feature | Dec 19, 2008

The Religious Makeup of Congress

The charts below highlight key findings from a Pew Forum report, “Faith on the Hill: The Religious Affiliations of Members of Congress.” The report shows that 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. For an in-depth examination […]

feature | Dec 11, 2008

Being Good for Goodness’ Sake?

This holiday season, the American Humanist Association has launched a campaign featuring ads on Washington, D.C., buses that proclaim, “Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness’ sake.” But a 2007 survey by the Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Project found that a majority of Americans say it is necessary to believe in […]

feature | Dec 4, 2008

The Importance of Pilgrimage to Muslim Americans

The Hajj, the annual Muslim pilgrimage to the city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, takes place in early December this year. Every able-bodied Muslim is expected to make the pilgrimage at least once in his or her lifetime, and the Hajj attracts millions of believers every year. The Pew Research Center’s 2007 Muslim American survey found […]

feature | Nov 13, 2008

States With Voter-Approved Constitutional Bans on Same-Sex Marriage, 1998-2008

On Nov. 18, 2003, 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. Before the Massachusetts ruling, only three states had passed constitutional amendments prohibiting the practice – Alaska […]

feature | Nov 3, 2008

Trends in Candidate Preferences Among Religious Groups

The latest survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press includes analysis of the candidate preferences of major religious groups. These charts are based on results among registered voters interviewed in People-Press surveys conducted on the dates indicated. For a Nov. 2 analysis of the candidate preferences of likely voters, see […]

feature | Oct 23, 2008

How Church Attendance Affects Religious Voting Patterns

The latest report from the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press shows that, as in previous elections, differences in voting patterns by religion are amplified when church attendance is taken into account. For example, Barack Obama has made no headway among white evangelical Protestants who attend church at least once a week; […]

feature | Apr 1, 2008

Gay Marriage Timeline

Timeline provided by Stateline.org « Return to the gay marriage issue page  A history of same-sex marriage laws Important events are listed in red  1993 Hawaii Supreme Court rules the state must show a compelling reason to ban same-sex marriage and orders a lower court to hear a case seeking the right of same-sex couples […]

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