Kellie Kotraba

Religion was one of those things Cliff Cain's mother raised him not to talk about in public – that, along with politics and sex.

With religion alone, he's breaking that rule – in his words, "Religion is as polarizing as politics and as passionate as sex."

Cain is a religious studies professor at Westminster College in Fulton, and he was the chair of the committee for the school's annual symposium. This year, the topic was religion, and more than 40 experts came to give lectures and facilitate discussions. 

For 19 years, Dan Barker preached from a Christian pulpit. Now, he’s co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation and is an atheist activist. He said he outgrew his religious beliefs. These days, that’s not unusual.

“Agree with it or not, atheism is really growing," he said. "Millions and millions of good Americans don’t believe in a God.”

In this week's faith and values update, we learn about a religion that was founded in Vietnam less than 100 years ago. It’s called Cao Dai, and those who practice it see it as one religion to unify the rest.

Dignitaries of Cao Dai came Columbia earlier this week to do a presentation on the religion and spread the word about the religion – but not in the way you might think. 

Proselytizing is forbidden in the religion, so they weren't trying to gain converts. Instead, they were looking for prospective researchers.

It’s been about one month since a fire destroyed the only mosque in Joplin. Now, members of the Islamic Society of Joplin – and the interfaith community there – are picking up the pieces.

The mosque was burned down before daylight on August 6, during the holy month of Ramadan.

The FBI is still investigating the cause of the fire. Earlier in summer, on July 4, someone tried to set fire to the roof. That incident is still under investigation, too. 

Missouri voters voiced their support for Amendment 2 yesterday.

An amendment to the Missouri constitution is under debate as voters prepare for tomorrow’s primary election. 

Summertime is coming to a close, and with it, Vacation Bible School season. 

For Vacation Bible School, a tradition among Christian churches, children come to church for a few hours a day for about a week. But it's not just formal Bible lessons – they play games, sing songs, do crafts and eat snacks. 

The producer behind KBIA's new Columbia Faith and Values desk visited some of the Vacation Bible Schools that happened in Columbia this summer and spoke with volunteers, leaders and of course, the children. 

A newly formed secular lobbying group is one step closer to finalizing its leadership after its second state-wide organizing call Thursday.