Lauren Markoe

Lauren Markoe has been a national reporter for RNS since 2011. Previously she covered government and politics as a daily reporter at the Charlotte Observer and The State (Columbia, S.C.)

All Stories by Lauren Markoe

Tuesday’s Religion News Roundup: “Inferno” Released * Scout Alternatives * Catholic South

By Lauren Markoe — May 14, 2013
Dan Brown's new book about hell comes out today. Christians who find the Boy Scouts too gay friendly seek alternatives. And the Vatican shows how the Roman Catholic Church is shifting to the other side of the equator.

Candida Moss debunks the ‘myth’ of Christian persecution

By Lauren Markoe — May 14, 2013
(RNS) Growing up Catholic in England, Candida Moss felt secure in life, yet learned in church that Christians have been persecuted since the dawn of Christianity. As an adult and a theologian, she wants to set the record straight.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev buried in undisclosed location

By Lauren Markoe — May 9, 2013
(RNS) An undisclosed community has accepted the body of Boston bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev, which is now "entombed," according to police in Worcester, Mass.

Wednesday’s Religion News Roundup: Same-sex Delaware * Abductions * Graham crusade

By Lauren Markoe — May 8, 2013
Delaware is the 11th gay marriage state. Three women hidden in plain sight. Billy Graham's last crusade?

Dalai Lama wows Maryland crowd, rubs noses with governor

By Lauren Markoe — May 7, 2013
(RNS) His English is terribly broken, and punctuated by sudden fits of giggles. But for nearly an hour Tuesday, the Dalai Lama entranced an arena full of admirers at the University of Maryland, who said he conveyed his message perfectly.

Monday’s Religion News Roundup: Tsarnaev corpse * Rabbi race * Yoga prayer

By Lauren Markoe — May 6, 2013
No cemetery has yet agreed to bury the body of the Boston Marathon bomber. The race for chief rabbi in Israel is a doozy. And do you stretch for enlightenment, or do you just want to look good in a bathing suit?

15 countries cited for religious freedom violations

By Lauren Markoe — April 30, 2013
WASHINGTON (RNS) Fifteen countries make the list of most egregious violators of religious liberty, compiled by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. But some of the most alarming oppression is committed by entities that can hardly be called countries.

Tuesday’s Religion News Roundup: DuBois’ DC * Palin Alumna * Dawkins Documentary

By Lauren Markoe — April 30, 2013
God lives in D.C., says Joshua DuBois. A former Palin staffer gets a high profile job with the U.S. bishops. And Richard Dawkins stars in "The Unbelievers."

As Holocaust Museum turns 20, the ranks of survivors dwindle

By Lauren Markoe — April 25, 2013
WASHINGTON (RNS) Adult survivors of the Holocaust are largely gone, and those who survived as children won't be around much longer. That's why when the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum marks its 20th anniversary Monday, museum officials say it's likely to be one the last large gatherings of survivors.

Americans: Marijuana isn’t sinful but not sure it should be legal

By Lauren Markoe — April 24, 2013
WASHINGTON (RNS) American views on marijuana are evolving much like their views on gay marriage, with many ambivalent but growing numbers in favor of legalization.

Tuesday’s Religion News Roundup: Tsarnaev motives * Saints JP2 and Romero? * Home-school asylum

By Lauren Markoe — April 23, 2013
The surviving Boston suspect says religion motivated him. Sainthood a step closer for John Paul II and Archbishop Romero. And asylum for Christian home schoolers?

Tuesday’s Religion News Roundup: Boston mourns * Death cafes * Coptic fears

By Lauren Markoe — April 16, 2013
Prayers flood Boston. "Death cafes" provide a safe place to talk about a difficult subject. And what it's like to be a Copt in Egypt today.

At makeshift National Mall graveyard, clergy demand gun control

By Lauren Markoe — April 11, 2013
WASHINGTON (RNS) Clergy from California to Connecticut created a makeshift graveyard on the National Mall on Thursday as they exhorted Congress to strengthen gun control.

Tuesday’s Religion News Roundup: Tee Ball * Thatcher’s Faith * Military nuns?

By Lauren Markoe — April 9, 2013
Tee ball is luring parishioners out of the pews and on to the field. The obit writers seems to be skipping over Margaret Thatcher's strong Christian faith. And a case for nuns to serve as U.S. military chaplains.

HBO documents unlikely saviors of 50 Holocaust children

By Lauren Markoe — April 3, 2013
(RNS) Against great odds, Gilbert and Eleanor Kraus set out from Philadelphia to rescue 50 children from Nazi-controlled Austria, the subject of a new HBO documentary set to air on Holocaust Remembrance Day.
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