The number of atheists is rising in the U.S. Snarky anti-religious billboards will greet Democratic conventioneers. And more on drag queens and a gay-friendly San Francisco Catholic Church.

(RNS) Gospel artist BeBe Winans has written a new book about his 28-year friendship with Whitney Houston. In an interview, he talked about Houston's faith and why he won't rush to see her performance in "Sparkle," the movie that opens Friday (Aug. 17). By Adelle M. Banks.

(RNS) A new report draws on 38,000 face-to-face interviews in 39 countries to find that Muslims differ sharply over questions of faith like who counts as a Muslim and what spiritual practices are acceptable. By Christopher Lisee.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (RNS) Evangelist Billy Graham, 93, was released from a North Carolina hospital after he developed a fever Saturday night (Aug. 11) and is now being treated for bronchitis, said his longtime spokesman, A. Larry Ross. By Cathy Lynn Grossman.

(RNS) Pope Benedict XVI's butler will stand trial for stealing the pope's private papers and leaking them to the press. According to an indictment sentence by a Vatican judge, Paolo Gabriele said he acted feeling like an agent of the Holy Spirit. By Alessandro Speciale.

Paul Ryan has a Catholic problem. Sikhs hold their first service at a Wisconsin temple since shooting. Americans nuns reject Vatican takeover. 

(RNS) Religiosity is on the decline in the U.S. and atheism is on the rise, according to a new worldwide poll. The poll, called "The Global Index of Religiosity and Atheism," found the number of Americans who say they are religious dropped from 73 percent in 2005 to 60 percent. By Kimberly Winston.

"You've got a guy who is a rising Republican star, and who wrote the budget, saying he's read her books and Washington needs more of her values," said Eric Sapp, executive director of the American Values Network, which is trying to tie Paul Ryan to atheist philosopher Ayn Rand. "If you're a Christian, you've got to ask some serious questions about what's going on here."

ST. LOUIS (RNS) American nuns facing a Vatican takeover of their leadership organization on Friday (Aug. 10) rejected Rome’s plans to recast the group in a more conservative mold but declined – for now – to respond with an ultimatum that could have created an unprecedented schism between the sisters and the hierarchy. By David Gibson.

(RNS) Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney accused Democratic President Barack Obama of launching a “war on religion” in a television ad released Thursday. By Shira Schoenberg.

The Coalition of African-American Pastors describes itself on its website as a "nonpartisan group of truthfully mostly Democrats." But interviews and a review of tax documents reveal deep connections with the right. By Aamer Madhani. 

Thousands are expected at funerals for six Wisconsin Sikhs killed this week. Obama will host the annual White House Iftar tonight. Thomas Nelson pulls publication by evangelical David Barton. 

(RNS) News that Comedy Central star Stephen Colbert and New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan would appear together on a panel on faith and humor next month was greeted with widespread anticipation, but now organizers say that the event will be restricted to Fordham University students and will not be broadcast or videotaped. By David Gibson.

(RNS) Funeral services will be held on Friday for the six Sikhs killed at Wisconsin temple. The bodies of the deceased will be cremated, but, according to Sikh theology, their souls will live on. By Daniel Burke.

(RNS) In a virtual gathering on Thursday (Aug. 9), interfaith leaders ponder the response to recent violence and threats of violence against mosques in Tennessee and Missouri, and a Sikh temple in Wisconsin. By Lauren Markoe.