Religion

Religiosity is on the decline in the U.S. and atheism is on the rise, according to a new worldwide poll. The poll, called "The Global Index of Religiosity and Atheism," found that the number of Americans who say they are "religious" dropped from 73 percent in 2005 (the last time the poll was conducted) to 60 percent. At the same time, the number of Americans who say they are atheists rose, from 1 percent to 5 percent. The poll was conducted by WIN-Gallup International and is based on interviews with 50,000 people from 57...

Historic Christ Church, the parish home of George Washington, recently celebrated its first same-gender blessing, with the Rev. Ann Gillespie, senior associate rector, officiating. Melissa Capers and Brunilda Hernandez, who do volunteer work at the Episcopal church, have been together as a couple since 1999, and there have been several events to celebrate that commitment, including a ceremony in October 2002, authorized by then-Virginia Bishop Peter James Lee, at St. Clement's in Alexandria.

I would like to expand on Ruth Marcus's analysis of sexism in our religious traditions [" The orthodoxy of sexism ," op-ed, Feb. 13]. Ms. Marcus is quite correct in attributing such attitudes to a "fear of encroaching modernity undermining doctrinal control. " I would suggest, however, that the key to the issue is those last two words. It might be useful for us to distinguish between religion and doctrine. Religion is a human attempt to experience and connect our lives to the divine, the sacred and the transcendent as a way of...

Scottish cardinal to atone for sexual misconduct VATICAN CITY — The Vatican has ordered a disgraced Scottish cardinal to leave Scotland for several months to pray and atone for sexual misconduct, issuing a rare public sanction against a "prince of the church" and the first such punishment meted out by Pope Francis. Cardinal Keith O'Brien resigned as archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh and recused himself from the March conclave that elected Francis pope after a newspaper reported unnamed priests' allegations that he acted inappropriately toward...

Texas megachurch pastor John Hagee endorsed Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in the presidential race, but he says it doesn't mean that he wishes President Obama ill. In an essay at "On Faith," the conservative minister writes, "I fully support Barack Obama as my new President. " Go to newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices washingtonpost.com/onfaith

Rick Wingrove is the CEO of  Beltway Atheists, Inc, the Virginia State Director of American Atheists , and a contributor to The Washington Post's local faith leader network . Christopher Hitchens famously said that "religion poisons everything. " While a thorough search might turn up technical exceptions to this rule, one of the things religion certainly does poison is politics. Poison politics leads to toxic government. Religious types have been leaning on government and meddling...

At the Normandy American Cemetery on the cliff above Omaha Beach, there are rows and rows of crosses and Stars of David. Certainly, many buried there were not religious. But the overwhelming majority of Americans in the mid-20th century identified themselves culturally as Protestants, Catholics or Jews, no matter their personal beliefs. This cultural expectation has begun fading in American life. The fastest-growing religious affiliation today is the lack of religious affiliation — the rise of the "nones," ...

I do not agree with Alexandra Petri [" Submitting to stupid questions ," op-ed, Aug. 13] that the question Byron York asked Michele Bachmann in the GOP debate last week was stupid. Ms. Bachmann was asked whether, as president, she would be submissive to her husband. The question was fair not because Ms. Bachmann is a woman but because she acknowledges being a member of, and taking seriously, a religion that requires her to submit to her husband. I would never want a president who professed an obligation to submit to any other...

Regarding Michael Gerson's May 12 op-ed column " Elevated by the common good ": As foundational and important as "the common good" has been in Christian social teaching for more than 150 years, is it not the "good of the commons" that must now engage our intellectual and religious energies in these perilous ecological times? To continue to focus on the well-being of the human community, divorced from a more paramount concern for the well-being of the larger community of all life — without...

NEW YORK — Stocks that moved substantially or traded heavily Friday on the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq Stock Market: NYSE The Gap Inc., up $2.18 at $40.99 Thanks to strong sales at its Old Navy and Gap stores, the retailer said sales at stores open at least a year rose 7 percent in April. Molycorp Inc., up $1.75 at $7.34 The Greenwood Village, Colo.-based miner of rare earth products reported first-quarter results that beat Wall Street expectations. ArcelorMittal, up...

VERNON, Calif. — True Religion Apparel, best known for its high priced denim, has agreed to a buyout offer of about $826 million from the investment management firm TowerBrook Capital Partners LP. The announcement Friday comes seven months after True Religion said it was exploring strategic options. Like many high-end jean companies, True Religion's business suffered in recent years as recession-scarred shoppers no longer wanted to pay $200 for a pair of jeans. ...

Saturday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.: A flea market with household items, toys, plants, books, handmade crafts, baked goods and more. Doughnuts, muffins and coffee available for early shoppers; a light lunch of hot dogs, sloppy Joes, potato salad, coleslaw, chips and sodas sold about noon. Glenn Dale United Methodist Church, 8500 Springfield Rd., Glenn Dale. 301-262-2299. Saturday, 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m.: Author roundtable with Janice Rothschild Blumberg, Ellen Cassedy, Rachel Swarns and Sara Taber.

It simply does not matter that Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, th e two Chechen-born brothers suspected of perpetrating the attacks were Muslim . Any religion, or lack of one, can be co-opted and used by a person or people as a justification for extremism. What matters right now, and into the future, is the way the faith and values of every other American can either help us resist the fear-generating effects of terrorism, or help that fear grow and take root like a weed,...