DAVIESS COUNTY, Mo. (RNS) To non-Mormons, it sounds odd that a bluff on a bend 124 feet above the Grand River represents to 15 million faithful both the beginning and end of human time. Mormon doctrine makes reference to the place as the site where Adam and Eve went after God banished them from the Garden of Eden. It's also regarded as a gathering place for the faithful at the second coming of Jesus Christ. By Tim Townsend.

JOPLIN, Mo. (RNS) A little more than a month after the Islamic Society of Joplin mosque was destroyed by the second fire of 2012, the local Muslim community is moving forward with support from the interfaith community. Progress, however, is going to be slow. By Kellie Kotraba.

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.

ST. LOUIS (RNS) Missouri will vote next week on a constitutional amendment to protect Missourians' right to pray in public, but critics say it will open the door to all manner of unintended and costly consequences including endless taxpayer-funded lawsuits. By Tim Townsend.

(RNS) Ten years after the clergy sex abuse scandal brought the Catholic Church to its knees, there's still no way to hold bishops accountable for their mistakes. Here's why, and why little is likely to change. By David Gibson.