"Liberal" people who care about helping the poor, caring for the environment and emphasizing diplomacy rather than military force can take heart. A solid majority in every large group thinks government should do more to help the poor, even if that means going deeper into debt: 57 percent of all evangelicals, 58 percent of mainline Protestants, and 63 percent of Catholics agree. Solid majorities in all three groups also think stricter laws to protect the environment are worth the cost.

The original answer to Question 87 read as follows: "Certainly not! Scripture says, 'Surely you know that the unjust will never come into possession of the kingdom of God.

The media circus began at approximately 5:01 PM on Monday, the minute after the California Supreme Court's ruling took effect.

Gavin Newsom, the mayor of San Francisco who led the charge to persuade the high court to tear down the most fundamental institution behind the family, "married" lesbian activists Phyllis Lyon, 84, and her partner Del Martin, 87, in a special ceremony at City Hall. Lyon and Martin were the first same-sex couple "wed" under the court-mandated law.

Phillip Longman is Bernard L Schwartz Senior Fellow at the New America Foundation. He is a well-respected author and researcher, whose books have included The Empty Cradle: How Falling Birthrates Threaten World Prosperity and What to Do about It (2004). In his previous works, Longman has projected how falling birthrates throughout advanced societies will lead to financial, political, social, and demographic decline.