Jan 2nd, 2009 · Religion took center stage in the news during 2008. Tell Me More looks back at the people and the stories that rocked the faith world from the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and the Rev. Rick Warner, to the fallout over gay marriage in California. Salim Muwakkil, editor for In These Times magazine, is joined by Michael Sean Winters, a political blogger for the Catholic magazine America to discuss how 2008 helped shape religious dialogue.
Jan 1st, 2009 · Charles Gaulperin is a Santeria priest and the owner of Botanica El Congo Manuel. The shop sells religious items out of a strip mall in Hollywood. Inside the Botanica, Gaulperin performs sacred Afro-Cuban ceremonies.
Dec 24th, 2008 · The alleged Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme is the latest example of a crime referred to as affinity fraud. The SEC has warned about these crimes, in which a member of an ethnic or religious group preys on his own. Ronald Cass, dean emeritus of the Boston University Law School, wrote about affinity fraud recently in The Wall Street Journal. He talks with Linda Wertheimer about why affinity fraud is relatively easy to pull off.
Dec 16th, 2008 · The conservative Islamic kingdom of Saudi Arabia is hardly a place to hear about up-and-coming rock bands, let alone an all-female one. The AccoLade has gained an international following via Facebook and MySpace. The band talks about attracting attention from religious clerics, as well as the way creating a somewhat anonymous identity online lets the band thrive in a strict society.
Dec 15th, 2008 · Religious leaders often cite scripture as the basis for their opposition to gay marriage. But Lisa Miller, religion editor at Newsweek, believes the Bible's models of marriage are flawed, and its lessons about love actually argue for gay marriage.
Dec 9th, 2008 · Frank Schaeffer's parents were best-selling authors who were instrumental in linking the evangelical community with the anti-abortion movement. But after helping to organize religious fundamentalists politically, Schaeffer had a crisis of faith and a change of heart.
Dec 2nd, 2008 · Days of fighting between Muslims and Christians in the Nigerian city of Jos have left an estimated 400 people dead. Constance Okokwu, Washington bureau chief for the Nigerian newspaper This Day, says the religious strife dates back to the creation of the West African country. Okokwu joins Roxanne Lawson, the Director of Africa Policy for the Washington based group, TransAfrica, to discuss the roots of the violence and what it means for Nigeria and the region.
Dec 2nd, 2008 · Beliefnet.com founder and editor-in-chief Stephen Waldman discussses the role of religion and the state of the religious right in post-election politics. Plus, will the coalition of religious groups that united in support of Barack Obama fracture over specific issues?