What 1.3 Billion Muslims Really Think After 9/11, Washington policy makers seemed utterly in the dark about Muslims' reactions to the attacks.  Did they support terrorism? Did they truly hate America?  And indeed, what were their fears, values and hopes in general?  Dalia Mogahed, of the Gallup poll, decided to find out, leading the most comprehensive survey of Muslims worldwide ever conducted.   Dalia Mogahed, Senior Analyst and Executive Director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies, co-author of Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think Commentary: Message From a Heretic Cecily Hilleary admits she isn’t the strictest Muslim. She’ll eat the occasional pork chop, fill up her wine glass, and pray...when she remembers to. Then again, before she converted to Islam, back in the late 1980s, she wasn’t the strictest Catholic, either. Cecily Hilleary, freelance television and radio producer based in Potomac, Md.   The Vatican Ban on Birth Control, 40 Years Later On July 25, 1968, the Vatican reaffirmed its stance on birth control with a papal letter called Humanae Vitae – "Of Human Life." Yet 75 percent of American Catholics believe they can use the Pill, the Patch, and any other form of contraception while still being good Catholics. Father Charles Curran explains why, 40 years later, the ban on birth control remains as unpopular as ever. Fr. Father Charles Curran, a Catholic priest and a professor of moral theology at Southern Methodist University   The Secret, Inner Life of Dorothy Day Dorothy Day believed that peacemaking begins with our response to the person next to us—especially the homeless, the hungry, the forsaken and the unwanted. Robert Ellsberg, editor of her newly-released diaries, offers a rare window into the mind of this beloved Catholic icon. Robert Ellsberg, editor of The Duty of Delight: The Diaries of Dorothy Day Less

  Discovering 'Who Speaks For Islam' After 9/11, Washington policy makers seemed utterly in the dark about Muslims' reactions to the attacks.  Did they support terrorism? Did they truly hate America?  And indeed, what were their fears, values and hopes in general?  Dalia Mogahed, of the Gallup poll, decided to find out, leading the most comprehensive survey of Muslims worldwide ever conducted.   Dalia Mogahed, Senior Analyst and Executive Director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies, co-author of Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think Commentary: Message From a Heretic Cecily Hilleary admits she isn’t the strictest Muslim. She’ll eat the occasional pork chop, fill up her wine glass, and pray...when she remembers to. Then again, before she converted to Islam, back in the late 1980s, she wasn’t the strictest Catholic, either. Cecily Hilleary, freelance television and radio producer based in Potomac, Md.   The Vatican Ban on Birth Control, 40 Years Later On July 25, 1968, the Vatican reaffirmed its stance on birth control with a papal letter called Humanae Vitae – "Of Human Life." Yet 75 percent of American Catholics believe they can use the Pill, the Patch, and any other form of contraception while still being faithful. Father Charles Curran explains why, 40 years later, the ban on birth control remains as unpopular as ever. Fr. Father Charles Curran, a Catholic priest and a professor of moral theology at Southern Methodist University   The Secret, Inner Life of Dorothy Day Dorothy Day believed that peacemaking begins with our response to the person next to us—especially the homeless, the hungry, the forsaken and the unwanted. Robert Ellsberg, editor of her newly-released diaries, offers a rare window into the mind of this beloved Catholic icon. Robert Ellsberg, editor of The Duty of Delight: The Diaries of Dorothy Day    This Week's Interfaith Calendar Lailat al Miraj (Muslim) On July 31st, Muslims celebrate Lailat al Miraj, a festival remembering the one-night journey of the Prophet Mohommhed from Mecca to Jerusalem and onward to the heavens to meet Allah and the earlier prophets.  Once in heaven, the story goes, Allah tells Mohommed to command his people to pray fifty times a day.  The earlier prophet Moses knows from firsthand experience that the people on earth won’t obey such a strict decree, and urges Mohemmed to ask Allah to go easier on humans.  Allah settles on five prayers a day.  To this day, it is a Muslim duty to pray five times a day. Less

A Critical Look at the Pastor to Presidents Rev. Billy Graham, that Southern Baptist minister with movie star-good looks and a booming voice, is arguably the most influential public preacher of our time.  Over his six decade career, the 89-year-old has counseled every U.S. president since Harry Truman and has filled stadiums with millions of followers all over the world.   But with his late criticism of the Vietnam war and past anti-Semitic statements,  the charismatic preacher isn't loved by all. Religious scholar Michael Long explains what Graham has meant to America's Presidents--and why he shouldn't necessarily be granted iconic status.  Michael Long is an Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Elizabethtown College in Elizabethtown, Pa. and the editor of The Legacy of Billy Graham: Critical Reflections on America’s Greatest Evangelist       Commentary: Finding God in the Himalayas Some 18 years ago, writer Karen Anderson took a trip to the highest mountains on earth to discover the essence of Hinduism and Buddhism.  What she learned about God wasn’t in the temples but on the steep, rocky trail. Karen Anderson is a writer based in Traverse City, Mich.       Saying "I Do" In an Interfaith Relationship Why do some interfaith marriages work and others don’t? This week we probe the unique challenges facing interfaith couples in love, from the wedding and the in-laws to children and death.  Two Catholic/Jewish couples share their own experiences, and Mary Helene Rosenbaum–-who deals with dual-faith issues every day at the Dovetail Institute—offers practical advice on how to make it work. Two interfaith couples:  Eve and Scott Edwards; Jen and Rob LiebreichMary Helene Rosenbaum, Executive Director, Dovetail Institute Special Thanks to the Interfaith Families Project of Greater Washington and the Jewish-Catholic Family Network     This week’s Interfaith Calendar July 18 – Asalha Puja Day or Dharma Day (Buddhist) This day is the anniversary of the beginning of Buddha’s teaching – with his first sermon, “The Wheel of Truth” – after his enlightenment.  July 20 – 17th of Tammuz (Jewish) This is the day on which Jews remember Moses’ bringing the two tablets of stone with the Ten Commandments down from Mt. Sinai.  Observances include a half-day fast from dawn to dusk. July 23 – Birthday of Emperor Hailie Selassi I (Rastafarian) Rastafarians believe that Hailie Selassi, former Emperor of Ethiopia, is God, and that he will return to Africa members of the black community who are living in exile.  This day commemorates his birth. July 24 – Pioneer Day (Mormon) On this day, Mormons remember the arrival of their forebears at the Great Salt Lake on July 24, 1847.  They had fled persecution in the East, and crossed the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains to find a new home in Utah. Less

Interviewing the Interviewer From Jimmy Carter to Thich Nhat Hanh, hundreds of religious luminaries have sat across the table from affable PBS host Bob Abernethy.   Now, in a new book,  Abernethy shares the collective wisdom of over sixty of them, drawn from a decade's worth of interviews on PBS’ Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly. Bob Abernathy, co-editor of The Life of Meaning: Reflections on Faith, Doubt, and Repairing the World     Hitchens and Doerr On Why 'God is Not Great' Back by popular demand, it's humanist Ed Doerr versus atheist Christopher Hitchens.  While they agree on the irrationality of faith, they differ in their attitudes towards religious believers.  Hitchens sees people of faith as delusional at best, while Doerr expresses a little more "faith" in his God-fearing peers.   Christopher Hitchens, author of God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything Edd Doerr, President of Americans for Religious Liberty, and the author of Here I Stand   The Hugging Saint People line up for hours for a single embrace from Amma, a Hindu humanitarian who spreads peace and compassion through hugs.  Ken Steben explains why a hug from Amma is more than just a simple cuddle.     Ken Steben is a coordinator for the Washington DC-area Amma organization         This week's Interfaith Calendar July 11 – Feast of St. Benedict (Christian) On this day, Catholic Christians recognize St. Benedict, the founder of the Benedictine Order, and the Father of western monasticism.  He wrote the Rule of St. Benedict, still followed – in a modified form – by present-day Benedictines.  He was joined in his work by St. Scholastica, who founded Benedictine communities of women. Less

A Moral Emergency Every major faith tradition in the world tells its followers they have a moral obligation to "feed the hungry."   But with food prices continuing to skyrocket, that imperative has been pretty tough to follow.  The spikes have set off protests from Haiti to Indonesia, and the poorest of the poor –those billion or so people who have trouble filling their stomachs even in normal times – are getting desperate.   David Beckman and Marie Dennis tell us what people of faith need to do to combat this crisis that the UN has called a “silent tsunami.” David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World Marie Dennis, director of the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns   Commentary: I Can Eat Chocolate For Breakfast Begins at 22:50 If you’re like most of America, combating hunger is usually as simple as opening your refrigerator.  You can peer inside and ask yourself, what do I feel like eating today?  One morning not too long ago, while contemplating breakfast, writer Jessica Swift asked herself that very question. Jessica Swift, Vermont-based writer and editor I Can Eat Chocolate For Breakfast appears in a new collection of essays on food and spirituality, Bread Body Spirit: Finding the Sacred in Food , edited by Alice Peck.    God in the White House  Begins at 25:37 When Randall Balmer looks over the last 45 years of presidential politics in America, he doesn't like most of what he sees.  The religious history scholar says that when Presidents try to inject God into their politics, the results can be simplistic and even hypocritical. Randall Balmer, author of God in the White House: A History , and professor of religious history at Barnard College       It All Started with an Apple... Begins at  40:03 Perhaps no Christian doctrine is more controversial than original sin.  This so-called "inherited curse" has been questioned by theologians for centuries, and some Christian groups deny it altogether.  But whatever you might believe about original sin, Alan Jacobs says that you should, at least, understand it. Alan Jacobs, professor of English at Wheaton College, and author of Original Sin: A Cultural History. Less

The Soft Spoken Iconoclast Just two weeks after his civil union with his partner of 20 years, Bishop Gene Robinson remains a lightning rod of controversy.  As the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church, he has polarized parishes throughout the country, prompting several to leave the church altogether.  But as Robinson tells us this week, his quest for equality in his church is a faith-filled mission - and is worth the hardship.  "God," he says, "calls us to do the hard things." Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, author of In the Eye of the Storm: Swept to the Center by God For Americans, Eternal Life Is Open To All Begins at 22:50  A new survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life shows that for most Americans, heaven has a kind of open door policy.  Of the more than 35,000 people polled, a full 70 percent say that many religions – not just theirs – can lead to eternal life.   Dr. Diana Eck, Director of the Pluralism Project, Harvard University   Want to Improve Elections? Watch the Baha'is Begins at 33:30  If it seems like there ought to be a more civil way to run democratic elections, members of the Baha’i Faith say, that’s because there is. The Baha’i election process involves no campaigning, no baby-kissing, and most surprising of all—no money.  This year Baha'is held their 100th National Convention in suburban Chicago, and Jennifer Brandel was there to watch the action. Jennifer Brandel, Chicago-based radio producer This piece originally aired on NPR affiliate Chicago Public Radio    Beach Reads 2008 Begins at 40:49  Break out the sunscreen—it’s time for this summer’s round up of sizzling beach reads…on religion, of course.  From an uncensored version of the Bible to the Jewish take on tattoos and body piercings, these reads will definitely pass the time as you’re worshiping that summer sun god. Jana Riess, Religion Book Review Editor, Publisher’s Weekly   Jana's Picks (in no particular order):  1. The Uncensored Bible: The Bawdy and Naughty Bits of the Good Book by John Kaltner, Steven Mckenzie and Joel Kilpatrick 2. Sex and the Soul: Juggling Sexuality, Spirituality, Romance, and Religion on America's College Campuses by Donna Freitas 3. Christ the Lord: The Road To Cana by Anne Rice 4. The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier by Tony Jones   5. Jewish Choices, Jewish Voice: Body edited by Elliot N. Dorff and Louis E. Newman 6. Sexless in the City: A Memoir of Reluctant Chastity by Anna Broadway 7. The Gospel According to Harry Potter, Revised and Expanded Edition by Connie Neal     This week's Interfaith Calendar June 29 – Feast of Saints Peter and Paul (Christian) Catholics, Episcopalians and some Lutherans remember the martyrdom of Saints Peter and Paul, the two best known apostles of Jesus.  As the story goes, the two were killed on the same day, at the hands of the Roman emperor Nero – Paul by beheading, and Peter by upside-down crucifixion.    Less

For the time being, my studio is out of action. What better time to delve into the archives and pick out some of the highlights of our first year in podcasting. For today’s show, we take go all the way back to December 2005, for one of my spotlight shows with Alistair of the Hotrod Cadets. December 6th, 2005 A few months ago I picked up a CD (buy it here) by Hotrod Cadets at PodcastCon following an excellent presentation by Mark Hunter. Since them I’ve played their album pretty much non stop, receiving numerous emails from listeners asking when new material is coming out etc. Today’s show is going to be a wee bit different than normal (if you haven’t heard a spotlight before) but the perspective it gives you of how musicians perceive podcasting is something you can’t give when you’re doing the “bedroom DJ” thing. A lot of this got garbled (thanks Audition - boooo!) but I managed to salvage the majority of it all. Look out for #47 either later this week or early next and get your submissions coming in for the big show #50. I’m planning on taking a look back through the archives, so anything to draw your attention away from the crappy quality of early shows would be appreciated More Hotrod Cadets stuff here You’ll have to excuse the quality of the intro. The only recording resource I have right now is my mobile. Hopefully it’ll only be a couple of weeks until the studio here at Casa Coyne is back up and running. Share This Less

DJ Thomas remixes Lee Hom Wang’s “Open your heart”... In this mix, DJ Thomas has put many samples from Lee Hom’s Album “The sun and the moon in my heart”... check dis out! Less