Believe It or Not

Is it a fit of nerves about the coming millennium? A sneaking suspicion that there is more to life than money, success, and a great hairdo? Or is it a genuine desire for communion and transcendence? Whatever the source, Americans’ search for spiritual meaning is well under way.

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.


The World of Religion According to Huston Smith” Religion is an energizing force for good and the “winnower of the wisdom of the human race,” says renowned theologian Huston Smith in an interview with Marilyn Snell. He adds that the world’s faith traditions give us another realm to live in — one that fulfills our need for values, meaning, and purpose.

Unfaithful” How has organized religion adapted to a rapidly changing world? Cheryl L. Reed’s yearlong investigation into the struggle between the Catholic Church and an increasing number of its clergy over the touchy topic of earthly love.

“The $100 Christmas” Environmentalist and author Bill McKibben is a nice guy who’s not very popular these days among merchants in his small upstate New York town. The reason? His campaign to trim America’s Christmas shopping spree.

“Faith: Marianne Williamson Is Full of It” If no-fault redemption and do-it-yourself salvation are what you want, start at the self-help and New Age sections of any bookstore. Chances are they’ll be filled with Marianne Williamson’s best-sellers. Lynda Gorov explains the wild popularity of New Age’s high priestess.

“Why Einstein Wasn’t an Atheist” Noted evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins maintains that, no matter how you look at it, religion is a virus. However, writer Gordy Slack has found that some of science’s heaviest hitters (a Nobel laureate and a cutting-edge geneticist among them) use their religious faith to inform their science — and vice versa.

“Does the Bible Tell Me So?” Americans, says Ann Monroe, read the Bible as a giant Rorschach test: It looks one way to the politically left, and quite another to those on the right. Both miss the point — and the Bible’s promise. Also “Lost in the (Biblical) Translation” by Seth Sanders.

See HotMedia for more resources. Statistical research compiled by Gary Thill.

WE'LL BE BLUNT:

We need to start raising significantly more in donations from our online community of readers, especially from those who read Mother Jones regularly but have never decided to pitch in because you figured others always will. We also need long-time and new donors, everyone, to keep showing up for us.

In "It's Not a Crisis. This Is the New Normal," we explain, as matter-of-factly as we can, what exactly our finances look like, how brutal it is to sustain quality journalism right now, what makes Mother Jones different than most of the news out there, and why support from readers is the only thing that keeps us going. Despite the challenges, we're optimistic we can increase the share of online readers who decide to donate—starting with hitting an ambitious $300,000 goal in just three weeks to make sure we can finish our fiscal year break-even in the coming months.

Please learn more about how Mother Jones works and our 47-year history of doing nonprofit journalism that you don't find elsewhere—and help us do it with a donation if you can. We've already cut expenses and hitting our online goal is critical right now.

payment methods

WE'LL BE BLUNT

We need to start raising significantly more in donations from our online community of readers, especially from those who read Mother Jones regularly but have never decided to pitch in because you figured others always will. We also need long-time and new donors, everyone, to keep showing up for us.

In "It's Not a Crisis. This Is the New Normal," we explain, as matter-of-factly as we can, what exactly our finances look like, how brutal it is to sustain quality journalism right now, what makes Mother Jones different than most of the news out there, and why support from readers is the only thing that keeps us going. Despite the challenges, we're optimistic we can increase the share of online readers who decide to donate—starting with hitting an ambitious $300,000 goal in just three weeks to make sure we can finish our fiscal year break-even in the coming months.

Please learn more about how Mother Jones works and our 47-year history of doing nonprofit journalism that you don't elsewhere—and help us do it with a donation if you can. We've already cut expenses and hitting our online goal is critical right now.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate