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Religion & Politics 2012

News, analysis and data on the role of religion in politics, social issues, candidates and political parties relevant to the 2011-12 election season.

 

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LEGAL REPORT April 6, 2010
In Brief: Christian Legal Society v. Martinez
On April 19, 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Christian Legal Society v. Martinez, a case that will determine whether a public institution can refuse to officially recognize a religiously based organization that prevents those who do not share its religious and moral values from becoming voting members.
INTERVIEW January 30, 2009
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.
ANALYSIS October 1, 2008
Americans Wary of Church Involvement in Partisan Politics
More than two dozen pastors challenged a provision in the tax code that restricts the political activities of houses of worship and other tax-exempt organizations.
INTERVIEW September 19, 2008
Pastors To Protest IRS Rules on Political Advocacy
On Sept. 28, pastors from 20 states will give politically based sermons from the pulpit as part of a protest organized by the Alliance Defense Fund, a conservative legal-advocacy group. The protest will challenge an Internal Revenue Code restriction that limits the political activities of charitable organizations
ANALYSIS April 1, 2008
An Overview of the Same-Sex Marriage Debate
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ignited a nationwide debate in late 2003 when it ruled that the state must allow gay and lesbian couples to marry. Almost overnight, same-sex marriage became a major national issue, pitting religious and social conservatives against gay-rights advocates and their allies.
ANALYSIS April 1, 2008
The Constitutional Dimensions of the Same-Sex Marriage Debate: 2008
On Nov. 4, 2008, California voters passed Proposition 8, amending the state's constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage. The vote, which was significant enough to make national headlines on a historic Election Day, was the latest round in a long battle involving the California legislature, judiciary and voters.
ANALYSIS March 27, 2008
A Portrait of American Catholics on the Eve of Pope Benedict's Visit to the U.S.
When Pope Benedict XVI arrives in the United States on April 15, he will find a Catholic Church that is undergoing rapid ethnic and demographic changes, and whose flock is quite diverse both in their religious practices and levels of commitment, as well as in their social and political views.
EVENT TRANSCRIPT December 3, 2007
Religion and Secularism: The American Experience
Watch more event video on the multimedia page. More from the December 2007 Faith Angle Conference Religious Literacy: What Every American Should Know The Religion Factor in the 2008 Election More: Research, news, blogs Some of the nation's leadin...
ANALYSIS October 24, 2007
A Delicate Balance: The Free Exercise Clause and the Supreme Court
When Americans speak of their most cherished liberties, freedom of worship often tops the list. But this freedom is not absolute. Indeed, throughout most of the nation's history, religious practices have often been subordinated to a variety of government laws and regulations.
ANALYSIS June 13, 2007
Twenty Years After a Landmark Supreme Court Decision, Americans Are Still Fighting About Evolution
Twenty years ago, on June 19, 1987, the Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling that dramatically reshaped the debate over teaching evolution in public schools.
ANALYSIS April 19, 2007
High Court Decision Could Raise Abortion's Profile in Campaign
Wednesday's 5-4 Supreme Court decision upholding a federal law banning a controversial abortion procedure may dramatically raise abortion's visibility in the presidential election campaign.
EVENT TRANSCRIPT February 28, 2007
Same-Sex Marriage in California: Legal and Political Prospects
Special Report: The Same-Sex Marriage Debate An Overview of the Same-Sex Marriage Debate The Constitutional Dimensions of the Same-Sex Marriage Debate A Stable Majority: Most Americans Still Oppose Same-Sex Marriage Additional Resources Map: Stat...
EVENT TRANSCRIPT December 12, 2006
The Christmas Wars: Religion in the American Public Square
Every year as the holiday season gets underway, debates break out across the country over the appropriateness of religious displays in public spaces, such as crèches and menorahs placed in town halls. But the so-called "Christmas wars&...
EVENT TRANSCRIPT September 26, 2006
God's Country? Evangelicals and U.S. Foreign Policy
In his recent article in Foreign Affairs, Walter Russell Mead argues that as U.S. evangelicals exert increasing political influence, they are becoming a powerful force in foreign affairs. In recent years, evangelicals have voted overwhelmingly Rep...
EVENT TRANSCRIPT September 8, 2006
Dr. No? The Debate on Conscience in Health Care
Does requiring pharmacists to dispense medication they find morally objectionable violate their rights to the free exercise of religion? Or, are religious objections secondary to a woman's right to receive an approved prescription in a timely mann...
INTERVIEW July 6, 2006
Courts Rule Against Gay Marriage in Two States
The courts ruled against gay marriage in two top state courts recently in Georgia and New York. What is the political impact for supporters and opponents of same-sex marriage?
INTERVIEW May 11, 2006
Judge Allows Religious Rights Case at Guantanamo Bay to Move Forward
A federal judge has said 4 former detainees at Guantanamo Bay may file a lawsuit alleging their religious rights were violated even though they are not U.S. residents or living in the U.S.
EVENT TRANSCRIPT December 5, 2005
Believing Without Belonging: Just How Secular Is Europe?
Some of the nation's leading journalists gathered in Key West, Florida, in December 2005 for the Pew Forum's biannual Faith Angle Conference on religion, politics and public life. Conference speaker Grace Davie, who has a chair in the Sociology of...
EVENT TRANSCRIPT December 1, 2005
Judicial Faith? Ideology, Religion and the Rule of Law: A Conversation with Noah Feldman
Just weeks before the Senate confirmation hearings of Judge Samuel A. Alito, President Bush's nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, the Forum held a discussion for journalists and other policy leaders on the role of religion in the judicial confirma...
EVENT TRANSCRIPT September 26, 2005
Building a 'Harmonious Society' in China
During the past year, Chinese President Hu Jintao and the leadership of the Communist Party of China have emphasized "building a harmonious society" in the face of escalating social and economic challenges resulting from China's rapid ec...
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