACLU, which has requested that court officials remove his portrait from the lobby within a week or face the possibility that the organization will file a lawsuit to force the issue.

The American Civil Liberties Union and its Louisiana affiliate have filed suit in federal court against the governor and state treasurer, challenging taxpayer-financed government grants to  read more »

As you enter the small town of Alorton, Ill., you'll see two green-and-white billboards that read: "Welcome to The Village of Alorton. Where Jesus is Lord. Randy McCallum Mayor."  read more »

With Christmas just weeks away, a labor group on Tuesday denounced "horrific" sweatshop conditions where crucifixes are made in China to be sold at religious gift shops in the Un  read more »

Thailand: Buddhist activists have decided to discontinue their campaign for Buddhism to be acknowledged as the state religion in the new constitution.  read more »

Stephen Baldwin, the man born into Hollywood royalty, has been born again.  read more »

A new resolution adopted by the General Synod of the United Church of Christ (UCC) on June 24 calls for the group to undertake an in-depth and balanced study of the Middle East conflict, and to factor in previously ignored key issues such as the teaching of hate and violence in schools and through the media, Israel's disengagement from Gaza, and the rising internecine violence between Hamas and Fatah.

Pope Benedict XVI blasted Europeans for being selfish and not having enough children, in a sermon on Saturday at the 850-year-old pilgrimage site of Mariazell in Austria.

One of four ministers who oversaw three weeks of intensive counseling for the Rev. Ted Haggard said the disgraced minister emerged convinced that he is "completely heterosexual."  read more »

Probably not. That's the preliminary conclusion of a team of experts trying to determine whether a rib bone and a piece of cloth were the remains of 15th century French heroine Joan of Arc.

The "Utah War" has largely faded from American memory as the Mormon Church – and the public's acceptance of it – evolved.  read more »

They call California the land of fruits and nuts for more than one reason. Proof is presented every day and front and center comes from a Bloomberg Report that details that visitors to the Gaia Napa Valley Hotel and Spa won't find the Gideon Bible in the nightstand drawer.  read more »

Al Qaeda in Iraq on Wednesday denounced Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Turkey, calling it part of a "crusader campaign" against Islam.

The Rev. Al Sharpton toured Mormon facilities Monday and dined privately with a church elder after drawing criticism two weeks ago for remarks about Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

Defending the right of women to sexual and reproductive integrity in the face of grave human rights violations, Amnesty International recently incorporated a focus on selected aspects of abortion into its broader policy on sexual and reproductive rights.  read more »

Scantily clad prostitutes beckoning from behind glass windows — long a familiar sight in Amsterdam — will become rarer, officials said Monday in announcing a major cleanup of the city'  read more »

• Jesus was not born of a virgin;
• His father Joseph was a literary construct, as was Judas;
• His family thought he was out of his mind;
• There were probably not  read more »

The worldwide Anglican Church is expected to split radically by the end of the year under plans being drawn up by a leading conservative archbishop to "adopt" a breakaway group o  read more »

The worldwide Anglican Church was battling to survive last night after talks broke down amid acrimony during the final stages of the primates' meeting in Tanzania.

The synod of the Anglican Church of Canada's Ottawa diocese has voted overwhelmingly in favour of same-sex blessings.

U.S. Episcopal bishops, fed up with Anglican criticism of their support for gay priests, implored the Anglican spiritual leader to hear their side of the story — in person.  read more »

When police came to his home on a quiet cul-de-sac in this Fort Worth suburb last summer, it was to demand that Merced -- an Oba, or Santeria priest -- call off a religious ceremony planned for the next day.  read more »

In response to the take-down of the Cruise video, a group of vigilantes--calling themselves Anonymous, or Anon--have retaliated against what they consider to be Internet censorship.  read more »

A devotional film on Christianity Antima Theerpu was launched at Annapurna Studio on Wednesday. J Rajender is the director while Dhanekula Mallesh is producing it. The story is about the r  read more »

After launching several anti-Christian attacks during the last week of 2006, Hindu extremists went on to beat more Christians, vandalize vehicles and organize a protest rally against a church, dampening New Year celebrations.

The message that got Michelle Incanno's blood boiling reads: "Why in moments of crisis do we ask God for strength and help? As cognitive beings, why would we ask something that may well be a figment of our imaginations for guidance? Why not search inside ourselves for the power to overcome? After all, we are strong enough to cause most of the catastrophes we need to endure."  read more »

An appeals court panel apparently has given the OK for prayers mentioning Jesus' name in the Indiana state legislature to return, tossing out a lawsuit Oct.  read more »

In a speech that will be seen as a sharp criticism of New Labour, Dr Williams will say that "those who run things" reject the idea that society needs core values as "unfashionable and unwelcome".  read more »

Archbishop Desmond Tutu has criticised his own church for being "obsessed" with homosexuality.

Dr Rowan Williams called for divine guidance after he flew into Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania for the five-day primates' meeting, that will be dominated by the bitter row over homosexuality that could split Anglicanism.

According to media reports coming out of Latin America, President Chavez is considering a proposal that would establish him as the high priest of his own form of evangelical Christianity, convert his cabinet members into bishops of a lower rank, and submit church activities to the civil and military power of his government.

THE Archbishop of Wales met drinkers in a city centre bar for a debate on the pros and cons of religion.

Two women who made Roman Catholic religious history say they are ready to be the new face of the priesthood, even as Archbishop Raymond Burke moved to formally penalize them for violating  read more »

Dr Rowan Williams has admitted that the Church of England’s handling of sex abuse cases had been incompetent, and promised to help stamp out abuse.

Critics of religion were criticised last night by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, who said the way in which Christians viewed God had been misinterpreted.Speaking at a lectur  read more »

A Roman Catholic prelate in Cuba said while visiting Miami's Cuban exile community that religious practice is slowly spreading in that nation despite rigid restrictions.

Carbon dating tests and excavation of a colorful pre-Incan temple indicate that it was built thousands of years ago by an advanced civilization, a prominent archaeologist said in comments  read more »

A Christian law group is accusing Mount Rushmore officials of trampling the free speech and religious rights of a Coon Rapids, Minn., man who alleges he cannot get a permit to distribute r  read more »

ISTANBUL, Turkey - For Hakan Tastan and Turan Topal, two best friends, enjoying a casual walk along the streets of Istanbul has taken on new meaning. In the next couple of months, the two converts from Islam to Christianity could face the prospect of spending up three years behind bars.

A North Carolina artist intrigued by the public obsession with celebrity has found herself feeding that obsession with a painting of actress Angelina Jolie as the Virgin Mary hovering over a Wal-Mart checkout line.  read more »

The Twelve Disciples by Tony Yardley and Claire Spooner in collaboration with Carl Spooner reduces the 13 religious characters as different types of chairs.

The five-day visit by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom ended Friday.  read more »

Billboards and posters have begun appearing in major metropolitan areas (like New York and San Francisco – most likely because this is riskier in the red states) with the slogan: "The Algorithm Constantly Finds Jesus"  read more »

A gunman opened fire in the parking lot of a Colorado Springs church on Sunday, striking four people, the church's pastor said.The conditions of the people shot outside the New Life Ch  read more »

Next week, the group started by Gaylor and her mother in the 1970s to take on the religious right will fight its most high-profile battle when the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments on its  read more »

Atheists are under attack these days for being too militant, for not just disbelieving in religious faith but for trying to eradicate it. And who's leveling these accusations? Other atheists, it turns out.

The Madison-based Freedom From Religion Foundation is spending $2,100 on six signs appearing for up to two months inside 50 buses.  read more »

A suburban Atlanta couple was convicted of murder Friday in the beating death of their 8-year-old son, a case that prompted authorities to raid the parents' church because it supports  read more »

An attorney representing Christ Church Greenwich was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury for allegedly destroying a laptop computer to cover up child pornography sought in a probe of the parish's former music director.  read more »

The Catholic Church in Australia has always been a strong supporter of the human rights aims and goal of Amnesty International. But, now that AI has adopted a pro-abortion position that runs counter to the Church's pro-life teaching, that long-standing relationship may be over.

Professor Michael Jursa came across a name - Nabu-sharrussu-ukin, described there in a hand 2,500 years old, as 'the chief eunuch' of Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylon. According  read more »

A chimpanzee cannot be declared a person, Austria's Supreme Court has ruled, activists said Tuesday.An animal rights group had sought to have the chimp, Matthew Hiasl Pan, declared a  read more »

The awards recognized the most performed songs on Christian radio during 2006, a BMI news release said. Twenty-five songs were honored in the Christian Rock, Contemporary Christian, Inspirational, Urban Gospel and Southern Gospel categories

Federal Way police said a newborn baby boy was found wrapped in a blanket Monday on the doorstep of Calvary Lutheran Church.

TEACHERS have demanded that the [UK] Government drops plans for a new generation of State-funded faith schools.

The Baptist General Convention of Texas has started posting the names of convicted sex offenders who have worked in its churches on a Web site.

Delegates to the Baptist State Convention have voted overwhelmingly to expel a Charlotte church for welcoming gays and lesbians without trying to change them.  read more »

The Baptist State Convention of North Carolina could expel any church that endorses homosexuality after its annual meeting this week.

A former Southern Baptist missionary who got her start as a church secretary is likely to become the first woman president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas.  read more »

The Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, in an effort to stem the growing tide of a national effort to legitimize what it says is the sin of homosexuality, last week voted to place the lettering “Gays not welcome” on the church marquee.

An apocalyptic sect, led by a man claiming to be an Islamic messiah, has been wiped out in Iraq just as it was planning to disrupt the holiest day in the Shia Muslim calendar, Iraqi officials claimed Monday.

The Christian Freedom Fund has returned most of the $150,000 it collected to fight the lawsuit over a painting of Jesus that hung at Bridgeport High School.

The debate, which was originally planned for May 5, was rescheduled for this coming Wednesday so that the Christian speakers - Ray Comfort (author of God Doesn't Believe in Atheists) and Kirk Cameron (Growing Pains) - and their two atheist opponents would have more time to speak their views and so that a larger audience could be captured for their discussion.

A politically powerful San Antonio megachurch is pushing Texas lawmakers to let its small Christian school join the state public schools' athletic league.

Birmingham Police responded to a call at Old Sardis Baptist Church Sunday morning as a member of the congregation reported Rev. Willie E.  read more »

Suffolk's new Church of England bishop has announced that he will create Podcasts to introduce himself to his diocese.The 10th Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, the Rt Rev Nigel St  read more »

Roman Catholic Archbishop Raymond Burke, who made headlines last presidential season by saying he'd refuse Holy Communion to John Kerry, has his eye on Rudy Giuliani this year.  read more »

TONY Blair, the former prime minister, is set to become a Roman Catholic within weeks, it emerged yesterday.

Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain stoked a simmering debate over religious tolerance and cultural assimilation on Friday, saying it was the duty of all immigrants to integrate into British society.

The government has "every sympathy" for the case for abolishing blasphemy laws, Justice Minister Maria Eagle has said.

Jabalpur, India Bishop Gerald Almeida has called on Catholics to engage in "soul searching" after the eyes of a life-size statue of the Sacred Heart in a church yard began to ooze a blood-like substance.

The introduction to the 2006 edition of the Book of Mormon has a new word: among.It sounds trivial, but to some it represents a huge change to teachings that have been passed on for genera  read more »

Swanson has written a provocative new book theorizing that Jesus Christ was married to Mary Magdalene, that they bore children and that LDS Church founder Joseph Smith was their direct descendant. Swanson also suggests that this heavenly birthright gave Smith spiritual authority as a prophet and affirms the historical legitimacy of the LDS Church.

It turns out that human beings have a natural inclination for religious belief, especially during hard times.  read more »

When his parents discovered his secret stash of DVDs, which included the "Die Hard" series and comedies, they burned them and gave him an ultimatum.  read more »

When the Sight & Sound Theatre opens in the spring of 2008, it will be Branson's biggest building — at 339,000 square feet — and home to "Noah The Musical," based on the Bible story. The production has a cast of 45 actors, 150 live animals and an equal number of animatronic beasts. While the size of the project is impressive, owners Glenn and Shirley Eschelman say their faith in their God-given mission is worth the investment.  read more »

Brazil has requested the United States extradite two leaders of an evangelical church who allegedly used their followers' donations to buy mansions, a horse farm and apartments in Brazil and the U.S., the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.  read more »

Estevam Hernandes Filho, 53, and Sonia Haddad Moraes Hernandes, 48, are also charged in Brazil with stealing millions of dollars from parishioners for luxuries such as mansions and horse farms.  read more »

British Airways has made a spectacular U-turn today, announcing that its uniform policy will change to allow all religious symbols, including crosses, to be worn openly by its staff.  read more »

Samantha Devine, 13, was told to remove her cross chain necklace. Why? "It breached health safety rules," according to her father. School rules.

National Churchwatch says that the police do not regularly monitor crime against clergy.  read more »

It was a moment of less-than-divine intervention last Sunday when a church security guard pulled a gun on a photographer outside Britney Spears’ house of worship.

An overwhelming majority of the Britons see religion as a cause of division and tension and think it causes more harm than good.

A survey found 27 per cent of Britons aged 18 and over were unable to identify Bethlehem as Jesus's birth place, while the figure rose to 36 per cent of people aged between 18 and 24.<  read more »

One of the few things that can bring massive amounts of shirtless men this close to one another in Bulgaria is the celebration of Christ's baptism on Epiphany (January 6), when the rac  read more »

The discovery of a 2,000-year-old toilet at one of the world's most important archaeological sites is focusing renewed interest on a question that has preoccupied scholars for more than half a century: Who lived at Qumran?

The high school basically set up a hostage drill scenario where a student was suspended for praying in school and her angry father and another man came into the school strapped with guns.  read more »

Muslim ladies down under are finally making a splash — thanks to a new bathing suit known as the "burqini."

His name was never mentioned, but Jesus was talked about and sung about at last night's lighting of the National Christmas Tree in Washington.