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Issues

Explore Pew Forum publications—including public opinion polls, demographic reports, research studies, event transcripts and interviews—on key issues at the intersection of religion and public affairs:

 

Abortion Education Politics & Elections
Church-State Law Gay Marriage & Homosexuality Science & Bioethics
Death Penalty Government Social Welfare
The Social and Legal Dimensions of the Evolution Debate in the U.S.
As with many social and political controversies in the United States, the battle over evolution has been largely fought in courtrooms.
Darwin and His Theory of Evolution
At first glance, Charles Darwin seems an unlikely revolutionary. Growing up a shy and unassuming member of a wealthy British family, he appeared, at least to his father, to be idle and directionless. But even as a child, Darwin expressed an interest in nature.
Religious Groups' Views on Evolution
A breakdown of 13 major religious groups' views on the issue. 
Evolution: A Timeline
This timeline highlights key events in the debate surrounding evolution. 
Religious Differences on the Question of Evolution
The Pew Forum's U.S. Religious Landscape Survey found that views on evolution differ widely across religious groups.
Fighting Over Darwin, State by State
In recent years, voters, educators and policymakers in a number of states have become involved in the debate over whether - or how - public school students should learn about evolution and the origins of life.
Faith-Based Aid Favored - With Reservations
While Americans generally support allowing religious groups to apply for government funding to provide social services, they draw the line at letting such organizations hire only people who share their religious beliefs.
Hiring Law for Groups Following a Higher Law: Faith-Based Hiring and the Obama Administration
The Bush administration contended that religious groups always have the right to hire on the basis of religion. But President Obama has suggested that he disagrees with this policy. To explore how the Obama administration might alter Bush’s policy, the Pew Forum turns to church-state scholar Ira “Chip” Lupu.
The Religious Affiliations of U.S. Presidents
Nearly half the nation's presidents have been affiliated with the Episcopal or Presbyterian churches.
Abortion Views by Religious Affiliation
Abortion remains a divisive issue in the U.S., with a slim majority (53%) in favor of keeping it legal in all or most cases and four-in-ten in favor of making it illegal in all or most cases. However, the Pew Forum's U.S. Religious Landscape Survey finds that most religious traditions in the U.S. come down firmly on one side or the other.
Faith on the Hill: 2008
Members of Congress are often accused of being out of touch with average citizens, but an examination of the religious affiliations of U.S. senators and representatives shows that, on one very basic level, Congress looks much like the rest of the country.
Breaking Barriers: Congressman Dalip Singh Saund
In 1956 Saund, whose career would span the vocations of mathematician, farmer, author, activist and judge, became the first Indian-American elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as the first - and so far only - Sikh member of Congress.
The Religious Makeup of Congress
While Congress looks very much like the rest of the country, some religious minorities are underrepresented in the House and Senate, while others are overrepresented.
Leadership of the 111th Congress Reflects Religious Diversity
Although the leadership on Capitol Hill today is much more diverse than it once was, Protestants still fill a substantial number of the top jobs in the 111th Congress.
America and Islam After Bush
Some of the nation's leading journalists gathered in Key West, Fla., in December, 2008, for the Pew Forum's biannual Faith Angle Conference on religion, politics and public life.
A Post-Election Look at Religious Voters in the 2008 Election
Some of the nation's leading journalists gathered in Key West, Fla., in December 2008 for the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion and Public Life's biannual Faith Angle Conference on religion, politics and public life to look at the impact of religious voters in the 2008 election. 
Religion and Race: A Historical and Contemporary Perspective
Some of the nation's leading journalists gathered in Key West, Fla., in December 2008 for the Pew Forum's biannual Faith Angle Conference on religion, politics and public life.  
How the News Media Covered Religion in the General Election
Religion played a much more significant role in the media coverage of President-elect Barack Obama than it did in the press treatment of Republican nominee John McCain during the 2008 presidential campaign.
States With Voter-Approved Constitutional Bans on Same-Sex Marriage, 1998-2008
Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-sex marriage following a ruling by the state's highest court. In the five years since the Massachusetts decision, 26 states have amended their constitutions to ban gay marriage.
How the Faithful Voted
President-elect Barack Obama made a concerted effort to reach out to people of faith during the 2008 presidential campaign, and early exit polls show that this outreach may have paid off on Election Day.
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