Writer Marilynne Robinson’s 2004 novel "Gilead" is about the Reverend John Ames, a Congregational minister in Iowa who in 1956 begins writing a letter to his young son, an account of himself and his forebears. Watch Robinson read from the final pages of "Gilead."

Sister Mary Andrew Matesich is a nun, a scientist, a former college president, and now, a cancer patient who learned not only how to accept her disease but how to help others because of it.

In a 5-to-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that executing people for crimes they committed before the age of 18 is unconstitutional. This means that the dozens of people on death row for crimes committed as juveniles will now have a sentence of life in prison. The case that brought the issue to the Supreme Court involved a young Missouri man named Chris Simmons.

Matt Diffee is a NEW YORKER cartoonist making people laugh in spite of a lot of competition and rejection.

Tibetan Buddhists celebrate their New Year, called Losar, with traditional services of prayer and purification, sending positive energy into the world, they hope, to help bring about peace. We visited the Tibetan Meditation Center in Frederick, Maryland, where Kalden Lodoe was our guide.

Today, there are about 800 Internet dating sites, among them those catering specifically to men and women of many religious faiths. All you need to do to find that special someone is log on.

Across the political and theological spectrums, religious conservatives, moderates, and liberals all have their own hopes for President Bush’s second term. Some conservatives say it’s payback time for their support in the election. Others say, “Don’t forget the poor.”

One of the most difficult questions facing many communities is how the public schools should educate children about sex. Some want a comprehensive approach that recommends abstinence but also covers birth control and disease prevention. Others, especially religious conservatives, want abstinence education only.

As Iraqis get ready to elect a new parliament and write a new constitution, Fawaz Gerges, a professor of international affairs and Middle Eastern studies at Sarah Lawrence College in New York, talks about the role that religion will play in the formation of the new Iraqi government.

Zoroastrianism began in ancient Persia, now Iran, and left its historical imprint on Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Estimates vary widely, but some claim that as few as 115,000 Zoroastrians remain—a few in Europe, North America and Iran, but the vast majority are in India, where they are called Parsis.

As presiding bishop, Frank Griswold is lead pastor and chief administrator of the 2.3 million-member Episcopal Church USA. It's a prestigious job, and these days, he admits, a challenging one. Griswold is at the center of what many believe is the biggest crisis the Episcopal Church has faced in its history.

Rabbi Harold Kushner is well-known for his 1981 book WHEN BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE. Recently, Rabbi Kushner wrote a meditation on the 23rd Psalm called THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD. Rabbi Kushner affirms that the 23rd Psalm answers the question, how do you live in a dangerous and unpredictable world?

The religious vote was decisive in President Bush’s 2004 reelection. Massive get-out-the-vote efforts among evangelical Protestants and conservative Catholics provided the margin of victory for the president. Despite the Democrats’ attempts to reach out to people of faith, experts say an ongoing “religion gap” in American politics was even more pronounced.

Art in the Muslim world has always had limits, because the Qur’an’s rejection of all forms of idolatry has been interpreted as a ban on any representation of a living being — no animals, no humans. So Islamic artists have specialized in beautiful writing, intricate designs, and rich materials and colors.

Twenty-five years ago, in Greensboro, North Carolina, there was a shooting that left five people dead and the city polarized. Recently, a group of volunteers formed what they call a Truth and Community Reconciliation Project. The idea is to try to find out what happened that day and to create some forgiveness and healing.

We spent a day with Imam Yahya Hendi, the Muslim chaplain at Georgetown University in Washington, to see how he observes the holy month of Ramadan.

U.S. Episcopal bishops this week pledged to seek unity within their deeply divided denomination. The pledge came at the bishops’ 2004 fall meeting, held this year in Spokane, Washington. The U.S. Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion were thrown into crisis last summer, when the U.S. Church approved its first openly gay bishop.

Analysts agree Latinos will play a key role in the 2004 presidential election. In 2003, Latinos surpassed African Americans as the nation’s largest minority group. It’s a community that is still developing politically, and religion is an important part of that development.

The last of three discussions on the role of religion in the 2004 presidential campaign. This week, R & E discusses values issues, and the increased prominence of religion in the late days of the race. Joining Bob Abernethy are E.J. Dionne of The Washington Post and Michael Cromartie of the Ethics and Public Policy Center.

The second of three discussions on the moral principles underlying the major issues of the 2004 presidential campaign. This week, R & E discusses surprisingly in-depth comments made by the candidates during a debate about what role faith plays in their policymaking.