religion

In this Thursday, April 12, 2018, photo, Justice Andrew M. Mead, third from right, asks a question during a hearing in the Maine Supreme Judicial Court on whether ranked-choice voting can be used in Maine's June 12th primary, in Portland, Maine.

Maine supreme court strikes down law that allowed civil lawsuits for decades-old sexual abuse claims

Patty Wight

The Roman Catholic Bishop of Maine challenged the law after it was sued by dozens of adults who claimed they were abused by clergy members.

Crosspoint Church has sued the state over public funding for students that attend the high school at Bangor Christian Schools, operated by the church. The lawsuit challenges the law that requires schools that receive public funding to abide by the Maine Human Rights Act.

Courts and Crime

Religious schools challenge antidiscrimination law at federal appeals court

Kaitlyn Budion

The two religious schools challenging Maine's restrictions on public tuition funding made their latest arguments today in federal appeals court.

The Maine State Prison in Warren, pictured here on August 7, 2024. This summer, the prison piloted a new program from the U.K. aimed at giving Muslim prison residents a faith-based path toward rehabilitation.

Courts and Crime

Maine State Prison pilots program to give Muslim inmates a faith-based path to rehabilitation

Ari Snider

Prison-based Interventions for Muslim Offenders, or PRIMO, was developed in the U.K. and seeks to reduce conflict while helping Muslim inmates develop a healthy and productive relationship with faith.

Courts and Crime

Judge denies emergency relief to Catholic school challenging Maine antidiscrimination law

Robbie Feinberg

Auburn's St. Dominic Academy brought the lawsuit about a year after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Maine could not bar religious schools from receiving state funding as part of a "town tuitioning" program, which paid for students from certain towns to attend other public or private schools.

Worshippers at City of the Lord Church in Westbrook during Sunday prayers. At a time when church membership is declining across the U.S., immigration is fueling the creation of new congregations in the Portland area.

Arts and Culture

African immigration to Maine fuels boom in new churches, bringing distinct forms of Christianity

Ari Snider

Even as many churches in Maine and across the country face declining membership, the state has a growing number of churches run by and serving African immigrant communities.

Maine

Faith Communities Adapt to COVID-19: How Different Religious Groups Are Reacting To the Crisis

Cindy Han

How are people in Maine of different faiths adapting to the changes brough on by COVID-19? Major religious holidays are being marked in new ways during…

Maine

Tom Gjelten: NPR's Longtime Reporter Discusses Foreign Conflict, Religion, Politics and Maine

Jonathan P. Smith

NPR’s Tom Gjelten joins us in studio to discuss his current beat - religion, faith, and belief. His reporting draws on his many years covering national…

Maine

God & Sex in America: A Professor Analyzes How Religion and Politics Intersect

Jonathan P. Smith

Scholar Marie Griffith joins us to discuss the origins and growth of the religious right as a political force, and how it has transformed America's…

Maine

God & Sex in America

Scholar Marie Griffith joins us to discuss the origins and growth of the religious right as a political force, and how it has transformed America's…

Maine

Secularism in Maine: What Does It Mean to Be Secular and How Does It Manifest Itself in Maine?

We discuss what secularism is, whether it's on the rise in Maine and nationwide, and what misconceptions people may have about what those who place…