Jesus Christ

A worker prepares lights ahead of Christmas celebrations in the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Dec. 19, 2017.

Christmas in Bethlehem goes on in the shadow of Trump’s Jerusalem announcement

Global Politics

As usual, Palestinians in the West Bank city of Bethlehem are hosting Christmas festivities for thousands of visitors to the site where Jesus Christ is believed to have been born. But this year, US President Donald Trump’s controversial decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital has caused tensions and dampened the holiday mood.

Supporters of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture attended a rally outside the White House in 2009.

CIA interrogators didn’t just break detainees’ bodies — they also attacked their souls

Belief
A photo of Tam Duong's family during Lunar New Year in the early 1990s. Tam, on the right in the red dress, is from Los Angeles and now lives in Boston. Her parents are from Vietnam and Duong says she was confused as to why Santa never came to their home.

There’s nothing traditional about an immigrant Christmas

Belief
A class of young Mormon missionaries

Mormon women are flocking to the mission, but inequalities remain

Belief

France braces as it prepares for backlash over magazine’s publication of Mohammad cartoons

Lifestyle & Belief

Amateur restoration botches Jesus painting in Spain

Arts, Culture & Media

A 19th-century fresco of Jesus Christ has hung in the Sanctuary of Mercy Church in northeastern Spain for more than 100 years. But parishioners are reeling after the beloved painting was found defaced. What was first called a case of vandalism has since been identified as one of the worst art restoration projects ever.

Polish Jewish community uses Mormon-produced archive to make family connections

Lifestyle & Belief

In the 1960s, Poland was short on funds to digitize and maintain its paper archives. They approached the Mormon Church and got its help in doing just that. But somewhere in the intervening years, the Momon Church used those archives and other to posthumously baptize Holocaust victims. That’s caused a rift between the Mormons and the Jewish community.

Romney sparks new interest in Mormons serving missions around the world

Lifestyle & Belief

As the Republican Party prepares to nominate its first Mormon candidate for president next week, there’s growing interest in Mormon practice — especially young Mormons serving missions around the world. Though numbers are down from the 1990s, many young Church members are still going abroad.

Renowned actor Williem Dafoe discusses recent films, acting past

Arts, Culture & Media

Willem Dafoe has had a remarkable, 30-year career that’s seen him nominated for Academy Awards. But this year, this spring even, he’s particularly prolific.

Romney’s religion shines light on Mormon food storage practices

Lifestyle & Belief

As Mitt Romney moves forward in the political campaign, it’s been an opportunity for Americans to learn about the Mormon church. In a recent article in The New York Times, some Mormons wondered whether the Romneys would have a food storage supply in the White House, in keeping with a practice encouraged by the church.