(RNS) Ever since President Obama won re-election, more than 700,000 Americans have petitioned the White House to let their respective states secede. Observers say those leading the charge are framing it in terms that suggest a deep-seated religious impulse for purity-through-separation is flaring up once again. This time, it’s playing out on a political stage. By G. Jeffrey MacDonald.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (RNS) Voters in Missouri overwhelmingly approved a "right to pray" amendment to the state's constitution on Tuesday, despite concerns about the measure's necessity and legality.

(RNS) Muslim and Coptic Christian leaders in the U.S. are calling on the Egyptian government to keep any mentions of Shariah law out of its draft constitution, as well as any language that discriminates against religious minorities. By Omar Sacirbey.

(RNS) A federal appeals court has upheld Georgia’s ban on bringing guns to places of worship. By Adelle M. Banks.

(RNS) Seventh-day Adventists have filed a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of ordinances in an Alabama city that the church says bars it and other religious groups from door-to-door solicitations unless they first register and pay license fees. By Kent Faulk.