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Conservative white Christian voters -- mostly evangelical Protestants, Mormons and Catholics -- carried President Trump to victory last November. Many members of this group, known as the Christian Right, argue that while he may be flawed -- Trump is twice divorced and has sparked concerns about his personal morality -- his opposition to abortion rights and other liberal policy priorities made him the best option. But some evangelicals question whether the Christian Right betrayed Christian principles in backing Trump and whether it will benefit from his administration. The controversy points to a larger debate over the future of the movement as a national political force. Nearly four decades after evangelical leaders joined with Republicans to elect conservatives to office, many experts see little progress on many Christian Right priorities, such as restoring prayer in public schools and banning gay marriage, which is now legal nationwide. Moreover, the share of the population identifying as conservative Christian is declining, potentially weakening the Christian Right's influence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Religious and social conflicts are roiling the Roman Catholic Church. Amid seething tensions between the historically Christian West and the Muslim world, Pope Benedict XVI has alternated confrontation with Islam and conciliation — each approach prompting intense criticism, both within the church and among Muslims. Conflict over the church's ban against condom use has proved no less divisive. In addition, wide-ranging sexual abuse of youths by more than 4,400 American priests so far has cost the church $1.4 billion in legal settlements and expenses. In Africa, conflict centers on resistance to the church's law that priests practice celibacy and never marry. Meanwhile, even as the number of Catholics worldwide has grown to more than 1 billion, the number of priests and nuns has dropped catastrophically, sparking the growing influence of the Catholic laity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the myriad forms of alternative medicine being practiced in the United States, prayer is by far the most popular. More than half of American adults have prayed for better health, and a quarter have participated in prayer groups. Some doctors say that's reason enough to ask patients about their spiritual beliefs, because understanding those beliefs is essential to treating the whole person. But critics argue that probing into personal beliefs is intrusive. However, a majority of the nation's 135 medical schools now teach about spirituality, and many hospitals ask patients about it. Helping to drive this interest is the claim that religion improves your health. But scientific consensus has been reached on only one finding: Regular churchgoers live longer -- and that may be because they're healthier than the homebound to start with. Far more controversial are studies claiming that patients heal faster when strangers pray for them. Many experts fault the studies; others say it's impossible to test God with science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Roman Catholic Church in the United States has been shaken to its core by disclosures of sexual abuse by priests and of lax response to complaints by some bishops and cardinals. Priests in some cases have been allowed to remain in ministerial posts despite repeated accusations or admissions of sexual misconduct with children. Catholics across the ideological spectrum have criticized the church's handling of abuse cases, and many have called for resignations of church leaders, including Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston. In a meeting convened by Pope John Paul II, U.S. cardinals and leading bishops called for dismissal of priests in "notorious" abuse cases. But critics want the U.S. bishops to go further when they meet on the issue next month. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At least a quarter of all Americans are evangelical Christians, making them the nation's largest religious group — and one of its most influential. As religious conservatives, evangelicals champion family values and oppose abortion and gay rights, often using their considerable political power to try to bring about change. Some liberals and civil libertarians worry that evangelical Christians are trying to impose their beliefs on other Americans, and in the process are threatening to tear down the constitutional barrier between church and state. Meanwhile, some members of the evangelical community are calling for a withdrawal from the political arena. They say the only way to reverse the nation's moral decay is by encouraging people to lead a Christian life, not through political action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On Dec. 31, millions of people from New York to New Zealand will celebrate the coming of a new millennium. But some scholars and others argue that the next millennium actually begins in 2001, since the Christian calendar started at 1 A.D., not at zero. Others say that such arguments are too technical and that the year 2000 warrants great millennial celebrations. At the same time, some say that the millennium, which after all commemo-rates the 2000th year since the birth of Jesus Christ, has lost its religious significance and become a largely secular event. Still other millennium-watchers say that the countdown to 2000 has increased the sense of apocalypticism in the United States, with dire results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world's 1 billion Roman Catholics revere Pope John Paul II as a great spiritual leader and champion of the poor and oppressed. But critics say the pontiff has turned the papacy into an absolute monarchy within the church at the expense of the bishops as well as other clergy and lay people. They also consider him too rigid on "hot-button" social issues like the church's ban on artificial birth control and the ordination of women. But others applaud the pope for imposing much-needed order on an institution they say was drifting. In addition, they argue, John Paul was right not to change church doctrine just to appease public opinion or satify the desires of a few liberal Catholics. Now, however, with John Paul in poor health, the permanency of his legacy remains uncertain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most Christians literally believe the biblical accounts of the miraculous birth of Jesus told every Christmas in homes around the world: the story of Joseph and Mary, the appearance of the Star of Bethlehem, the adoration of the shepherds and the Wise Men. Many religious scholars, however, view the traditional nativity story as myth rather than history. Some of these scholars want to use historical techniques to reconstruct the actual events of Jesus' life, ministry and death. Some say the "quest for the historical Jesus" can lead to a better understanding of Jesus' spiritual message and its relevance for today. But others say it diverts Christians from the essential beliefs -- and the central mystery -- of their faith. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Christianity is the world's largest and richest religion. But Christians in many countries say they face discrimination or repression because of their faith, particularly in Islamic and communist nations. Now, activists are waging a worldwide campaign on behalf of persecuted Christians. In the United States, Christian groups are lobbying Congress to pass legislation cutting off non-humanitarian aid to countries responsible for religious persecution. But leaders of the campaign have touched off a bitter debate by accusing liberal human rights and religious groups of ignoring the mistreatment of Christians - accusations that those organizations vigorously reject. Some religious experts also dispute the claim that persecution of Christians is on the rise and complain that the campaign is ignoring mistreatment of people of other faiths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Religion is playing a greater political role this campaign season than at any other time in recent memory. Conservative religious organizations -- sometimes called the religious right -- are now a major force in the Republican Party despite predictions two years ago that they were on the decline. The largest of the groups, Pat Robertson's Christian Coalition, has helped lead the opposition to President Clinton and his policies. Administration supporters say the coalition is using religion to mask a purely partisan agenda. Other organizations, such as the liberal People for the American Way, say the religious right threatens the American tradition of separation of church and state. Religious conservatives say they will remain politically active, and some observers believe their political influence will continue to grow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the last three decades, church and synagogue membership has been mostly declining or stagnant. Experts trace the decline to the baby-boomers -- the 78 million Americans born from 1946-65. But now boomers are raising children themselves, and a surprising number who rejected religion have returned to organized worship. Churches and temples find themselves marketing faith to a population once known for its skepticism toward authority. But by emphasizing such attractions as child care and informal dress codes, religious bodies invite charges that they are watering down traditional faith. Parishioner- hungry congregations also seek to attract members of the "baby-bust" generation, now in their 20s. Unlike the boomers, they largely grew up with no religious grounding at all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]