For Muslims, Ramadan is the holiest month of the year. Families travel to mosques for nightly prayers, give charity to those in need and wake up before dawn to break fast -- traditions meant to encourage self-reflection, compassion and piety. Ramadan is in short a chance to become closer to God.

Those who show righteous behavior during the holy...Read more

NAPERVILLE, Ill. -- Not one bite of food or sip of water from sunup to sundown. No alcohol. No sex. No tobacco.

The Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began this year on May 26 and will end June 24, is hard. It's supposed to be. It's a time of sacrifice but also a time to focus on God and faith and family.

"We keep reminding people that we do...Read more

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Juana Luz Tobar Ortega, 49, has been living in the cinder block room that used to be the nursery for St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Greensboro for two weeks.

She has a bed, a nightstand and a small TV. Her family visits her during the week, but eventually they leave. She's grateful for her room and the volunteers taking ...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- The Rev. Kelvin Sauls believes health and faith are two sides of the same coin.

He brings yoga and Zumba classes to his church in South L.A. because he knows African-Americans are particularly vulnerable to diabetes and heart disease.

"We can't save people's souls in the sanctuary and kill their bodies in the fellowship hall," ...Read more

WICHITA, Kan. -- A fire is burning in the "unsleeping lamp" at St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral in Wichita, a fire that Orthodox Christians believe is tied to a miracle and the resurrection of Christ.

It's the first time the Holy Fire has made its way to Wichita -- and the first confirmed time that the flame, believed to have originated ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- A legal group and six parents have filed a lawsuit that challenges the constitutionality of a San Diego Unified School District plan to protect Muslim students from bullying.

"It's our position that the anti-bullying policies should protect all students regardless of ethnicity and affiliation, and they shouldn't be singling out any...Read more

CHICAGO -- Harold Katz didn't require a crash course in Hebrew before his bar mitzvah next week in Wilmette, Ill. He started preparing 76 years ago, and his skills never got rusty.

Katz, 89, who lives in a North Side retirement home, was to have celebrated the occasion in Czechoslovakia back in 1941. But that plan -- like so many others -- was ...Read more

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Who will be the next Billy Graham?

The Charlotte-born Graham is now 98, lives quietly in his mountain home in Montreat, N.C., and hasn't preached to a packed-stadium crusade in 12 years.

Yet no "next Billy Graham" has emerged -- that is, no American religious figure who commands as much fame, impact, and respect as Graham ...Read more

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- Each Wednesday, the Latzke family heads to their Bloomington church for an evening of religious education and a worship service. Sunday is too packed to squeeze in church, so now Wednesday is their day -- as it is for thousands of busy Minnesotans.

"Wednesday is the new Sunday," is what some clergy call this trend ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Josh Stewart differs from most atheists. He'll tell you there is no God.

But when he gets together with other faithless folks in the Kansas City Atheist Coalition, they color code their name tags. One hue for those who are proudly public about their beliefs, another for whom photographers are asked to avoid.

"It is an issue...Read more

CAIRO -- Pope Francis on Friday won over the Egyptian audience with his first few words, spoken in Arabic: "Peace be with you."

"There is no justification for violence," he said to applause during a peace conference in Cairo, adding that it's the responsibility of clerics and other religious leaders to expose those responsible for extremist ...Read more

CAIRO -- In video posted online this week by the Vatican, Pope Francis sounds excited about his two-day trip to Egypt starting Friday, despite recent terrorist attacks.

"As salaam alaikum -- peace be with you! ... Thank you for having invited me to visit Egypt, which you call Umm al Dunya, Mother of the World," the pope read from prepared ...Read more

WICHITA, Kan. -- People at Wichita Oasis start showing up at around 10 on Sunday morning, drinking coffee and chatting before the music begins.

Once children are safely in the large playroom -- complete with a chalk wall, a tent and plenty of toys -- the adults and youths find their seats, ready for music and announcements.

But when the music ...Read more