07 – May – 2012 – CNN Belief Blog

Biden's support for gay marriage matches most Catholics' views

By Dan Gilgoff, CNN.com Religion Editor

(CNN) - Apparent White House division over gay marriage - with Vice President Joe Biden saying Sunday that he is “absolutely comfortable” with the idea, going further than President Obama has on the issue – mirrors a nation that is evenly divided on the matter. Recent polls show that about half of Americans favor legalized gay marriage, while half oppose it, with support for the idea gaining significant ground over the past 15 years.

Pew’s latest polling on the issue, conducted late last year, found that 46% of Americans support favor allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally, while 44% are opposed. Support for gay civil unions is substantially higher, with a clear majority of Americans supporting such arrangements.

Feelings about gay marriage correlate to various religious traditions and levels of religiosity, with those nonaffiliated with any religion most supportive of gay marriage. It’s worth noting the dramatic recent shifts on the issue among Roman Catholics, whose ranks include Biden.

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May 7th, 2012

06:00 AM ET

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Belief Blog's Morning Speed Read for Monday, May 7

By Laura Koran, CNN

Here's the Belief Blog’s morning rundown of the top faith-angle stories from around the United States and around the world. Click the headlines for the full stories.

From the Blog:

CNN: Bible reading marathon wraps up in Washington
For nearly 90 continuous hours, rain or shine, believers read the Bible from beginning to end on the steps of the nation's Capitol. The Bible marathon began with a reading of Genesis 1:1 at 5 p.m. on Sunday, April 27. For 23 years, a small nonprofit group called the International Bible Reading Association has one purpose: "To encourage reading the Bible, both publicly and privately," says the Washington organizer Michael Hall, senior pastor of People's Church in Washington.

Click to watch video

CNN/WBRZ: Prisoners play Jesus and disciples
A cast with an armed robber as Jesus and a convicted murderer as the disciple who betrays him takes the stage in a production of "The Life of Jesus Christ" at the largest-maximum security prison in the United States. Prisoners at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola have been working on the play for more than a year with inmates from the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women. The play runs through Saturday at the Angola prison.

FULL POST

- CNN's Laura Koran

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