Religion & Politics; Mormon Welfare; Quakers; Bring a Friend

Tsunami Religious Aid

There may be other charities that are larger or more helpful, but the welfare tradition within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints must be one of the world’s best. As correspondent Lucky Severson reports from Salt Lake City, the program supplies food, clothes, and all kinds of care to those in need—Mormon or not. 

In the 1950s, when there was still a draft forcing many young men into military service, a group of Quakers, mostly from Alabama, decided their religious commitment to nonviolence forced them to leave the US rather than bear arms.  They moved to Costa Rica in Central America, and helped that country preserve and develop its forests—so much so it is now among the world’s most popular destinations.

Sri Lanka Tsunami

We round up the religion-and-politics news of the week, from Donald Trump’s meeting with evangelicals to reactions from supporters and detractors.