The Southern Baptist Convention is the largest Protestant denomination in the country, but it continues to lose members and baptize fewer people each year.
At a time when "religious liberty" has become associated in the U.S. with the right to oppose LGBT protections and same-sex marriage, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom reports on the "serious and sustained assault" on religious people and practices abroad. The organization cites attacks on Muslims in the Central African Republic and Burma to the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe and the repression of all religious activity in North Korea.
Jehovah’s Witnesses, who make up just less than 1% of U.S. adults, are known for their door-to-door proselytism. But members of this denomination, which has its origins in 19th-century America, are also unique in many other ways.
The Pew Research Center found that religious and social divisions in Israel are reflected in “starkly contrasting positions on many public policy questions.”
The census showed no Christians in 1951. Today there are nearly 400,000. One reason: Some evangelical groups offer aid — desperately needed after the earthquake — and also seek converts.
GOP contender Donald Trump is not widely viewed as religious, even among Republicans. And the share of Americans who say Hillary Clinton is not a religious person has risen sharply since she first ran for president eight years ago.
Thousands of Japan's historic Buddhist temples are expected to shut down. NPR's Rachel Martin speaks with Ian Reader, an expert on Japanese culture, on how Buddhism is changing in the country.
A survey by the Pew Research Center shows that the percentage of Americans who say they believe in God, pray daily and attend church regularly is declining.
The Catholic Church in the U.S. has been aging, along with its dwindling priestly ranks. But in the increasingly secular world, there's been a recent uptick in younger men studying to become priests.