As I head into the Thanksgiving season, I am, like many people, trying to cultivate the value of gratitude. The problem is that Thanksgiving is arriving at an inconvenient time this year when a lot of things seem to be going wrong with health, finances, blah blah . . . I won't bore you with details. But when it's a challenge to be thankful, I turn to the most thankful person I know. Who is not actually a person.

A new publication brings out the full context of the chief Republican strategy for using racism and "states' rights" as a veiled way of driving Southern Whites to the Republican Party. 

BALTIMORE (RNS) A divided Catholic hierarchy on Tuesday (Nov. 13) failed to agree on a statement about the economy after a debate that revealed sharp differences over the kind of social justice issues that were once a hallmark of the bishops’ public profile. By David Gibson.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (RNS) In her hometown of Cranston, R.I., Jessica Ahlquist earned quite a reputation: Witch. Nazi. Satanist. But in the atheist community, the 17-year-old is a celebrity. A hero. By Kellie Kotraba.

(RNS) In some circles, being an atheist is a strike against you. But at OkCupid, the free online dating site, it might just help you get a date. Designers found that including the word ``atheist'' in a first message to another user was more likely to garner a reply than any other religious descriptor except Christian. By Kimberly Winston.

NEW YORK (RNS) The ``October trifecta'' that touched my life -- my father's death, surgery and the unprecedented destruction of Hurricane Sandy -- did what traumatic events often do: they left me emotionally fatigued and ready for some fresh clarity, fresh perspective and fresh prioritizing. By Tom Ehrich.

Republicans should be more worried about appealing to Nones than to Latinos. That's the message of PRRI'S stunning new graphic showing how the respective religious coalitions of Barack Obama and Mitt Romney on election day relates to the religious demography of age groups in the U.S.

The great love for the President is intertwined with a great disappointment so far in the policies of President Obama.  Now is the time to act.

Could Romney lead the LDS? What are the bishops up to in Baltimore? And how gay-friendly is organized Judaism? 

BALTIMORE (RNS) In the wake of sweeping setbacks to the hierarchy’s agenda on Election Day, New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan on Monday (Nov. 12) told his fellow bishops that they must now look at their own failings, confess their sins and reform themselves if they hope to affect the wider culture. By David Gibson.

(RNS) As we try to make sense of the "Mormon moment," Religion News Service asked MormonVoices to collect the ten best recent stories about their Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) A Vatican computer expert was found guilty of helping the pope's former butler in leaking confidential papal documents to the press. Claudio Sciarpelletti won't be spending time in jail but he risks losing his Vatican job. By Alessandro Speciale.

(RNS) A meeting on Sunday (Nov. 11) between three American bishops and the nuns' group they are tasked with overhauling was "open and cordial,'' according to a joint statement. By Daniel Burke.

In the weeks leading up to the 2012 election, a flurry of strong, balanced media articles explored Mormonism and its role in American life. It’s become clear to me that most journalists are committed to understanding more about the Mormon faith and its people. However, I'm not so sanguine about the trolls who like to comment.

NORMAN, Okla. (RNS) Pastor Dustin Buff traded in his job, his house and his sense of security for a backpack, a Bible, a sleeping bag, one change of clothes, identification, and a cell phone for a 10-day personal quest to understand the plight of the homeless. By Greg Horton.