Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Religion

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    Spirit and Power – A 10-Country Survey of Pentecostals

    Executive Summary By all accounts, pentecostalism and related charismatic movements represent one of the fastest-growing segments of global Christianity. According to the World Christian Database, at least a quarter of the world’s 2 billion Christians are thought to be members of these lively, highly personal faiths, which emphasize such spiritually renewing “gifts of the Holy […]

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    The Vatican and Islam: Pope Benedict XVI Prepares to Visit Turkey

    Washington, D.C. Pope Benedict XVI is scheduled to visit Turkey on Nov. 28-30, a trip that has already attracted exceptionally close attention because of the pope’s remarks about Islam during a September speech in Regensburg, Germany. More than 50 Islamic nations have demanded an apology for the speech, which aroused anger in the Islamic world […]

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    God’s Country? Evangelicals and U.S. Foreign Policy

    Pew Research Center Washington, D.C. 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 Republican, helping to put conservatives at the helm of U.S. foreign policy, while focusing their […]

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    John Green Now Based in Washington

    John C. Green, one of the nation’s foremost experts on the influence of religion on American politics, has joined the Washington staff of the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life and is available for interviews during this campaign and election season. CONTACT Mary SchultzCommunications Manager202.419.4556mschultz@pewresearch.org/pewresearch-org/religion Green originally joined the Forum in 2005 and he […]

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    Dr. No? The Debate on Conscience in Health Care

    Washington, D.C. 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 manner? These questions are sparking legislative debates across the country as pharmacists are refusing to fill prescriptions […]

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    Many Americans Uneasy with Mix of Religion and Politics

    Navigate this Report Introduction and Summary Section I – Religion and Public Life Section II – Religion and Politics Section III – Religion and Science Section IV – Religious Beliefs About the Survey Introduction and Summary The relationship between religion and politics is a controversial one. While the public remains more supportive of religion’s role […]

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    Five Years After 9/11, ’Dialogue’ with Islam Cause for Hope

    Bethesda, Maryland A native of Pakistan who served as his country’s high commissioner to Great Britain, Akbar Ahmed offers the unique perspective of an anthropologist who has lived in and studied both Islamic and Western cultures. The BBC has described him as “the world’s leading authority on contemporary Islam.” He is the principal investigator for […]

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    Five Years After 9/11, The Clash of Civilizations Revisited

    Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts A reviewer of political scientist Samuel P. Huntington’s first book compared him unfavorably to Mussolini. A reviewer of his 19th and latest book dubbed him “Patrick Buchanan with footnotes.” But those reactions were mild compared with the controversy over the international political paradigm advanced in Huntington’s most influential book, The Clash of […]

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    The Death Penalty Today: Defend It, Mend It or End It?

    In recent years, the nation has debated the proper application, morality and constitutionality of the death penalty. In this Pew Forum event transcript, four legal experts candidly debate the death penalty.

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    Pragmatic Americans Liberal and Conservative on Social Issues

    Navigate this Report Summary of Findings Abortion Opinions Stable Most Don’t Doubt Their Opinion on Abortion Majorities Continue to Support Stem Cell Research Continued Opposition to Gay Marriage Among Gay Marriage Supporters, Division over How Best to Proceed Catholics, Mainline Protestants Support Civil Unions Growing Number See Homosexuality as Innate, Unchangeable Trait Opinion on Pharmaceutical […]