“Shariah 101: What is it and why do states want to ban it?”
This July 25, 2013, explainer from the Religion News Service answers common questions about Shariah.
Category: Beliefs & practices
“Policies of 47 Christian faith groups towards homosexuality”
See a list of the policies of different Christian denominations on homosexuality at ReligiousTolerance.org, which also maintains a list called “Homosexuality and religion: Policies of non-Judeo-Christian religions.”
“In U.S., Record-High Say Gay, Lesbian Relations Morally OK”
Gallup conducts a “values and beliefs” survey each May. Read about the 2013 results, which found a record 59 percent of Americans saying that gay and lesbian relations are morally acceptable. A Gallup/USA Today poll released in December 2012 found that religious beliefs were the reason most often cited as the basis for opposing same-sex marriage.
“A Survey of LGBT Americans”
The Pew Research Center released survey results in June 2013 indicating that LGBT adults are, on the whole, significantly less religious than the general public.
“Caught in Methodism’s Split Over Same-Sex Marriage”
Read a May 5, 2013, New York Times story about a United Methodist Church minister — and retired dean of Yale Divinity School — who is facing a possible canonical trial after officiating at his son’s same-sex wedding.
“Can gay Catholics find a home in the Catholic Church?”
Read a May 23, 2013, analysis at Religion News Service on how the Catholic Church is struggling to welcome openly gay members who are not allowed to take up ministry roles.
“Evangelical Lutheran Church elects first openly gay bishop”
Read a May 31, 2013, story in the Los Angeles Times about a openly gay bishop elected to a Lutheran church.
“Your Church and the Same-Sex Marriage Decisions”
The Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission prepared a suggested bulletin insert in response to the Supreme Court rulings on gay marriage.