As President Barack Obama delivered his first State of the Union address on Jan. 27, 2010, religious groups that support health care reform were pressing the White House and Congress to continue to try to pass a comprehensive overhaul. Prospects for that dimmed considerably with the Republican victory in Massachusetts’ Senate election Jan. 19.
The anniversary of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion always sparks discussions about this hot-button issue, and the annual March for Life on the National Mall in Washington is one focus of much media attention. But this year there are a number of developments driving the abortion debate in new directions.
The Christian diet craze of the late 1980s marked a trend toward the belief that “fit for the kingdom” included body as well as soul. Now the movement has expanded, as other religions have embraced faith-based fitness programs. Yet the issue raises questions about what messages faith-based diets, exercise programs and fitness centers send.
Like Jews, Catholics and other immigrant groups before them, Muslims are building a social infrastructure in America that includes houses of worship, schools, health clinics, banks, charities and more. Muslims’ social and religious needs are diverse – and that diversity is reflected in the network of mosques and related social services centers they are creating.
The earliest stages of the development of human beings, from conception through the period shortly after birth, are fraught with life-and-death issues. Whether concerned about the fate or welfare of a particular embryo, fetus or baby, or hoping to benefit from a reproductive technology or stem cell research, countless individuals and families in every part [...]
Some religious communities have made strides toward greater inclusion of people with disabilities, but the challenges continue and change:
Religious groups are beginning to respond to the growth of autism and related disorders in young families.
Military involvement since 2001 in the Middle East is producing thousands of young disabled veterans returning to their communities.
Many congregations with [...]
UPDATED FEB. 5, 2008 – New Census figures show that nearly 9 million children – more than 1 in 10 — in the United States don’t have health insurance. A showdown is brewing over the 10-year-old federal program that offers health coverage to low-income children, and religious leaders of all faiths are among those pushing [...]
Each day countless Americans and their families face the decisions and dilemmas that arise as people with serious diseases and injuries move toward death in a nation with:
a costly, fragmented and highly technological medical system;
an extremely diverse religious and spiritual character; and
a very litigious legal culture.
Disputes occurring at the end of [...]
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