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
Is Purim the Jewish Halloween? Some Jews say no
By Lauren Markoe — February 19, 2013
On Purim, as on Halloween, children dress up and goodies are given out. But some Jews take care not to think of Purim as their Jewish Halloween.
Tuesday’s Religion News Roundup: God’s Rottweiler? * Dangerous Dating * Twitter Lent
By Lauren Markoe — February 19, 2013
Traditional Catholics say Pope Benedict XVI turned out to be more golden retriever than Rottweiler. Police allege that a rapist is stalking on a Christian dating site. And Twitter finds out what people are giving up for Lent.
Cash-strapped National Council of Churches to move to D.C.
By Lauren Markoe — February 13, 2013
WASHINGTON (RNS) The National Council of Churches is moving its headquarters from the historic “God Box” in New York City to Washington, a change that the cash-strapped ecumenical group predicts will save as much as $500,000.
Poll: Bad sex a bigger problem for couples than religious differences
By Lauren Markoe — February 13, 2013
(RNS) According to a new poll, unchurched Americans expect to be spending Valentine's Day between the sheets. White mainline Protestants? Not so much.
Tuesday’s Religion News Roundup: Vatican Lightning * Zen Abuse * Jewish Porn Star
By Lauren Markoe — February 12, 2013
On the day the pope announces his resignation, lightning literally strikes St. Peter's. A prominent Zen teacher is accused of molesting students. A Jewish porn star gets his big break.
DuBois leaving White House faith-based post
By Lauren Markoe — February 7, 2013
(RNS) President Obama opened the National Prayer Breakfast Thursday (Feb. 7) with the news that Joshua DuBois, head of the White House office focused on the intersection of religion and public policy, will step down this week.
Did gun control prevent Jews from stopping the Holocaust?
By Lauren Markoe — February 6, 2013
(RNS) Many American Jews and others are fervently rebutting a claim made by gun rights activists: that gun control kept firearms from European Jewry, and made the Holocaust, if not possible, than more catastrophic than it would otherwise have been.
Tuesday’s Religion News Roundup: Armed Congregants * Interracial Dating * Muslim U.
By Lauren Markoe — February 5, 2013
The Arkansas House passes a bill to allow concealed weapons in churches. The more you go to church, the less likely you are to date a person of another race. And the first Muslim college in America is born.
At halftime, a religious alternative to Beyonce
By Lauren Markoe — January 30, 2013
(RNS) Whether to avoid the raunch, or simply to capture part of the Super Bowl’s supersized audience, some religion-oriented programmers are producing their own halftime shows.
Tuesday’s Religion News Roundup: Self-Bondage * Gay Scouts * Reproductive Coercion
By Lauren Markoe — January 29, 2013
A priest handcuffs himself to relieve stress. Some troops already have gay scouts. Docs worry about women forced to conceive.
S.C. Episcopal diocese claims a victory in secession struggle
By Lauren Markoe — January 24, 2013
(RNS) Episcopal conservatives in South Carolina have won the latest round in their effort to secede from the national church after a judge said only the breakaway group can use the name and seal of the Diocese of South Carolina.
Poll shows a double standard on religious liberty
By Lauren Markoe — January 23, 2013
WASHINGTON (RNS) Half of Americans worry that religious freedom in the U.S. is at risk, and about a third say "the gay and lesbian community” is to blame.
40 years after Roe v. Wade, how do Americans really feel about abortion?
By Lauren Markoe — January 22, 2013
(RNS) Forty years after the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion, poll numbers reveal how Americans' feelings about abortion have changed -- and remained the same.
Tuesday’s Religion News Roundup: Archbishop’s Apology * Mickey D’s Gaffe * Stolen Torah
By Lauren Markoe — January 22, 2013
Retired L.A. Cardinal Roger Mahony says he sorry for seeking to cover up the sexual molestation of children. A McDonald's promised halal food that wasn't. Thieves steal a rabbi's car with a Torah in the trunk.
Monday’s Religion News Roundup: Presidential Prayers * Flu in the Pew * Preacher Shot
By Lauren Markoe — January 21, 2013
Washington gets inaugural religion. Clergy fight the flu. And gun violence against a pastor.
