RNS) Although most major religions discourage sex outside of marriage, Muslims and Hindus are more likely to abstain from extramarital sex than Christians and Jews, according to a new study. By Jeanie Groh.

JERUSALEM (RNS) Jews from Manhattan to Mozambique held prayer vigils on Monday (Oct. 22) to protest the arrest and incarceration of an Israeli feminist as she was leading 250 American Jewish women in prayer at the Western Wall. By Michele Chabin.

(RNS) Leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church overwhelmingly passed a statement Tuesday (Oct. 16) calling decisions by two of its U.S. regional groups to approve ordination of women pastors “serious mistakes.” By Adelle M. Banks.

SEATTLE (RNS) With its relatively low churchgoing population and social libertarianism, Washington may be the state where voters are most likely to approve gay marriage next month. But opponents say the early polls are deceptive. By Jeff Mapes.

LYNN, Mass. (RNS) Iman Shati and Ayfer Abed Aljabar come from two different countries, two different cultures and even two different sects of Islam. Yet they're working together to help Iraqi refugees adjust to life in the U.S. by obtaining health insurance, driver's licenses and even laptops with Arabic letter keys. By Omar Sacirbey.

ST. LOUIS (RNS) It will be difficult for critics to compare Michelangelo's nudes with the ones photographed by the Rev. John Blair. Just after Episcopal leaders launched a sexual misconduct investigation of Blair, he lost his job as a hospital chaplain. By Tim Townsend.

(RNS) Two U.S. regional groups of the Seventh-day Adventist Church have recently approved the ordination of women pastors, moving ahead of the worldwide church that has begun a study of the issue. By Adelle M. Banks.

The Rev. Benedict Groeschel, a Franciscan friar from New York who appears often on EWTN, a conservative Catholic TV channel, said that priests who abuse children "on their first offense" should not go to jail. 

RIDGEWOOD, N.J. (RNS) The parents of Tyler Clementi have left their longtime evangelical church due to its views on homosexuality. By Dan Ivers. 

SALT LAKE CITY (RNS) While some Mormon feminists want access to the all-male priesthood and others see it as blasphemy, a third group of Mormon women crave a more engaged and visible role for women in the church that respects history and doesn't compromise doctrine. By Peggy Fletcher Stack.

This week on the Religion News Godcast: Azariah Southworth, the evangelical-turned-agnostic who outed evangelical writer Jonathan Merritt.

(RNS) President Obama's support for gay marriage has put some black clergy in a bind, torn between their political loyalties and their religious beliefs. By Adelle M. Banks.

(RNS) It could get pretty crowded at Chick-fil-A this week - and not because of the fast-food restuarant's famous waffle fries. By Adelle M. Banks.

(RNS) In an unconventional move, a number of high-profile business executives have come out on the issue of gay marriage. By Laura Petrecca.

(RNS) Amid a battle with President Obama over a new contraception mandate, the nation's Roman Catholic bishops are promoting natural family planning -- but will their flock take heed? By Lauren Markoe.