Religion

One of Israel's leading journalists, Tom Segev has a new book,"The Seventh Million: The Israelis and The Holocaust," in which he argues that some Israelis use the Holocaust to encourage Israeli chauvinism and aggression. Segev writes a weekly column on politics and human rights for the daily newspaper "Haaretz."

Barnhardt is getting a lot of press and praise for his new novel, "Gospel," an 800-page saga about a present-day search for a lost gospel. It's been described as an "intellectual detective novel. . . written on the grand scale." Barnhardt's first novel was "Emma Who Saved My Life."

Sogyal Rinpoche was born in Tibet and raised in the buddhist tradition. He also studied at Cambridge University in England. He has lived outside of Tibet, in exile, for 20 years. Rinpoche is the incarnation of Terton Sogyal (1856-1926), a Tibetan mystic and the teacher of the last Dalai Lama. Rinpoche's new book, "The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying," combines Tibetan wisdom with modern research on death and dying.

Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Virginia Abdulaziz A. Sachedina joins Fresh Air to discuss the recent worldwide rise of Islamic fundamentalism.

Professor Robert Jay Lifton is distinguished professor of psychiatry and psychology and director of the Center on Violence and Human Survival at John Jay College, City University of New York. He's been studying cults and fundamentalist groups for many years. Lifton will talk about the armed cult in Waco, Texas run by David Koresh of the Branch Davidians--how typical they are, and what can be done to deal with them.

Writer and professor Mary Jo Weaver teaches Religious and Women's Studies at Indiana University. Her new book is, "Springs of Water in a Dry Land." It's about the double bind that many Catholic women find themselves in, of either living within a institutionalized and oppressive church structure, or rejecting a church which is a source of spiritual enrichment. Weaver argues that it is possible for a woman to be a feminist and remain Catholic.

Reverend Youngblood is the leader of St. Paul Community Baptist Church in one of Brooklyn's poorest and most dangerous neighborhoods. Youngblood came to the church and turned it around from a dying institution to a thriving center for religious and community activity. It has created a school and, through innovative programs, brought young black men back into the church. St. Paul's has also, as part of a coalition with other churches, built housing in the area and replaced brothels and numbers joints. "Upon This Rock: The Miracles of a Black Church" by Samuel G.

New York Times reporter Edward Gargan is in India covering the erupting conflict between the Muslims and Hindu fundamentalists. Last Sunday a symbol of India's Muslim minority --a 16th century mosque--was destroyed by Hindu zealots. Gargan, along with other British and American journalists, was brutally beaten during the chaos..

Policy Director for Pat Buchanan, Terry Jeffrey. He'll talk to guest host Marty Moss-Coane about the conservative agenda that Pat Buchanan and other conservatives are putting forth, and about the religious and cultural war Buchanan spoke about Monday night at the GOP convention.

Religion historian Martin Marty Marty, who teaches at the University of Chicago, is one of the foremost authorities on religion and society. He's the author of a four volume work on religion in the 20th century. His new work is a multi-volume look at fundamentalism. The first volume has just been published , and that's what he'll be talking about.