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Past Questions for Science

November 8, 2006

We are delighted to welcome you all to a new global conversation about what is perhaps the most pervasive and least understood force in human affairs: religious faith. It is a subject about which many people have strong opinions, about which many people care passionately-but about which there is, in our view, far too little constructive discussion and debate. It is our hope that we can offer a small remedy for this with the On Faith online conversation. We have assembled a distinguished panel of experts -- believer and nonbeliever, clerical and lay, academic and activist -- which will answer a weekly question. Our own qualifications to lead this discussion are as divergent as the members of the panel. Sally Quinn, of the Washington Post, was a self-declared atheist from the age of 13. She became convinced only recently that religion was not a subject to be dismissed or disdained and, has been moved by the yearning for something beyond oneself that drew so many people to search for faith, especially after 9/11. Jon Meacham, of Newsweek, considers himself a believing, middle-of-the-road Protestant, educated from an early age in religious schools and fascinated by faith. In the spirit of diversity and dialogue we invite -- no, encourage -- readers of every background to respond to the questions online. From the caves of the Afghan-Pak border to the cul-de-sacs of the American Sunbelt, faith shapes and suffuses the way billions of people-Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, and nonbelievers -- think and act, vote and fight, love and, tragically, hate. It is the most ancient of forces; as Homer said, "All men need the gods," even the most ferocious atheists find themselves doing intellectual battle on a field demarcated by the forces of the faithful. And so, in a time of extremism -- for extremism is to the 21st century, as totalitarianism was to the 20th -- how can people engage in a conversation about faith and its implications in a way that sheds light rather than generates heat? At The Washington Post and Newsweek, we believe the first step is conversation -- intelligent, informed, eclectic, respectful conversation -- among specialists and generalists who devote a good part of their lives to understanding and delineating religion's influence on the life of the world. The point of On Faith is to provide a forum for such sane and spirited talk. Perhaps Hebrews 11 puts it best when it asks, "What is faith? It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead." From the nature of evil to reformation in Islam, from the theological objections to fetal stem-cell research to the history of scripture, from how to raise kids in multifaith households to the place of gays in traditional churches-of the asking of questions, to paraphrase Eccleisastes, there shall be no end. But we think that the online world, with its limitless space, offers us a unique opportunity to carry on a fruitful and intriguing and above all constructive conversation about the things that matter most.

November 9, 2006

Religion is the most pervasive yet least understood topic in global life. From the caves of the Afghan-Pakistan border to the cul-de-sacs of the American Sunbelt, faith shapes and suffuses the way billions of people-Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, and nonbelievers-think and act, vote and fight, love and, tragically, hate. It is the most ancient of forces. As Homer said, "All men need the gods." Even the most ferocious atheists find themselves doing intellectual battle on a field defined by forces of the faithful. And so, in a time of extremism -- for extremism is to the 21st century what totalitarianism was to the 20th -- how can people engage in a conversation about faith and its implications in a way that sheds light rather than generates heat? At The Washington Post and Newsweek, we believe the first step is conversation-intelligent, informed, eclectic, respectful conversation-among specialists and generalists who devote a good part of their lives to understanding and delineating religion's influence on the life of the world. The point of our new online religion feature is to provide a forum for such sane and spirited talk, drawing on a remarkable panel of distinguished figures from the academy, the faith traditions, and journalism. Members of the group will weigh in on a question posed at least once a week, perhaps sometimes more often, depending on the flow of the news. We encourage readers to join the conversation by commenting on what our panelists have to say, offering their own opinions and suggesting topics for future discussions. From the nature of evil to religious reformation, from the morality of fetal stem-cell research to the history of scripture, from how to raise kids in multi-faith households to the place of gays in traditional churches -- of the asking of questions, to paraphrase Ecclesiastes, there shall be no end. We think that the online world, with its limitless space, offers us a unique opportunity to carry on a fruitful, intriguing, and above all constructive conversation about the things that matter most.

November 9, 2006

Guest Contributors to On Faith

Salman Ahmad | Founder, Junoon

Rock musician Salman Ahmad founded the popular South Asian band Junoon. The group has sold over 25 million albums and in 2001 became the first rock band invited to perform at the U.N. General Assembly.

Akbar Ahmed | Professor at American University

Akbar Ahmed holds the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at American University. He is a former High Commissioner of Pakistan to Great Britain.

James Anderson | Co-founder, Alban Institute

James Anderson is a retired Episcopal priest, an almost full-time volunteer in the community, a part-time farm manager, and independent writer. He's currently writing a book with Bishop Jane Holmes Dixon examining the 40-year history of the effort to fully integrate women into the ordained ministry of the Episcopal Church.

Leith Anderson | President, National Association of Evangelicals

Leith Anderson is president of the National Association of Evangelicals. Anderson has been senior pastor of Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie, Minn., since 1977.

Karen Armstrong | Religion Scholar

Karen Armstrong's books about different religions, including her highly acclaimed "A History of God," have made her one of the most prominent authors on religious history.

Lauren Artress | Episcopal Priest, Founder Veriditas

The Rev. Lauren Artress, a canon at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, is president and founder of Veriditas, a non-profit dedicated to introducing people to the healing, meditative powers of the labyrinth -- a 12th century mystical tool symbolic of the Path of Life.

Andy Bachman | Reform Rabbi, Brooklyn

Rabbi Andy Bachman is the spiritual leader at Congregation Beth Elohim, Brooklyn's largest Reform synagogue. He is also the co-founder, along with his wife Rachel Altstein, of Brooklyn Jews, a unique cultural and learning programs for Jews in their 20s and 30s.

Randall Balmer | Episcopal Priest, Professor at Barnard College

Randall Balmer, an Episcopal priest, is the Ann Whitney Olin professor of American religious history at Barnard College, Columbia University, and a visiting professor at Yale Divinity School. He has written ten books, including Thy Kingdom Come: How the Religious Right Distorts the Faith and Threatens America and Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: A Journey into the Evangelical Subculture in America.

Thomas G. Bohlin | U.S. vicar of the Prelature of Opus Dei

Monsignor Thomas G. Bohlin is the U.S. vicar of the Prelature of Opus Dei, an international institution of the Catholic Church that helps people come closer to God in their work and daily activities.

Marcus Borg | Jesus Seminar Scholar

Marcus J. Borg holds the Hundere Chair in Religion and Culture in the Philosophy Department at Oregon State University. A fellow of the Jesus Seminar, he has served as national chair of the Historical Jesus Section of the Society of Biblical Literature and co-chair of its International New Testament Program Committee, and is past president of the Anglican Association of Biblical Scholars.

Kenneth E. Bowers | Sec. Gen., Natl Assembly of Bahá'ís

Kenneth E. Bowers is the Secretary General of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States, the nine-member elected governing body of the Bahá'ís Faith in the 48 contiguous states.

Sharon Brous | Founding Rabbi, IKAR

Rabbi Sharon Brous is the founding rabbi of IKAR, a vibrant Jewish Spiritual Community in Los Angeles. She was included in the Forward's annual list of the 50 most influential members of the American Jewish community for three years in a row, and was recently noted in Newsweek as one of the leading rabbis in the country.

Richard Bushman | Professor at Columbia University

Richard Lyman Bushman is Gouverneur Morris Professor of History Emeritus at Columbia University. Most recently he authored "Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling" (2005). He works in the field of early American social and cultural history. In 1992 he published "The Refinement of America: Persons, Houses, and Cities." He and his wife Claudia are lifelong members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

William J. Byron | Catholic Priest, ex-President of Catholic University

The Reverend William J. Byron, S.J., a former president of Catholic University, is on leave this year from his position as research professor at the Sellinger School of Business and Management, Loyola College in Maryland to serve as president of St. Joseph's Preparatory School in Philadelphia.

John Bryson Chane | Episcopal Bishop of Washington

The Right Reverend John Bryson Chane is the eighth Episcopal Bishop of Washington, a diocese that encompasses 93 congregations and about 45,000 church members in the District of Columbia and Maryland.

Deepak Chopra |Founder, Alliance for a New Humanity

"On Faith" panelist Deepak Chopra is the author of more than fifty books translated into over thirty-five languages, including numerous New York Times bestsellers in both the fiction and nonfiction categories. His latest is "The Third Jesus: The Christ We Cannot Ignore." Chopra's Wellness Radio airs weekly on Sirius Satellite Stars, Channel 102, which focuses on the areas of success, love, sexuality and relationships, well-being, and spirituality. He is founder and president of the Alliance for a New Humanity. Time magazine heralds Deepak Chopra as one of the top 100 heroes and icons of the century and credits him as "the poet-prophet of alternative medicine.

Charles W. "Chuck" Colson |Founder, Prison Fellowship ministry

Charles W. "Chuck" Colson is founder of Prison Fellowship, a Christian outreach ministry to the prison population of this country, as well as to ex-prisoners and crime victims.

Jim Cooper | Rector, Trinity Church Wall Street

The Rev. Dr. James Herbert Cooper is the 17th Rector of Trinity Church-St. Paul's Chapel in the city of New York.

John Dominic Crossan | Professor Emeritus, DePaul University

Irish-born John Dominic Crossan is a professor emeritus in the religious studies department at DePaul University in Chicago. Between 1950 and 1969, he was a member of a 13th-century Roman Catholic religious order, the Servites, and remained an ordained priest from 1957 to 1969.

Philip G. Davis | Official, First Church of Christ, Scientist, Boston

Philip G. Davis is manager of the Christian Science Committees on Publication for The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, which handles all media and government relations. He directs the work of 150 local spokespersons for the Christian Science Church around the world.

Richard Dawkins |British Evolutionary Biologist

Richard Dawkins has been the Charles Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford since 1995. He is the author of many books, including the best-selling "The God Delusion."

Daniel C. Dennett |Center for Cognitive Studies, Tufts University

Daniel C. Dennett is the Austin B. Fletcher Professor of Philosophy, and Co-Director of the Center for Cognitive Studies, at Tufts University. His most recent book was Breaking the Spell (2006).

Christopher Dickey |Journalist, Newsweek magazine

Christopher Dickey is Paris Bureau Chief and Middle East Regional Editor for Newsweek magazine . An award-winning author, the "On Faith" panelist previously was a foreign correspondent in Cairo and Central America for the Washington Post.

Jane Holmes Dixon |Former Episcopal Bishop of Washington

The Right Reverend Jane Holmes Dixon served as Episcopal Bishop of Washington, Pro tempore, with ecclesiastical authority for the diocese until she retired in 2002.

Wendy Doniger |Religion Professor, University of Chicago

Wendy Doniger (O'Flaherty) is the Mircea Eliade Distinguished Service Professor of the History of Religions at the University of Chicago's Divinity School. The "On Faith" panelist also teaches in the University's Department of South Asian Languages and Civilizations.

Lyle Dukes |Founder, Harvest Life Changers Church

"On Faith" panelist Lyle Dukes is Senior Pastor and founder of Harvest Life Changers Church in Woodbridge, Virginia. He and his wife, co-pastor Deborah Dukes, have served the church since its inception in 1995.

Bob Edgar |President of Common Cause.

"On Faith" panelist Dr. Bob Edgar is president of Common Cause, an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church, and a former congressman.

Arnold M. Eisen |Chancellor, Jewish Theological Seminary

"On Faith" panelist Arnold M. Eisen is chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary. An expert on American Judaism, Eisen has worked closely for the past twenty years with synagogue and federation leadership around the country to analyze and address the issues of Jewish identity, the revitalization of Jewish tradition, and the redefinition of the American Jewish community. He has been a frequent scholar-in-residence at synagogues across the country. A product of the Conservative movement, he has served on the faculty of the Wexner Heritage Program, the Wexner Fellowship, the Nahum Goldman Fellowship of the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture, Tel Aviv University, and Columbia University. Eisen's recent publications include Taking Hold of Torah: Jewish Commitment and Community in America (1997); Rethinking Modern Judaism: Ritual, Commandment, Community (1998); and The Jew Within: Self, Family and Community in America (2000), co-authored with sociologist Steven M. Cohen.

Willis E. Elliott |Minister, teacher, author

An ordained United Church of Christ and American Baptist minister, "On Faith" panelist Dr. Willis E. Elliott has been a pastor, teacher, lecturer, administrator, consultant (to Newsweek for 38 years), church executive, and the author of six books..

Greg M. Epstein |Humanist Chaplain of Harvard University

"On Faith" panelist Greg M. Epstein serves as the Humanist Chaplain of Harvard University, and sits on the executive committee of the 38-member interfaith corps of Harvard Chaplains.

John Esposito |Director, Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding

"On Faith" panelist John L. Esposito is professor of religion, international affairs and Islamic studies at Georgetown University. He also is founding director of the Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown's Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service.

Feisal Abdul Rauf |Imam; Chairman, Cordoba Institute

"On Faith" panelist Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf is Chairman of the Cordoba Initiative, an independent, non-partisan, interfaith project that works with state and non-state actors to improve Muslim-West relations. Author of "What's Right With Islam Is What's Right With America," (HarperCollins, 2005) he is also founder of the American Society for Muslim Advancement (ASMA) and Imam of Masjid al-Farah in New York City.

Kathleen Flake |Associate Professor, Religious History

Kathleen Flake is associate professor of American religious history at Vanderbilt University.

James A. Forbes Jr. |Senior Minister, The Riverside Church

The Reverend James Alexander Forbes Jr. has been Senior Minister of The Riverside Church, an interdenominational, interracial, and international congregation in New York, since 1989. The "On Faith" panelist also hosts "The Time Is Now" on Air America Radio.

Paula Fredriksen | Professor of Scripture, Boston University

Paula Fredriksen is the Aurelio Professor of Scripture at Boston University. The "On Faith" panelist previously held teaching positions at the University of Pittsburgh, University of California -- Berkeley, Stanford and Princeton. She has also taught at Hebrew University in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University.

Donna Freitas |Asst. Prof. of Religion, Boston University

Donna Freitas is Assistant Professor of Religion at Boston University. The "On Faith" panelist's literary and academic focus is the struggle of belonging and alienation with regard to faith, particularly among young adults, and especially young women. Freitas asks the 'Big Questions' (Why are we here anyway?) and delights in discovering the many forums in which to dabble with faith, religion, spirituality, and gender.

C. Welton Gaddy |Leader of the Interfaith Alliance

The Reverend C. Welton Gaddy leads the nonpartisan educational organizations The Interfaith Alliance and The Interfaith Alliance Foundation, and hosts the latter's national weekly radio show, State of Belief.

Arun Gandhi |Co-founder, M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence.

Arun Gandhi is the fifth grandson of India's legendary leader, Mohandas K. "Mahatma" Gandhi. He is co-founder of the M. K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence, now at the University of Rochester in New York.

Chester L. Gillis |Chair of Catholic Studies at Georgetown University.

"On Faith" panelist Chester Gillis is the Amaturo Chair of Catholic Studies at Georgetown University where he has served on the faculty since 1988. He was chair of the Department of Theology from 2001 to 2005.

Mark Hall |Youth Pastor, Singer-Songwriter

On Faith panelist Mark Hall is a youth pastor at Eagle's Landing First Baptist Church in Atlanta. He is lead singer and songwriter for Casting Crowns.

Sam Harris |Best-selling author of Letter to a Christian Nation

"On Faith" panelist Sam Harris is the author of the best-selling books Letter to a Christian Nation (2006) and The End of Faith (2005), which won the 2005 PEN Award for Nonfiction and has been translated into many foreign languages.

Brad Hirschfield |President, Natl. Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership

Rabbi Brad Hirschfield is an author, radio and TV talk show host, and President of CLAL-The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership. He wrote "You Don't Have To Be Wrong For Me To Be Right: Finding Faith Without Fanaticism." Named as one of the nation's 50 most influential rabbis in Newsweek, and one of the top 30 "Preachers and Teachers" by Beliefnet.com, he is the creator of the popular series, Building Bridges, airing on Bridges TV, and co-host of the weekly radio show, Hirschfield and Kula: Intelligent Talk Radio. For more information see www.bradhirschfield.com.

Dwight Hopkins |Professor, U. of chicago Divinity

"On Faith" panelist Dwight N. Hopkins is Professor of Theology at the University of Chicago Divinity School. The "On Faith" panelist is the author of "Being Human: Race, Culture, and Religion," and "Shoes That Fit Our Feet: Sources for a constructive black theology." He is co-editor of "Walk Together Children: Black and womanist theologies, church and theological education," and "Another World Is Possible: Spiritualities and Religions of Global Darker Peoples."

Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz |Professor, Ethics, Theology, Drew University

"On Faith" panelist Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz is Professor of Social Christian Ethics and Theology at Drew University. The first Latina in the United States to receive a doctorate degree in theology, Isasi-Diaz developed "mujerista" theology, which reflects the perspective of Latinas in the United States, as well as their religious experiences and practices.

Sherman Jackson | American Learning Institute for Muslims

Sherman A. Jackson is a professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies, a visiting professor of law, and a professor of Afro-American Studies at the University of Michigan , Ann Arbor . He has served as Executive Director for the Center of Arabic Study Abroad (CASA) in Cairo , Egypt , is a member of the U.S.-Muslim World Advisory Committee of the U.S. Institute of Peace , and a co-founder of the American Learning Institute for Muslims (ALIM).

Susan Jacoby |Author and reporter

Susan Jacoby is the author of "The Age of American Unreason," to be published in February by Pantheon.

T.D. Jakes |Bishop and Pastor, The Potter's House

Bishop T.D. Jakes is the pastor of The Potter's House, a 30,000 member nondenominational church in Dallas, Texas.

M. Cathleen Kaveny |Professor, Notre Dame

"On Faith" panelist Professor M. Cathleen Kaveny, a scholar who focuses on the relationship of law, religion, and and morality, is the John P. Murphy Foundation Professor of Law ind Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame. She earned her A.B. from Princeton University in 1984, and holds her JD. and her Ph.D. from Yale University . A member of the Massachusetts Bar since 1993, Professor Kaveny clerked for the Honorable John T. Noonan Jr. of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and worked as an associate in the health law group of a large Boston law firm before beginning her teaching career.

Daisy Khan |Exec. Dir. of American Society for Muslim Advancement

"On Faith" panelist Daisy Khan is Executive Director of ASMA Society (American Society for Muslim Advancement).

Mohammad Khatami |Former Iranian president

His Excellency Mohammad Khatami served two terms as Iran's president from 1997 to 2005. He also founded the Tehran-based International Institute for Dialogue among Civilizations and Cultures.

Irwin Kula |Rabbi, author, commentator

Rabbi Irwin Kula is the President of CLAL-The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership in New York. He has served congregations in St. Louis, New York and Jerusalem.

Richard Land | Southern Baptist Convention Leader

"On Faith" panelist Richard Land has served as president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission since 1988.

Samuel T. Lloyd |Dean, Washington National Cathedral

The Very Reverend Doctor Samuel T. Lloyd III was installed as ninth dean of Washington National Cathedral in 2005. The "On Faith" panelist previously served as rector of Boston's historic Trinity Church in Copley Square for 12 years, and before that, as chaplain of the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee.

Martin E. Marty | Professor emeritus, University of Chicago

Martin E. Marty is Fairfax M. Cone Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus at the University of Chicago, where he taught religious history, chiefly in the Divinity School, for 35 years, and where the Martin Marty Center has been founded to promote "public religion" endeavors.

Moez Masoud |Founding Director, Al-Tareeq Al-Sah Institute

Moez Masoud is Founding Director of "Al-Tareeq Al-Sah" Institute in Egypt. His popular show "Al-Tareeq Al-Sah" (The Right Way) is watched by millions of people across the Arab world. Based on an orthodox understanding of Islam, his discourse is mainly aimed at reconciling contemporary life with spirituality. His institute's documentary and musical productions -- which aim to convey this philosophy -- air regularly and top the charts. Masoud was recently named one of the 20 most influential religious figures in Egypt, where he is currently based.

Ingrid Mattson |President, Islamic Society of North America

Ingrid Mattson is Professor of Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations, as well as Director of the Islamic Chaplaincy Program, at Hartford Seminary in Connecticut . In 2006, the "On Faith" panelist became the first woman elected President of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), the largest religious organization for Muslims on the continent.

Brian D. McLaren |Best-selling author

"On Faith" panelist Brian D. McLaren is a best-selling author, pastor and intellectual leader of "emerging church," a Christian evangelical movement that seeks new ways to worship and understand the gospel in a postmodern era.

Jon Meacham |Managing editor, Newsweek

Jon Meacham's book American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation, has become a bestseller since its publication in early 2006. Newsweek's managing editor since 1998, Meacham was named editor of the weekly newsmagazine in October 2006. In this position, he oversees all day-to-day editorial operations of Newsweek and Newsweek.com.

Lisa Miller |Belief Watch

"On Faith" panelist Lisa Miller is a senior editor at Newsweek. She oversees all of the magazine's religion coverage and writes the regular "Belief Watch column.

R. Albert Mohler Jr. |President, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

R. Albert Mohler, Jr. is the ninth president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary--the flagship school of the Southern Baptist Convention and one of the largest seminaries in the world. The "On Faith" panelist is a theologian and ordained minister and has served as pastor and staff minister of several Southern Baptist churches.

Richard Mouw |President, Fuller Theological Seminary

Richard J. Mouw has served as president of Fuller Theological Seminary since 1993, after four years as provost and senior vice president. A philosopher, scholar, and author, the "On Faith" panelist has been recognized as an important voice among reform-oriented evangelicals.

Hadia Mubarak |Researcher, Student

Hadia Mubarak, an "On Faith" panelist, is a senior researcher at Georgetown University's Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding.

Julia Neuberger | Rabbi, Member of Britain's House of Lords

Baroness Julia Neuberger is an ordained rabbi and member of Britian's House of Lords. The "On Faith" panelist also is a trustee of the British Council, Jewish Care, and the Booker Prize Foundation, as well as founding trustee of the Walter and Liesel Schwab Charitable Trust.

R. Gustav Niebuhr |Director, Religion & Society, Syracuse University

Gustav Niebuhr is an associate professor of religion and the media, an interdisciplinary position in the College of Arts & Sciences and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. Since June 2004, the "On Faith" panelist has directed the Religion & Society Program, an interdisciplinary undergraduate major.

Sulayman S. Nyang | Scholar, African and Muslim affairs

"On Faith" panelist Sulayman S. Nyang teaches in the Department of African Studies at Howard University in Washington, D.C. A scholar of African and Muslim affairs, Nyang, who is a native of the Republic of the Gambia, also served as his homeland's deputy ambassador to seven Middle Eastern and North African countries from 1975-78.

Michael Otterson |Head of Public Affairs, LDS Church

"On Faith" panelist Michael Otterson heads the worldwide public affairs functions of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A convert to the Mormon faith, he worked as a journalist and editor for 11 years for newspapers in England, Australia and Japan before devoting his professional life to Church public affairs. Since then he has directed Church public affairs operations in various parts of the world. He has conducted hundreds of news media interviews on a wide range of Church-related issues. In a church that operates worldwide with a lay clergy, Otterson has served twice as a stake president (leader of a group of church congregations), in both England and Australia. He has lived in the United States since 1991 and is now a U.S. citizen.

Elaine Pagels |Best-selling author and Pulitzer Prize nominee

"On Faith" panelist Elaine Pagels is Harrington Spear Paine Foundation Professor of Religion at Princeton University and author of best-selling books about the pluralistic nature of early Christianity. Her book Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas (2003), which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, focuses on religious claims to possessing the ultimate truth.

Luis Palau |Renowned Christian evangelist and author

Christian evangelist and author Luis Palau has reached an estimated 21 million people in 70 nations through his festivals and writings. His radio broadcasts are heard by millions more on over 2100 radio stations in 42 countries.

Stephen Prothero |Chair, Department of Religion, Boston University

"On Faith" panelist Stephen Prothero is Chair of the Department of Religion at Boston University and author of numerous books on American religion, most recently Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know--And Doesn't (2007).

Eboo Patel |The Faith Divide

Eboo Patel is founder and executive director of the Interfaith Youth Core, a Chicago-based international nonprofit that promotes interfaith cooperation. His blog, The Faith Divide, explores what drives faiths apart and what brings them together.

Sally Quinn |Washington Post reporter

Washington Post journalist, author and Washington DC insider, Sally Quinn founded and co-moderates On Faith, a blog from the Washington Post and Newsweek. Co-moderated by Newsweek editor and bestselling author Jon Meacham and hosted by a panel of renowned religious scholars of all denominations, On Faith is the first worldwide, interactive discussion about religion and its impact on global life.

Thomas J. Reese |Senior fellow Woodstock Theological Center

As editor of the Catholic weekly magazine "America" (americamagazine.org), Rev. Thomas J. Reese promoted discussion on current issues facing the Catholic Church and the world. The "On Faith" panelist is author of Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church. He is frequently quoted as an expert on Catholic issues.

John Mark Reynolds |Professor, Biola University

"On Faith" panelist Dr. John Mark Reynolds can be found blogging regularly at Scriptoriumdaily.com along with other faculty from the Torrey Honors Institute, a great books program at Biola University for which he is founder and director. He is also Associate Professor of Philosophy for Biola. In 1996 he received his Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Rochester.

Samuel Rodriguez |Pres., Nat. Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference.

Rev. Samuel Rodriguez is president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference.

Gabriel Salguero | Pastor, Executive Member, Latino Leadership Circle

Rev. Gabriel Salguero is a pastor and executive member of the Latino Leadership Circle. The "On Faith" panelist received his M.Div. from New Brunswick Theological Seminary and is a Ph.D. candidate in Christian social ethics at Union Theological Seminary in New York. He and his wife, Jeanette, co-pastor the multicultural Lamb's Church of the Nazarene in New York City.

David Saperstein |Dir., Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism

Rabbi David Saperstein is the Washington representative of Judaism's Reform Movement as Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, a position he has held for 30 years. The "On Faith" panelist also co-chairs the Coalition to Preserve Religious Liberty, and serves on the boards of numerous national organizations including the NAACP and People For the American Way.

Jonathan D. Sarna |Prof. American Jewish History, Brandeis U.

"On Faith" panelist Jonathan D. Sarna is the Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History at Brandeis University and Director of its Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program. Sarna served two terms as chair of Brandeis' Department of Near Eastern & Judaic Studies.

Mathew N. Schmalz |Prof. Religious Studies, Holy Cross

"On Faith" panelist Mathew N. Schmalz is Director of the College Honors Program and Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the College of the Holy Cross, in Worcester, Mass.

Mark S. Sisk |Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of New York

The Right Rev. Mark Sean Sisk has been Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, one of the Episcopal Church's largest dioceses with over 200 congregations since 2001. Before returning to New York as Bishop Coadjutor in 1998, the "On Faith" panelist served for 14 years as President and Dean of Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois.

Susan K. Smith |Pastor, United Church of Christ

"On Faith" panelist The Rev. Dr. Susan K. Smith, senior pastor of Advent United Church of Christ in Columbus, Ohio, is a 1986 graduate of Yale Divinity School. She received her BA in English Literature from Occidental College and her D. Min. from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. Rev. Smith is a co-president of BREAD, (Building Responsibility, Equity and Dignity). She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, Inc. She is the author of four books, "Carla and Annie," "From Calvary to Victory," "Forgive WHO?" and "Crazy Faith for Everyday People."

John Shelby Spong |Former Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Newark

"On Faith" panelist John Shelby Spong served as Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark for 24 years before his retirement in 2000. His books, seeking to make contemporary theology accessible to lay readers, have sold over a million copies.

Starhawk |Co-founder, Reclaiming

"On Faith" panelist Starhawk is a prominent voice in modern Wiccan spirituality and cofounder of Reclaiming (www.reclaiming.org), an activist branch of modern Pagan religion. She is the author or coauthor of ten books, including The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess (1979) --considered an essential text for the Neo-Pagan movement--and the novel The Fifth Sacred Thing (1993) .

Adin Steinsaltz |Founder, Israel Institute for Talmudic Publications

For more than 40 years, "On Faith" panelist Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz has devoted himself to the monumental undertaking of translating and reinterpreting the Talmud, the vast collection of rabbinic writings that constitute Jewish civil and religious laws.

Anthony M. Stevens-Arroyo |Director, Research Center for Religion

"On Faith" panelist Anthony M. Stevens-Arroyo is Professor Emeritus of Puerto Rican and Latino Studies at Brooklyn College and Distinguished Scholar of the City University of New York. He has written more than 40 scholarly articles and authored nine books, including the four-volume PARAL series on religion among Latinos.

Mark Tauber |VP, HarperCollins

"On Faith" panelist Mark Tauber is Sr. Vice President of HarperCollins Publishers. Mark obtained his Master of Divinity at Princeton Theological Seminary and has fifteen years of experience in religious, spiritual, personal growth and Bible publishing. Prior to joining HarperCollins, Mark was a co-founder of Waterfront Media, an original, founding team member of Beliefnet.com and on staff at Oxford University Press.

Gardner Calvin Taylor |Pastor, Concord Baptist Church of Christ

The Reverend Gardner Calvin Taylor is senior pastor emeritus of the Concord Baptist Church of Christ in Brooklyn, N.Y. The "On Faith" panelist led the congregation from 1948 to 1990, as church membership grew by 9,000 and through a 1952 fire that necessitated a $1.7 million rebuilding effort.

Pamela K. Taylor |Co-founder, Muslims for Progressive Values

"On Faith" panelist Pamela K. Taylor is co-founder of Muslims for Progressive Values and director of the Islamic Writers Alliance. She is a member of the national board of advisors to the Network of Spiritual Progressives, and served as co-chair of the Progressive Muslim Union for two years. Taylor is a strong supporter of the woman imam movement, which seeks the full participation of Muslim women in every aspect of life, including the pulpit.

Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite |Professor, Theological Seminary

The Rev. Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite is professor of theology at Chicago Theological Seminary, where she served as president for 10 years. Her area of expertise is contextual theologies of liberation, specializing in issues of violence and violation.

Cal Thomas |Syndicated political columnist

Syndicated political columnist and "On Faith" panelist Cal Thomas has a twice-weekly column that appears in over 500 newspapers around the world. A graduate of American University, Thomas is a veteran of broadcast and print journalism.

Robert Thurman |Prof., Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies

On Faith" panelist Robert A.F. Thurman is the Jey Tsong Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies in the Department of Religion at Columbia University.

William McD. Tully" |Rector of St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church

The Reverend William McD. Tully has been rector of St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church in New York City since September 1994. The first professional calling of the "On Faith" panelist was to journalism, and he worked as a copy boy and local reporter at the Los Angeles Times.

Desmond Tutu |Nobel Peace Prize winner and human rights advocate

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Mpilo Tutu was awarded the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize for his contribution to the cause of racial justice in South Africa. He served as the first black African archbishop of Cape Town from 1986 to 1996. Prior to this role as spiritual leader of the Anglican Church in South Africa, Tutu served as General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches from 1978 to 1985.

J. Brent Walker |Executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee

J. Brent Walker is executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee and both a member of the Supreme Court Bar and an ordained minister.

Jim Wallis |President, Sojourners/Call to Renewal

Jim Wallis is president and executive director of Sojourners/Call to Renewal, progressive Christian movements founded to fight poverty and promote social justice. He also is the author of the best-selling God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It (2005).

Rick Warren |Founder, Saddleback Church

The Reverend Rick Warren, author of "The Purpose Driven Life" (2002), founded Saddleback Church in 1980 with one family. Today, the church has 83,000 members, of whom about 23,000 attend weekly services on its 120-acre campus in Lake Forest, Calif.

Arthur Waskow |Rabbi, Founder Shalom Center

"On Faith" panelist Rabbi Arthur Waskow has been one of the creators and leaders of Jewish renewal since writing the original Freedom Seder in 1969. In 1983, he founded and has since been director of The Shalom Center (www.shalomctr.org). In 2007, Newsweek named him one of America's fifty most influential rabbis.

George Weigel |Catholic theologian and best-selling author

George Weigel is a Catholic theologian and Senior Fellow of Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington. He is the author or editor of eighteen books, including the New York Times bestseller Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II, which has been translated into twelve languages.

Elie Wiesel |Nobel Peace Prize winner and author of Night

"On Faith" panelist Elie Wiesel received the 1986 Nobel Prize for Peace in recognition of his long-time advocacy for oppressed peoples. Wiesel was deported with his family to Auschwitz from Transylvania at age 15. His mother and younger sister perished there, and Wiesel and his father were moved to Buchenwald, where his father died before the concentration camp was liberated in 1945.

David Wolpe |Nobel Peace Prize winner and author of Night

"On Faith" panelist David Wolpe was named the No. 1 Rabbi in America by Newsweek magazine, He is the Rabbi of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, Calif. Previously he taught at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York, The American Jewish University in Los Angeles, Hunter College, and he currently teaches at UCLA.

Nicholas T. Wright |Anglican Bishop of Durham, England

Nicholas Thomas Wright is Anglican Bishop of Durham, England. The "On Faith" panelist taught New Testament studies for 20 years at Cambridge, McGill and Oxford Universities before becoming Dean of Lichfeld in 1994. He was named Canon Theologian of Westminster Abbey in 2000, and consecrated bishop in 2003.

Rajan Zed |Hindu chaplain in Nevada, California

Rajan Zed is a Hindu chaplain in northwestern Nevada and adjoining California.

November 9, 2006

The daughter of a U.S. military officer, Sally Quinn was brought up by a Presbyterian mother and an Episcopalian father in non-denominational military chapels around the world. As an adult, her religious beliefs have evolved. First a Christian, she later became an atheist, and now is someone who is exploring the faith traditions of all cultures. She is currently working on a book about religion in Washington. In the 1970s and ‘80s, Quinn was a reporter for The Washington Post’s Style section, producing irreverent and often controversial profiles of celebrities and politicians. Before long, she was one of the paper’s most celebrated writers. At age 32, she left The Post to become co-anchor for “CBS Morning News.” It was a frustrating and short-lived experience that she chronicled in her first book, We’re Going to Make You a Star. Quinn returned to Washington and continues to write for The Post. She also has written three other books: Regrets Only, (1986) her first novel; Happy Endings (1991), its sequel, and The Party, (1997), in which Quinn offers an insider’s look at Washington entertaining and a personal view of the value of friendship. Quinn is married to Benjamin Bradlee, retired executive editor of The Post who currently is vice-president at-large for the company. They live in Washington with their son, Quinn, who was born with a heart defect, which Quinn says has had a tremendous effect on her life. “It was the most important thing that ever happened to me…In the end maybe it will make me a better writer because I’ve become more empathetic and more sympathetic than I ever was before.”

November 9, 2006

Jon Meacham’s book American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation, became a bestseller after its publication in early 2006. Newsweek’s managing editor since 1998, Meacham was named editor of the weekly newsmagazine in October, 2006. In this position, he oversees all day-to-day editorial operations of Newsweek and Newsweek.com. Meacham began his journalism career as a reporter with The Chattanooga Times from 1991-1992. He was an editor for two years at The Washington Monthly. After arriving at Newsweek in January, 1995, he became National Affairs editor in June of that year, supervising coverage of politics and breaking news. In 1998, he edited Newsweek’s coverage of the Monica Lewinsky scandal and President Bill Clinton’s impeachment. That coverage was honored with a 1999 National Magazine Award for Reporting. Meacham also has written cover stories on politics, religion, guns in America, race, and President Ronald Reagan’s death. He played a key role in editing coverage of the September 11, 2001 attacks, for which Newsweek received a National Magazine Award for General Excellence. The magazine won the same award again in 2003 for coverage of President Bush and the war in Iraq. His books also include Franklin and Winston: An Intimate Portrait of an Epic Friendship (2003), a chronicle of the wartime relationship between Roosevelt and Churchill. In 2001, he edited Voices in Our Blood: America’s Best on the Civil Rights Movement, a literary anthology of the most important non-fiction accounts of the 20th century battle against Jim Crow. He is working on a biography of Andrew Jackson and his White House circle. Born in Chattanooga in 1969, Meacham is a graduate of The University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn. He is a communicant of St. Thomas Episcopal Church Fifth Avenue and serves on the Vestry of the 180-year-old parish. He also is a member of the Vestry of Trinity Church Wall Street and, in 2005, was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Yale University’s Berkeley Divinity School. Meacham lives in New York City with his wife, Keith, director of development at Harlem Day Charter School, and their two children.

November 10, 2006

If some religious people believe they have a monopoly on truth, then are conversation and common ground possible? If so, what would be the difficulties and benefits of such a conversation?

November 22, 2006

Is Thanksgiving a religious holiday? If so, who does one thank and for what? Should non-believers celebrate Thanksgiving?

November 27, 2006

Pope Benedict XVI is in Turkey this week. What did you think of his remarks about Islam at Regensburg, and do you think he, and the Christian church in general, can help Muslims take on their more violent and extreme elements?

December 6, 2006

Millions of people are in mixed faith marriages or are unsure about their conception of God. How would you advise them to describe God to their children over the holiday season?

December 13, 2006

Some politically conservative Christians say that America is "a Christian nation," and at this time of year, with the country saturated with Christmas imagery, it can seem that they are right. Are they? Is America a "Christian nation"? Should it be?

December 20, 2006

Do you believe that Jesus Christ was the son of God? If so, what exactly does that mean? If not, who was he?

December 27, 2006

Atheism is enjoying a certain vogue right now. Why do you think that is? Can there be a productive conversation between believers and atheists, and if so over what kinds of issues?

January 1, 2007

Kofi A. Annan, Former United Nations Secretary General

Robert Bruno, Joint Staff Chaplain, Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Jimmy Carter, Former U.S. President and author of Palestine Peace Not Apartheid

Keith Ellison, U.S. Congressman

James A. Forbes Jr., Senior Minister of The Riverside Church, New York City

Maher Hathout, Chairman, Islamic Center of Southern California

Dalai Lama, Tibetan spirtual leader

Norman Lear, Television producer

Anne Graham Lotz, Founder of AnGeL Ministries

Deborah Tannen, Professor of Linguistics, Georgetown University

Craig D. Townsend, Associate Rector, St. James' Church, New York

Barbara Walters, Television journalist

George Weigel, Senior fellow, Washington's Ethics and Public Policy Center

Harold S. White, Jewish Chaplain, Georgetown University

January 3, 2007

What was your own most formative religious experience, if you had one?

January 10, 2007

President Bush is preparing this week to send more troops to Baghdad. Do you believe there is such a thing as a "just war"? Is the Iraq war "just"?

January 17, 2007

Have women fared well or badly in the world's religions down through the ages? Why?

January 24, 2007

As the presidential campaign begins to take shape, do you think it is appropriate and or important for the candidates to express their personal religious views and to use religious rhetoric? Why?

January 31, 2007

Against the backdrop of the annual National Prayer Breakfast being held this week, we consider: ‘What is prayer? Do you pray? If so to whom and for what?’

February 7, 2007

International scientists have raised a new alarm about the dangers of global warming. Should care for the environment be a major priority for people of faith? Why or why not?

February 14, 2007

"Why do you think some religions have regarded sex as sacred while others have regarded it as a sin?"

February 20, 2007

February 21, 2007

Can you be critical of Israel and not be anti-Semitic? Can you be critical of Israel and be a faithful Jew?

February 28, 2007

What does your faith lead you to believe about gay unions and gay clergy? Could you ever change your mind?

March 4, 2007

Barry Lynn and Stephen Prothero Debate: Should Religion Be Taught in Public Schools?

March 7, 2007

Should teaching about religion be mandatory in public schools? In colleges and universities?

March 14, 2007

Does discrimination against Catholics still exist in this country today? If so, why? How have you experienced discrimination because of your religious beliefs or lack of religious beliefs?

March 27, 2007

What's wrong with tolerance?

March 27, 2007

Do you believe the world will come to an end? If so, where, when and what will it look like?

March 28, 2007

Does the mass media, especially television, treat religion fairly in news and entertainment programs? Explain.

April 4, 2007

If the remains of Jesus had been definitively found, how would that change your view of Christianity?

April 11, 2007

Can a Christian, Muslim or Jew embrace eastern spiritual practices -- yoga or Buddhist meditation, for example -- and remain true to the laws of the God of Abraham?

April 17, 2007

How does your faith tradition explain (and respond to) senseless tragedies such as the Virginia Tech shootings.

April 19, 2007

Do you think Islam is a violent religion?

April 25, 2007

In light of recent high-profile public apologies by Don Imus, Paul Wolfowitz, Michael Nifong, the Pope and others, what is the relationship of apology (repentance) to forgiveness?

May 2, 2007

After 175 years of existence, is Mormonism entering the mainstream of American religious life or are people still suspicious of it?

May 9, 2007

Was Jesus a social revolutionary? Why or why not? Pope Benedict XVI's trip to Brazil revives worldwide interest in this question.

May 15, 2007

Rev. Jerry Falwell, a founder of the Moral Majority and the Religious Right, died May 15. How will he be remembered?

May 18, 2007

Are you satisfied with where you are now in your life?

May 23, 2007

In the controversial new book, "God is Not Great," author Christopher Hitchens argues that "religion is man-made." How would you respond to that statement?

May 30, 2007

How do you keep your faith during times of war?

June 6, 2007

At a Sojourners presidential forum on faith, values and poverty this week, three Democratic frontrunners -- Clinton, Edwards and Obama -- connected their personal faith to policy issues such as poverty, health care, immigration and war. How might this new direction by Democrats change the conversation on faith and politics?

June 8, 2007

What's more important from a faith perspective? Being saved? Or doing good works?

June 13, 2007

What is the place of questioning in faith? Does questioning tenets or traditions make your faith less valid?

June 20, 2007

Some political leaders say we need to get out of Iraq now. Others say we are obligated to stay and try to restore civil order and authority. What's the moral position? Is there one?

June 27, 2007

Do you believe in heaven or hell? If not, why not? If so, who's going there and how do you know?

July 4, 2007

This July 4, Pagans rallied outside the White House. They want the military to add a Pagan chaplain. Should they get one? Would you vote for a Pagan for public office?

July 11, 2007

Pope Benedict is encouraging wider use of Latin Mass. What elements of tradition -- including language -- are essential for worship?

July 18, 2007

How does the Pope's reiteration that the church of Christ exists fully only in the Catholic Church strike you? How will this affect ecumenical relations? Does anyone care?

July 27, 2007

What does Islam really say about violence, religious freedom and the role of women?

August 1, 2007

Last month, a Hindu chaplain opened the U.S. Senate with prayer. Some critics say that violated "One Nation Under God," others church-state separation. What do you think?

August 8, 2007

Are physicians' primary obligations to their patients or their religious convictions?

August 15, 2007

What passage or verse in scripture or literature best defines your own faith or beliefs? Why?

August 22, 2007

What do you think of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's vote to urge its bishops to refrain from disciplining clergy who are in "mutual, chaste and faithful committed same-gender relationships"?

August 27, 2007

Should religious denominations adopt a "don't ask, don't tell" policy regarding the sexual preferences of their clergy?

August 29, 2007

In her letters, Mother Teresa expressed doubts about the existence of God and lamented the absence of a personal sense of Jesus' love in her life. Does this make you think more or less of her? To what extent is doubt a part of religious faith?

September 5, 2007

A question as we commemorate the anniversaries of Katrina and 9/11: Why would a merciful God allow disasters -- natural or manmade -- to happen?

September 11, 2007

On the anniversary of 9/11, what message would you like to send religious extremists?

September 16, 2007

To what extent are problems in the Middle East about religion and to what extent are they about politics? Does it matter?

September 19, 2007

Various religious groups in America, from Jehovah's Witnesses to Mormons, have been considered cults at some point. What is the difference between a religion and a cult? What constitutes a real religion?

September 26, 2007

Best-selling atheist Christopher Hitchens wrote: "Religion is violent, irrational, intolerant, allied to racism and tribalism and bigotry, invested in ignorance and hostile to free inquiry, contemptuous of women and coercive toward children." Why is he right or wrong?

October 2, 2007

GOP presidential candidate John McCain said recently that he "admired" Islam but would prefer a president with "a solid grounding" in the Christian faith. Would you consider a candidate's religious background in deciding for whom to vote? If so, under what circumstances?

October 10, 2007

Do you believe in life after death? Have you ever been visited by the spirit of a dead relative or friend? Do such visions or visitations have any theological meaning?

October 17, 2007

The Dalai Lama says 'All major religious traditions carry basically the same message: That is love, compassion and forgiveness.' Do you agree?

October 24, 2007

In his "letter to a Southern Baptist pastor," biosociologist E.O. Wilson warns: "An alliance between science and religion, forged in an atomosphere of mutual respect, may be the only way to protect life on earth." Is such an alliance necessary? Possible?

October 30, 2007

How scary is Halloween? Is it harmless fun, devil worship or a time for spiritual reflection?

November 1, 2007

Is health care for children a parental responsibility or a moral imperative for society?

November 7, 2007

Can the use of torture ever be justified?

November 14, 2007

How can we forgive our enemies? Should we, even if they have committed atrocities?

November 21, 2007

Happy Holidays? Why are many holiday family gatherings marked by tension and unhappiness?

November 23, 2007

In a world torn by religious, ethnic and geopolitical conflict, what can we be thankful for this Thanksgiving?

November 28, 2007

From Clinton to Craig, from Swaggart to Paulk, America seems obsessed with sex scandals. Is sex outside of marriage a sin? Is it a public matter? Is it forgivable?

December 6, 2007

What did you think of Mitt Romney's speech Thursday about religion? What would you have told him to say?

December 12, 2007

Rick Warren's Saddleback Church just hosted its third "Global Summit on AIDS and the Church." Do you think the world's biggest social problems -- poverty, disease, homelessness -- can be cured by well-intentioned religious believers?

December 17, 2007

Britain's equality chief says "It's time to stop being daft about Christmas. It's fine to celebrate and it's fine for Christ to be the star of the show" in all public celebrations. Are we being too politically correct about Christmas?

December 24, 2007

Earlier this month, the U.S. House of Representatives approved HR 847 recognizing the importance of Christianity and Christmas. Would you have voted for this resolution? How would you amend it?

December 31, 2007

The presidential primary season is about to begin. What should we be looking for in a presidential candidate? What do we need to know about the moral values and religious beliefs of a candidate?

January 7, 2008

PBS is airing a series on "The Jewish Americans." We know what "Jewish identity" has meant in the past. What will it mean in the future? How does a minority religion retain its roots and embrace change?

January 16, 2008

In Christian theology, there are Seven Deadly Sins: pride, envy, gluttony, lust, anger, greed and sloth. Which of these do you think is the worst? Which is most prevalent and harmful in our society today?

January 23, 2008

Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee says "we need . . . to amend the Constitution so it's in God's standards rather than try to change God's standards so it lines up with some contemporary view." What do you think?

January 30, 2008

Two world church leaders died this week -- President Gordon B. Hinckley of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Archbishop Christodoulos of the Greek Orthodox Church. How important are religious leaders to members of the faith and to public perceptions of those faiths?"

February 1, 2008

A journalism student in Afghanistan has been sentenced to death for distributing an Internet article that was considered an insult to the Prophet Muhammad. Do Islamic beliefs preclude freedom of speech? What about other faiths?

February 6, 2008

A man in Siberia named "Vissarion" who has 5,000 followers claims to be the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. Such claims have been made by various people over the millennia. How do we know true revelation from false?

February 7, 2008

In his new book "Thumpin' It," Jacques Berlinerblau laments that secularism has become a taboo subject for Republicans and Democrats. Has this year's presidential campaign become too religious? Are secular ideas getting short shrift?

» BERLINERBLAU RESPONDS

February 13, 2008

The Archbishop of Canterbury has suggested that English law must accommodate some aspects of Islamic law, or shariah. Do you agree? Should U.S. law make room for shariah?

February 20, 2008

Barack Obama has been seen as embracing religious values since his June, 2006 "Call to Renewal" speech, but how is his or any presidential candidate's faith reflected in policy positions and campaign tactics?

February 23, 2008

Do you believe that Barack Obama elicits religious fervor among his followers as some have suggested? Is this good or bad, and why do you think so?

February 27, 2008

According to a new Pew Forum survey, more than 4 in 10 Americans have switched their religious affiliation since childhood or dropped out of any formal religious group. Is this a mark of the health or sickness of American religion?

March 4, 2008

If the historical Jesus were running for president, what kind of candidate would he be? Republican or Democrat? For or against the death penalty, the Iraq war, abortion, etc.?

March 12, 2008

E-mail: Blessing or Curse?

March 14, 2008

What does the Eliot Spitzer scandal say about our public and private morality? Should he have resigned?

March 22, 2008

Do you have to believe the resurrection is literally true -- that Jesus came back to life in his body -- to be a Christian?

March 25, 2008

How should Barack Obama have responded to inflammatory remarks made by his former pastor, Dr. Jeremiah Wright? Are you responsible for what your spiritual leader says from the pulpit?

March 26, 2008

Which "ism" is more entrenched in America, sexism or racism? Which should religion address?

April 4, 2008

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated 40 years ago today. What are your memories of that day? What impact did it have on you? How is King relevant to you and to us today?

April 6, 2008

John McCain's spiritual guide, televangelist Rod Parsley, calls Islam a "false religion" that should be "destroyed." Should McCain renounce Parsley? Will Islam be an issue in this year's U.S. presidential election?

April 9, 2008

Pope Benedict's recent baptism of a well-known Italian Muslim has prompted criticism in much of the Islamic world. Has Benedict done enough to build bridges to Islam?

April 22, 2008

What can Pope Benedict XVI say and do to repair the growing rifts between the Vatican, the clergy and the laity in America?

April 23, 2008

In his speech to U.S. bishops last week, Pope Benedict XVI said: "Any tendency to treat religion as a private matter must be resisted . . . To the extent that religion becomes a purely private affair, it loses its very soul." Do you agree or disagree? Why?

April 28, 2008

Jeremiah Wright's sermons continue to be an issue in the presidential campaign. Why? What do you think of his preaching style? What do you wish you understood better about it?

May 6, 2008

The percentage of voters who find Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama "honest and trustworthy" is declining as the campaign wears on. Why? From a moral standpoint, how important is this quality in a president?

May 14, 2008

Some Christian leaders issued An Evangelical Manifesto last week to depoliticize the term 'evangelical.' "We evangelicals are defined theologically, and not politically, socially or culturally," they said. In your mind, what is the definition of an evangelical?

May 21, 2008

The California Supreme Court has overturned that state's ban on gay marriage. Is marriage a legal right or a sacred rite? Should the state be involved in marriage? Should religious institutions?

May 28, 2008

Greed, one of the seven deadly sins, is seen as a major factor in the housing market crash and the oil price spike. Can greed ever be justified morally or religiously?

June 4, 2008

Should Barack Obama have resigned from his church?

June 10, 2008

Do you believe that faith can effect your health or is that a lot of new age nonsense?

» Read more about this in the Post's Health section.

June 18, 2008

Hindu groups have protested that "The Love Guru," the latest Mike Myers movie, exposes their faith to ridicule. Where is the line between acceptable humor about religion and offensive disrespect?

June 25, 2008

Tell us about a book (or books) that made a difference in your life.

» Readers: Add your choice to the On Faith Bookshelf

July 1, 2008

According to a new Pew survey, 21% of American atheists believe in God or a universal spirit, 12% believe in heaven and 10% pray at least once a week. What do you make of this?