Religion

Thupten Jinpa was a refugee in India as a child, became a monk at a Tibetan monastery, and is the translator, editor and annotator of "The World of Tibetan Buddhism," written by the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama is the spiritual and political leader of the Tibetan people, and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.

We continue our conversation with Professor John Dominic Crossan, whose new book "Who Killed Jesus" has just been released. In this half, he talks about the historical significance of crucifixion, as well as how Crossan has practiced his faith since leaving the priesthood.

Professor John Dominic Crossan is a native of Ireland, ordained as a priest in the U.S. (he left the priesthood in 1969), and now teaches biblical studies at DePaul University. He is a founding member of the Jesus Seminar, a group of scholars who meet to determine the authenticity of Jesus' sayings in the Gospels. Crossan's latest book is Who Killed Jesus: Exposing the Roots of Anti-Semitism in the Gospel Story of The Death of Jesus.

Journalist Geraldine Brooks is the author of "Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Woman." While Brooks was Middle East correspondent for "The Wall Street Journal," she investigated the role of women in the Islamic societies where she lived and worked.

It's been almost six years since the Ayatollah Khomeini issued a death sentence against the author. Since then, Rushdie has lived in hiding, continuing to write and making a few semi-public appearances. His book, "Haroun and the Sea of Stories," published in 1990, was a fairy tale written for his son. His new book is collection of stories about the line that divides East and West, called "East, West."

Journalist Dennis Covington has written a new book about the practice of snake handling in a Southern Appalachian church. Practitioners use snake handling as a kind of anointing -- a belief that the Holy Spirit comes down to protect them from fear and danger in handling the poisonous snakes. Covington's book, Salvation on Sand Mountain, is both a journalistic endeavor and an exploration of his own faith.

Theologian Harvey Cox. His new book is "Fire From Heaven: The Rise of Pentecostal Spirituality and the Reshaping of Religion in the Twenty-first Century." It is estimated that by the year 2010, there will be more Pentecostals than all other non-Catholic Christians put together. Cox traces the growth of the religion from its origins in a converted stable in Los Angeles in 1906 to its present membership of 410 million worldwide.

Activist and preacher Jim Wallis is the editor of "Sojourners" magazine, and the author of the new book, "The Soul of Politics." In it, he asserts that "the world isn't working," and neither the liberal left nor the conservative right know how to fix it. Wallis says the solution will come from a new morality that combines social justice and personal responsibility.

In 1985, Maull was sentenced to 25 years in prison for drug smuggling. Since then, he has devoted most of his time in prison to working with dying prisoners, and to teaching Buddhist practice and meditation. In 1988, Maull helped establish the National Prison Hospice Association, which establishes hospices to help dying prisoners prepare for death. Maull is also a devout Buddhist. After establishing a meditation group in his own prison in Springfield, Missouri, he founded the Prison Dharma Network, for prisoners who want to become involved in Buddhist study and meditation.

Father 'Gus' DiNoia is a Dominican Priest and a theologian to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. On May 31, the Pope issued an Apostolic letter to bishops declaring that women could not be ordained as priests. Though not a formal statement of doctrine, the letter was strongly put, and meant to cut off discussion about the issue.