(RNS) Three Buddhists, a Hindu and a “none” will walk into the 113th Congress, and it’s no joke. Rather, it’s a series of “firsts” that reflect the growing religious diversity of the country. By David Gibson.

(RNS) As Congress embarks on high-stakes budget negotiations to avoid the “fiscal cliff,” leaders of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops are urging elected officials not to target programs for the poor and instead raise taxes and reduce defense spending. By David Gibson

(RNS) American Muslims are celebrating the ouster of two Tea Party congressmen known for their anti-Islamic rhetoric, and heralding the outcomes as a sign that Muslim voters are a political force to be reckoned with. By Omar Sacirbey. 

(RNS) Congress will become a shade more religiously diverse this January, after Tuesday’s election of the first Hindu representative and first Buddhist senator. By Daniel Burke. 

WASHINGTON (RNS) Following a rash of recent attacks, a coalition of more than 150 organizations is calling on the Senate Judiciary Committee to conduct hearings next month on hate crimes and hate groups in the United States. By Chris Lisee.

(RNS) More than 20 lawmakers and Capitol Hill aides, including one nude congressman, took a booze-fueled late-night swim in Israel’s Sea of Galilee last summer, Politico reported on Monday. Which leaves at least one question: Is skinny-dipping at the biblical site sacrilegious? By Daniel Burke.

WASHINGTON (RNS) A coalition of liberal Christian leaders blasted a GOP plan that would extend Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy while slashing key provisions for the poor. By Chris Lisee.

(RNS) Instead of turning on each other, as the wealthy and powerful want us to do, let's name the bad and incompetent behavior of the wealthy and powerful - and hold them accountable. By Tom Ehrich.

(RNS) Americans’ confidence in organized religion, slowly but steadily declining since the 1970s, slipped to a new low in the latest survey, the Gallup Organization reported. By Bruce Nolan.

WASHINGTON (RNS) The spiritual leader of the Ahmadi Muslims, a persecuted group who are seen as heretics by many mainstream Muslims, made a rare visit to Capitol Hill. By Lauren Markoe.

PORTLAND, Ore. (RNS) For nearly a year, the Rev. Patrick Conroy has been chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives, which The New York Times called "one of the most reviled congregations in the country." By Nancy Haught.

WASHINGTON (RNS) A House committee holds hearings Thursday that will find the Obama administration guilty of trampling on religious freedom by requiring employers to provide insurance that includes contraception coverage. By Lauren Markoe.

 (RNS) From Maine to Phoenix to southern Louisiana, Catholic churches across the country echoed with scorn for a new federal rule requiring faith-based employers to include birth control and other reproductive services in their health care coverage. By Rick Jervis. 650.

(RNS) Since 1862 all American clergy representing "some religious denomination" have been able to serve their country and their faith communities as military chaplains. For that, we can thank Abraham Lincoln. By A. James Rudin. 700.