FORA.tv Religion Today (Short-Length Video Version)

Tariq Modood - Reactive Defiance: The Overt Religion of Britain's Muslim Youth

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:47:49 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2010/03/08/The_Great_Issues_Forum_Immigration_and_Islam

Sociology professor Tariq Modood describes how percieved cultural stigmas lead young British muslims towards an active, overt embracing of Islam, a trend he calls "reactive defiance." "Any minority that has that kind of pressure put upon it becomes much more aware of its own identity," he says.

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Featuring Jose Casanova, professor of sociology at Georgetown University and a Senior Fellow in Georgetown's Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs; Tariq Modood, professor of sociology at the University of Bristol and Director of the University’s Centre for the Study of Ethnicity and Citizenship; and Aristide Zolberg, Walter P. Eberstadt Professor of Political Science at The New School University.

Chase Robinson, Provost of the Graduate Center, moderates a discussion including questions such as: What impact do Muslim immigrants and Islamic practices have on the societies they join? What unique challenges do Muslim immigrants face? In both America and Europe, which have welcomed greater numbers of Muslim immigrants than ever before, how is the Enlightenment ideal of tolerance balanced against the realities of vast cultural and religious differences? How do Western nations promote self-perceived openness in the face of anti-Muslim sentiment in their countries? - CUNY

Tariq Modood is professor of sociology at the University of Bristol, his research interests include racism, racial equality, multiculturalism and secularism. He is the founding director of the Research Centre for the Study of Ethnicity and Citizenship at the University of Bristol, and the Bristol director of the Leverhulme Programme on Migration and Citizenship with UCL. He is also a co-founder of the scientific journal Ethnicities.

Modood was awarded an MBE for services to social sciences and ethnic relations in the 2001 New Year Honours list and elected to the Academy of Social Sciences in 2004. He has written several articles in The Guardian.

Colin McGinn and Denys Turner - Is God Necessary for Morality?

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:54:27 -0800

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/12/07/The_Great_Issues_Forum_Varieties_of_Nonbelief

Philosopher Colin McGinn and theologian Denys Turner discuss the question of whether atheism can coexist with a sense of morality. Both agree that morality exists independently of divinity.

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Journalist Susan Jacoby, philosopher Colin McGinn, and theologian Denys Turner explore questions such as: Is humanism another kind of religion? Is it religion's evolutionary future, rather than just one of several alternatives? What light does the recent scientific study of religion throw on these possibilities?

How do the new humanists compare to the new atheists? Can an atheist identity be shaped by a positive ethic, or must it be primarily an anti-religious sentiment? How will the persistence of belief and disbelief, as well as the tension between them, shape thought and culture in the 21st century? - CUNY

Colin McGinn (B.Phil., Oxford University), joined the UM Philosophy Department in 2006, having taught previously at University of London, University of Oxford, and Rutgers University. He was the recipient of the John Locke Prize at Oxford University in 1973. His research interests are in philosophy of mind (particularly consciousness, intentionality and imagination), metaphysics, ethics and philosophical logic.

Denys Alan Turner is a British academic in the field of philosophy and theology. He is currently Professor of Historical Theology at Yale University having been appointed in 2005, previously having been Norris-Hulse Professor of Divinity at Cambridge University. He earned his PhD in Philosophy from Oxford University.

He has written widely on political theory and social theory in relation to Christian theology, as well as on Medieval thought, in particular, mystical theology.

Richard Harries: Are Human Rights Fundamental to Democracy?

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:05:37 -0800

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2010/01/14/Richard_Harries_Does_God_Believe_in_Human_Rights

Lord Richard Harries considers human rights a necessary measure to protect minorities from "the potential tyranny of the majority." "Human beings need to be protected from one another, hence we have the rule of law," he says. "But we also need to be protected against governments."

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The movement to establish an international legal basis for human rights after World War II has been one of the great achievements of our time. But do human rights have a sound theological basis? Sometimes it seems religions give the impression that God is indifferent to them. This challenge needs to be faced in order to find a firm foundation for rights. - Gresham College

Before being the Bishop of Oxford from 1987 to 2006, Lord Richard Harries was previously the Dean of King's College London, where he is now a Fellow and an Honorary Professor of Theology. He is an Honorary Fellow of Selwyn College, Cambridge and of St Anne's College, Oxford.

He also holds a number of other prestigious positions in other top British Universities. In 2006 he was made a Life Peer as Lord Harries of Pentregarth of Ceinewydd in the County of Dyfed and sits on the crossbenches.

Professor Harries has published 24 books and numerous articles, covering a wide range of interests. These include: Art and the Beauty of God (Mowbrays, 1993), Christianity and War in the Nuclear Age (Mowbrays, 1986), Is there a Gospel for the Rich? (Mowbrays, 1992), After the Evil: Christianity and Judaism after the Holocaust (OUP, 2003), C. S. Lewis: The Man and his God (Collins, 1987), and a collection of his contributions to 'Thought for the Day' on Radio 4's Today Programme to which he has been a regular contributor since 1972, In Gladness of Today (Harper Collins, 1999).

Jeffrey Herf - Responding to Criticism of Israel

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 16:41:51 -0800

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2010/01/04/A_Lethal_Obsession_Anti-Semitism_Then_and_Now

Jeffrey Herf, author of Nazi Propaganda for the Arab World, presents a "template" for determining the validity of anti-Israel criticism. He denounces "disproportionate criticism," his label for "rage and indignation" about Israeli treatment of Palestinians without regard to other terrorism and hate crimes.

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Hebrew University of Jerusalem professor Robert Wistrich and University of Maryland, College Park professor Jeffrey Herf trace the history of anti-Semitism from its earliest recorded roots through the present. Furthermore, they discuss the potential impacts of its modern-day resurgence. - Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

Jeffrey Herf is professor of modern European history at the University of Maryland, College Park. His most recent book, Nazi Propaganda for the Arab World examines the Nazi regime's efforts to spread its ideas to North Africa and the Middle East during World War II and the Holocaust.

Herf has lectured widely at major universities and research centers in the United States, Europe and Israel, and has also brought a historian's perspective to bear on issues of contemporary policy and politics in his contributions to The New Republic online and in essays in The American Interest, The International Herald Tribune, The National Interest, Partisan Review, The Washington Post and major German newspapers including the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Die Welt, and Die Zeit.

Jacob Needleman - How to Weed Out False Prophets

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:43:47 -0800

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2010/01/11/What_Is_God_Jacob_Needleman

Jacob Needleman, author of What Is God?, answers the question of how to determine the authenticity of a self-professed spiritual leader. The key is "to be open-minded, without our brains following out," he says.

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Jacob Needleman talks about his latest book, What Is God?. In this deeply personal work, religious scholar and philosopher Needleman cuts a clear path through today’s debates over the existence of God, illuminating an entirely new way of approaching the question of how to understand a higher power. - Book Passage

Jacob Needleman is a professor of philosophy at San Francisco State University and the author of many books, including The American Soul, The Wisdom of Love, Time and the Soul, The Heart of Philosophy, Lost Christianity, and Money and the Meaning of Life.

In addition to his teaching and writing, he serves as a consultant in the fields of psychology, education, medical ethics, philanthropy, and business, and has been featured on Bill Moyers's acclaimed PBS series "A World of Ideas."

René Girard on Scapegoating: Prehistoric Conflict Resolution 101

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:52:10 -0800

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/12/01/Uncommon_Knowledge_Ren_Girard

Philosophical anthropologist René Girard discusses the role of scapegoating in the formation of early societies. He identifies scapegoating as a method of conflict resolution, and that conflicts "have to be resolved...for groups of human beings to gather permanently together."

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Born in Avignon on Christmas Day 1923, philosopher René Girard is the author of works that are published in more than two dozen languages, including The Scapegoat and Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World. His latest book, Achever Clausewitz, will be published in the United States in 2010 as Battling to the End: Politics, War, and Apocalypse. In 2005, Professor Girard received the highest honor in France, induction as one of the forty members of the Academie Francaise.

First describing the triangular structure of desire -- object, model, and subject -- Girard tells how conflicts are resolved and why human society is not marked by total conflict all the time. He further speaks of the intersection of the universal themes of mythology and Christianity and Christianity's future.

"History...is a test of mankind," says René Girard, and "mankind is failing that test." - Hoover Institution

René Girard (born December 25, 1923, Avignon, France) is a French historian, literary critic, and philosopher of social science. His work belongs to the tradition of anthropological philosophy. He is the author of several books in which he developed the ideas of mimetic desire and the scapegoat mechanism, and how they relate to the Bible.

Peter M. Robinson is a research fellow at the Hoover Institution, where he writes about business and politics, edits Hoover's quarterly journal, the Hoover Digest, and hosts Hoover's television program, Uncommon Knowledge.

Daniel Dennett and John Haught - Is Intelligent Design an Immoral Argument?

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:47:54 -0800

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/11/17/Great_Issues_Forum_What_Is_Religion

Philosopher Daniel Dennett argues that it is immoral for pastors to teach intelligent design. Theologian John Haught criticizes Dennett's language but expresses agreement with his position, identifying creationism as "not only bad science, but horrible theology."

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The Forum's year-long exploration of religion launches with a program featuring distinguished philosopher and cognitive scientist Daniel Dennett and noted evolutionary biologist David Sloan Wilson.

They are joined by additional participants to discuss questions such as: What is the nature and purpose of religion? Is it a product of our evolution and something we can now do without? Is it a system of belief and practice that humans require in order to build communities and construct meaning for their lives? What in human make-up renders religion possible? How has religious belief developed and changed over the years, and how does it continue to do so? - CUNY

Born in Boston, Dr. Daniel Dennett received his B.A. in Philosophy from Harvard University in 1963, and earned his Doctorate in Philosophy at Oxford University in 1965. After teaching at U.C. Irvine for six years, Dennett joined the faculty at Tufts University in 1971, where he is now a Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Center for Cognitive Studies at Tufts University.

Dennett has written extensively about the mind, consciousness, and evolution. He published his first book, Content and Consciousness, in 1969 and is perhaps best known for his 1995 book, Darwin's Dangerous Idea, which explores the implications of natural selection on humanity's place in the universe. He has also published more than one hundred scholarly articles in professional journals, ranging from Behavioral and Brain Sciences to Poetics Today.

John F. Haught (Ph.D. Catholic University, 1970), is Senior Fellow, Science and Religion, Woodstock Theological Center, Georgetown University. He was formerly Professor in the Department of Theology at Georgetown University (1970-2005) and Chair (1990-95).

His area of specialization is systematic theology, with a particular interest in issues pertaining to science, cosmology, evolution, ecology, and religion.

Mattieu Ricard - The Happiest Man on Earth Brings Health to Tibet

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:55:10 -0800

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/10/16/Matthieu_Ricard_Speaks_on_Compassion

Matthieu Ricard, author, photographer, and Buddhist monk, describes the progress of Karuna-Shechen, a humanitarian project in Tibet. Ricard displays some photographs which show the amazing transformation of ill Tibetans cured by Western medicine.

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Matthieu Ricard, molecular biologist, Bhuddist monk, translator to the Dalai Lama, best-selling author, and photographer, spent the evening of October 16, 2009, at swissnex San Francisco for a closed, private dinner, where he spoke on Compassion in Action.

Ricard is founder of Karuna-Shechen, a charitable foundation that provides medical, social, and educational services in the Himalayan region. Brain scans done by neuroscientists at the University of Wisconsin peg him as the happiest man on Earth. - Swissnex San Francisco

Matthieu Ricard is a best-selling author, translator and photographer highly regarded for his scholarship and knowledge of Buddhism and Tibetan culture. He has lived and worked in the Himalayan region for over forty years.

After completing his doctoral thesis in 1972 at the Institute Pasteur under the supervision of Nobel Laureate Francois Jacob, Mr. Ricard decided to forsake his artistic and scientific careers and concentrate on Tibetan Buddhist studies. He lived in the Himalayas with the greatest living teachers of that tradition.

The Monk and the Philosopher, a dialogue with his father, Jean-Francois Revel, was a best seller in Europe.The Quantum and the Lotus, about science and Buddhism, was published the next year. Happiness: A Guide to Life's Most Important Skill is in its third printing. His books have been translated in over twenty languages.

His intimate knowledge and unprecedented access to Tibetan teachers and culture has enabled him to capture on camera rare and surprising moments and events. He is the author and photographer of Spirit of Tibet, Buddhist Himalayas, Tibet: An Inner Journey, Motionless Journey, and Bhutan: The Land of Serenity. He has had numerous international shows of his photography.

He is a major participant in the research collaboration between cognitive scientists and Buddhist practitioners, spearheaded by the Dalai Lama and the Mind and Life Institute. He received the French National Order of Merit for his humanitarian work in the East.

Deepak Chopra: Five Breakthroughs for the Body

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:37:49 -0800

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/10/22/Deepak_Chopra_How_to_Create_a_New_Self

Spiritual guru Deepak Chopra reveals five breakthroughs he claims to have discovered while writing his latest book, Reinventing the Body, Resurrecting the Soul. He maintains that the body, genetics, and the concept of time can be changed through altered thought processes.

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"You can't change the body without changing the self, and you can't change the self without bringing in the soul," says Deepak Chopra, a renowned pioneer in holistic medicine. Chopra believes the highest choice is to reinvent your body and resurrect your soul.

He discusses aging, the many lifestyle diseases he says are the result of the steady loss of energy inside the body, and how awareness can reverse the process.

From early childhood, each of us has been inventing our body, through beliefs, habits, conditioning, and our mental responses to everyday stress. We've done this unconsciously, and may now feel dissatisfaction on all levels: body, mind and spirit.

Reinventing the Body, Resurrecting the Soul offers three keys to creating the self you desire: the soul shift, the subtle action, and the core participation. Chopra's message is that your highest vision of yourself can be turned into physical reality. - Commonwealth Club of California

Deepak Chopra is the author of more than fifty books translated into more than thirty-five languages. Dr. Chopra is a fellow of the American College of Physicians, a member of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, adjunct professor at the Kellogg School of Management, and a senior scientist with the Gallup Organization. He is founder and president of the Alliance for a New Humanity.

Time magazine heralds Deepak Chopra as one of the top 100 heroes and icons of the century and credits him as "the poet–prophet of alternative medicine."

Richard Dawkins Compares Creationism to Holocaust Denial

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:37:54 -0800

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/10/07/Richard_Dawkins_The_Greatest_Show_on_Earth

Evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins uses denial of the Holocaust as an analogy for the battle against the theory of evolution being waged in public schools by creationists.

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Evolutionary biologist and outspoken atheist Richard Dawkins talks about his book, The Greatest Show on Earth: Evidence for Evolution. This program was recorded in collaboration with Berkeley Arts and Letters, on October 7, 2009.

Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion created a storm of controversy over the question of God's existence. Now, in the Greatest Show on Earth, Dawkins presents a stunning counterattack against advocates of "Intelligent Design" that explains the evidence for evolution while keeping an eye trained on the absurdities of the creationist argument.

More than an argument of his own, it's a thrilling tour into our distant past and into the interstices of life on earth. Taking us through the case for evolution step-by-step, Dawkins looks at DNA, selective breeding, anatomical similarities, molecular family trees, geography, time, fossils, vestiges and imperfections, human evolution, and the formula for a strong scientific theory.

Dawkins' trademark wit and ferocity is joined by an infectious passion for the beauty and strangeness of the natural world, proving along the way that the mechanisms of the natural world are more miraculous -- a "greater show" -- than any creation story generated by any religion on earth. - Berkeley Arts and Letters

Richard Dawkins is a world-renowned evolutionary biologist and author. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society and, until recently, held the Charles Simonyi Chair of Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University. His first book, The Selfish Gene, was an instant international bestseller, and has become an established classic work of modern evolutionary biology.

He is also the author of The Blind Watchmaker, River Out of Eden, Climbing Mount Improbable, Unweaving the Rainbow, A Devil's Chaplain, The Ancestor's Tale, The God Delusion, and most recently, The Greatsest Show on Earth.

Professor Dawkins's awards have included the Silver Medal of the Zoological Society of London (1989), the Royal Society's Michael Faraday Award (1990), the Nakayama Prize for Achievement in Human Science (1990), The International Cosmos Prize (1997) and the Kistler Prize (2001). He has Honorary Doctorates in both literature and science, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society.

Faisal Devji - The Theology of Environmentalism?

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:07:52 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/02/21/How_Can_Faith_Be_Lived_Responsibly_In_a_Globalized_World

Faisal Devji identifies what he views as a religious aspect to the environmentalist movement, which he describes as a belief in self-sacrifice for the common good.

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The Global Nomad Salon hosts a discussion on global religion framed around the question: "How can faith be lived responsibly in our globalized world?" - JANERA

Faisal Devji is a historian who specializes in studies of Islam, globalization, violence and ethics. His multidisciplinary work grounds empirical historical issues in philosophical questions. He teaches at The New School for Social Research in New York City.

Robert Burton - Does the Soul Exist?

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 11:28:01 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/12/04/The_Atheon_A_Temple_of_Science_for_Rational_Belief

Dr. Burton raises the issue of whether the brain and the mind are one in the same. Do humans have souls? Do we have an essence as human beings, or are we physical?

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Is the future of religion scientific? Is the future of science religious? UC Berkeley and the Magnes co-host a panel discussion on faith and reason in the 21st Century, inspired by The Atheon, a public artwork by Jonathon Keats - The Judah L. Magnes Museum

Robert A. Burton, M.D., graduated from Yale University and the University of California at San Francisco medical school, where he also completed his neurology residency. At age thirty-three, he was appointed chief of the Division of Neurology at Mt. Zion-UCSF Hospital, where he subsequently became Associate Chief of the Department of Neurosciences. His non-neurology writing career includes three critically acclaimed novels and a neuroscience and culture column at Salon.com-- Mind Reader. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Gene Robinson - Strength, Spirituality, and Being a Gay Bishop in America

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:13:39 -0700

This program was recorded in collaboration with the Tides: Momentum Conference, in San Francisco, CA, on September 7, 2009.

Bishop Gene Robinson presents at Momentum 2009 on the Power plenary: Pathways to opportunity and prosperity in America continue to be blocked by racism, homophobia, and elitism. Who defines the rules of engagement? How do private perceptions inform public choices and vice versa? How can we use ideas, network, and technology to reformulate hierarchies and enact progressive values? What does it mean to speak truth to power in the Obama era?

Robinson's momentum: "As a human being and as a Christian, I am passionate about joining God in loving and liberating the poor, the marginalized and the disenfranchised. The closer we are to those who are in the margins, the closer we get to God." - Momentum Conference

Gene Robinson is the Ninth Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire. Widely recognized for his work on civil rights for gay, lesbian, and transgender people; he is also known for advocating for debt relief, socially responsible investment, and access to healthcare.

He holds two honorary doctorates and has received numerous awards from national civil rights organizations including the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the Equality Forum.

His story is featured in the 2007 feature-length documentary, "For the Bible Tells Me So." Bishop Robinson gave the invocation at the opening inaugural ceremonies for President Obama at the Lincoln Memorial on January 18, 2009.

Karen Armstrong - Suffering and the Power of Compassion

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:35:00 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/08/14/Karen_Armstrong_Charter_for_Compassion

Author, scholar and journalist Karen Armstrong explains her view on the spectacle of suffering and its positive and negative effects on humanity. She relates suffering to compassion, recalling various Confucian, Buddhist, and Christian philosophies.

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Ms. Armstrong describes how Islam, Judaism and Christianity have been diverted from a shared moral purpose. She now is working with the TED community to build a Charter for Compassion. - Chautauqua Institution

Karen Armstrong is one of the most provocative, original thinkers on the role of religion in the modern world. Armstrong is a former Roman Catholic nun who left a British convent to pursue a degree in modern literature at Oxford. In 1982 she wrote a book about her seven years in the convent, Through the Narrow Gate, that angered and challenged Catholics worldwide; her recent book The Spiral Staircase discusses her subsequent spiritual awakening after leaving the convent, when she began to develop her iconoclastic take on the great monotheistic religions. She has written more than 20 books around the ideas of what Islam, Judaism and Christianity have in common, and around their effect on world events, including the magisterial A History of God and Holy War: The Crusades and Their Impact on Today’s World. Her latest book is The Bible: A Biography. Her meditations on personal faith and religion (she calls herself a freelance monotheist) spark discussion — especially her take on fundamentalism, which she sees in a historical context, as an outgrowth of modern culture.

Elie Wiesel - Did the World Learn from Auschwitz?

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:00:54 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/07/27/Elie_Wiesel_What_Makes_Us_Moral

Elie Wiesel calls education the only weapon against racism, although the leaders of Nazi murder commands were well-educated. He asks, "If Auschwitz hasn't cured the world of anti-Semitism, what can?"

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Humanitarian and Night author Elie Wiesel lectures on the theme "What Makes Us Moral: An Abrahamic Perspective."

Wiesel draws on his experience as a survivor of the Nazi concentration camps as well as contemporary global issues for evidence of what makes a moral or immoral society. - Chautauqua Institution

Elie Wiesel was born in 1928 in Sighet, Transylvania, which is now part of Romania. He was fifteen years old when he and his family were deported by the Nazis to Auschwitz. His mother and younger sister perished, his two older sisters survived. Elie and his father were later transported to Buchenwald, where his father died shortly before the camp was liberated in April 1945. After the war, Elie Wiesel studied in Paris and later became a journalist. During an interview with the distinguished French writer, Francois Mauriac, he was persuaded to write about his experiences in the death camps. The result was his internationally acclaimed memoir, La Nuit or Night, which has since been translated into more than thirty languages. In 1978, President Jimmy Carter appointed Elie Wiesel as Chairman of the President's Commission on the Holocaust. In 1980, he became the Founding Chairman of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council. He is also the Founding President of the Paris-based Universal Academy of Cultures and the Chairman of The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity, an organization he and his wife created to fight indifference, intolerance and injustice. Elie Wiesel has received more than 100 honorary degrees from institutions of higher learning.

Jaimal Yogis - A Zen Surfer's Guide to Coping with Stress

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:26:49 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/07/17/Saltwater_Buddha_Jaimal_Yogis

Author and surfer Jamail Yogis shares his methods for coping with stress. Comparing thoughts to ocean waves, he says, "Our minds are a lot like the sea...you wake up some days and it's rough and stormy."

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Jaimal Yogis discusses Saltwater Buddha, a spiritual memoir and surfer's tale.

Fed up with suburban teenage life, Jaimal Yogis ran off to Hawaii with little more than a copy of Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha and enough cash for a surfboard. His journey is a coming-of-age saga that takes him from communes to monasteries and the icy New York shore. - Books Inc

Jaimal Yogis is an award-winning journalist and photographer who spends a good deal of his spare time surfing and traveling the globe. He has a master’s degree in Journalism from Columbia University and his work has been published in The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Toronto Star, The Surfers Journal, Beliefnet, Tricycle, San Francisco Magazine, and many others. Saltwater Buddha, which has been internationally praised and is the subject of a forthcoming PBS documentary, is his first book, but he is currently working on a second while also traveling on an extensive book tour (along the coasts of course). You can follow Yogis on Facebook and Twitter.

Ian Morrison - Was the Universe Created by a God?

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 10:41:10 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/12/01/Ian_Morison_God_and_the_Universe

Astronomer Ian Morison explores two possible theories behind life, the universe and everything.: a "God" created it with the precise conditions to support life or it is composed of multiple dimensions, and ours happens to be just right.

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With scientific knowledge ever-progressing, is there space left for God? Is there going to be a time when science will have uncovered all the secrets of the universe and proven that there is no Divinity? As science progresses, is the belief in God becoming ever-more irrational and ridiculous? Ian Morison explains why God will never be ruled out by scientific progress - Gresham College

Ian Morison made his first telescope at the age of 12 with lenses given to him by his optician. Having studied Physics, Maths and Astronomy at Oxford he became a radio astronomer at the Jodrell Bank Observatory and teaches Astronomy and Cosmology at the University of Manchester. Over 25 years he has also taught Observational Astronomy to many hundreds of adult students in the North West of England. An active amateur optical astronomer, he is a council member and past president of the Society for Popular Astronomy in the United Kingdom. At Jodrell Bank he was a designer of the 217 KM MERLIN array and has coordinated the Project Phoenix SETI Observations using the Lovell Radio Telescope. He contributes astronomy articles and reviews for New Scientist and Astronomy Now, and produces a monthly sky guide on the Observatory's website.

Abdul Dardery: Islam 'Liberating' for Women

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:23:31 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/02/15/Dr_Abdul_Mawgoud_Dardery_Muslim_Perspective

Abdul Mawgoud Dardery argues that Muslim women have the same rights and opportunities as Muslim men. He asserts that the treatment of women is a highly variable cultural issue and not a blanket Muslim issue. "Islam is very much liberating," he says.

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Dr. Abdul Mawgoud Dardery discusses the Muslim perspective and people, in a conversation with Bishop Steven Charleston. This program was recorded in collaboration with Grace Cathedral, in San Francisco, CA, on February 15, 2009.

Dr. Abdul Mawgoud Dardery is an assistant professor of Cultural Studies and Critical Discourse, English Department, at South Valley University (Luxor, Egypt). He has 20 years of teaching in the US and in the Middle East.

Bishop Steven Charleston is the provost of San Francisco's Grace Cathedral. He is widely recognized as a leading proponent for justice issues and for spiritual renewal in the church in both the United States and Canada. A citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Bishop Charleston was born and raised in that state in a family that has had a long history of service in the Christian Native American community. Both his grandfather and great-grandfather were ordained ministers of the Presbyterian Church, serving among the Choctaw People in rural Oklahoma.

Charles Taylor - The History of American Secularism

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:48:26 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/03/05/Charles_Taylor_The_Future_of_the_Secular

Charles Taylor delves into the American history of the first amendment and the separation of church and state. He discusses the dichotomy between secularism and religiousness and how it has changed over the centuries.

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Charles Taylor, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, McGill University treats the term "secular" with several different meanings which, for a variety of reasons can't be simply ironed out and reduced to one, hence the inevitability of confusions and cross-purposes. - The New School

Charles Margrave Taylor, CC, GOQ, BA, MA, Ph.D, FRSC (born November 5, 1931) is a Canadian philosopher who has made significant contributions to political philosophy, philosophy of social science, and the history of philosophy. He is often classified as a communitarian, though he is uncomfortable with the label. He is a practicing Roman Catholic. Taylor was educated at the McGill University (B.A. in History in 1952) and at Balliol College, Oxford (B.A. in Philosophy, Politics and Economics in 1955, M.A. in 1960, D.Phil in 1961), where he studied under Isaiah Berlin and G. E. M. Anscombe. He succeeded John Plamenatz as Chichele Professor of Social and Political Theory in the University of Oxford and Fellow of All Souls College and was for many years Professor of Political Science and Philosophy at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, where he is now professor emeritus. Taylor is now Board of Trustees Professor of Law and Philosophy at Northwestern University.

Scotty McLennan - The L Word: Liberal Christians Living In Exile?

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 17:48:13 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/05/26/Why_Jesus_Was_a_Liberal_Rev_Scotty_McLennan

Rev. Scotty McLennan ridicules the negative connotations of the term "liberal" in relation to politics and Christianity, and says it is time liberal Christians reclaim the term. "Liberal Christianity can point to the Old Testament prophets, and to Jesus, as the original, political liberals," he says.

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Rev. Scotty McLennan talks about his book, Jesus Was a Liberal: Reclaiming Christianity for All.

In Scotty McLennan's bold call to reclaim ownership of Christianity, he advocates a sense of religion based not on doctrinal readings of scripture but on the humanity behind Christ's teachings. He addresses such topics as intelligent design, abortion, same sex marriage, war, torture and much, much more.

As he says in the Preface, "We liberal Christians know in our hearts that there is much more to life than seems to meet the rational eye of atheists; yet we find it hard to support supernatural claims about religion that fly in the face of scientific evidence." - Kepler's Books

The Rev. Scotty McLennan is the dean for religious life at Stanford University. He was the university Chaplain at Tufts University from 1984 to 2000, and senior lecturer at the Harvard Business School for ten of those years. McLennan received his B.A. from Yale University in 1970 as a Scholar of the House working in the area of computers and the mind.

He received his M.Div. and J.D. degrees from Harvard Divinity and Law Schools in 1975. In 1975, he was also ordained to the ministry (Unitarian Universalist) and admitted to the Massachusetts bar as an attorney. He is the author of Finding Your Religion and was the inspiration for Doonesbury's Rev. Scott Sloan.

Reza Aslan - The Future of Religious Nationalism

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 12:11:27 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/05/15/Reza_Aslan_How_to_Win_a_Cosmic_War

Reza Aslan, religious scholar and author of How to Win a Cosmic War, and Phil Bronstein, editor-at-large for the San Francisco Chronicle, discuss the problematic nature of religious nationalism. "It's a force that cannot be control by the state, no matter how hard the state tries," says Aslan. Instead of suppressing religious nationalist groups, he advocates allowing them the opportunity to fail.

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FORA.tv Studios and Whole Earth Films present Reza Aslan, scholar and acclaimed author of No God But God, speaking to Phil Bronstein, editor-at-large for the San Francisco Chronicle, about his new book How to Win a Cosmic War.

How to Win a Cosmic War provides both an in-depth study of the ideology behind al-Qa'ida, the Taliban, and like-minded militants throughout the Muslim world, and an exploration of the tradition of religious violence found in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Surveying the global scene from Israel to Iraq and from New York to the Netherlands, Aslan argues that religion is a stronger force today than it has been in a century. At a time when religion and politics are increasingly sharing the same vocabulary and functioning in the same sphere, Aslan writes that we must strip this ideological conflict of its religious connotations and address the actual grievances that fuel the Jihadist movement.

How do you win a cosmic war? By refusing to fight in one.

Reza Aslan is a writer and scholar of religions. Born in Iran, Aslan is currently a research associate at the University of Southern California's Center on Public Diplomacy. He was a visiting assistant professor of Islamic and Middle Eastern studies at the University of Iowa and the Truman Capote Fellow in Fiction at the Iowa Writer's Workshop. A frequent commentator on television, radio, and in print, Aslan is a graduate of Santa Clara University, Harvard University, and the University of Iowa. He is the author of No god but God: The Origins, Evolution and Future of Islam and How to Win a Cosmic War: Why We're Losing the War on Terror.

Phil Bronstein is the Executive Vice President and Editor at Large of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Paul Discoe Designs a Cardboard Zendo for Burning Man

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 20 May 2009 12:15:56 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/03/21/Paul_Discoe_Talks_Zen_Architecture

Architect Paul Discoe describes the cardboard Zendo meditation hall he designed for Burning Man. "When the pioneers were coming across the United States, they had trees...here we have cardboard," says Discoe of his unusual building material.

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In the 1960s, Paul Discoe was in on the ground floor of Zen architecture in the United States.

He became a student of Zen Buddhism, studying and building at the Tassajara complex in northern California. His own wood-based Zen-Buddhism architectural structures and renovations in the U.S. and Europe are the focus of this book. - Book Passage

An ordained Zen Buddhist Priest, Paul Discoe studied art history and philosophy as an undergraduate in the United States and later Buddhist temple design and construction in Japan. He became a student of Suzuki Roshi at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center in California and after four years, Suzuki sent him to Japan to train under a traditional master builder for five years. Upon returning, Discoe studied and worked at San Francisco Zen Center before founding Joinery Structures in 1988. Having built both temples and high end residences Discoe is now focused on pre-fab housing and furniture using the urban forest.

Bronwyn Winter - The Hijab as Feminist Statement?

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 06 May 2009 17:05:53 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/03/19/Bronwyn_Winter_Uncovering_the_French_Headscarf_Debate

Professor Bronwyn Winter analyzes the hijab ban in France, weighing freedom of choice against sexual and class politics. "I can't see anywhere in the Koran where it says...all women must wear a hijab," says Winter.

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The hijab is arguably the most discussed and controversial item of women's clothing today. It has become the primary global symbol of female Muslim identity for Muslims and non-Muslims alike, and is the focus of much debate in the confrontation between Islam and the West. Nowhere has this debate been more acute or complex than in France.

In Hijab and the Republic, Bronwyn Winter provides a riveting account of the controversial 2004 French law to ban Islamic headscarves and other religious signs from public schools. While much has been written on the subject, Winter offers a unique feminist perspective, carefully delineating its political and cultural aspects.

Drawing on both scholarly literature and popular commentary, she examines the headscarf debate from its inception in 1989 through fluctuations in its intensity in public consciousness over the 1990s to its surging significance in the wake of 9/11 and the consequent shift in global politics.

Bronwyn Winter is a lecturer (professor) in the Department of French Studies at the University of Sydney. She identifies as a radical feminist political scientist and likes to stir up debate in the pursuit of what Somer Bodribb has called "the feminist potential to make sense." Her publications focus on such themes as culture and consent in human rights discourse on women, the politics of race and culture, issues in women's political representation, what counts as feminist theory, and why what is generally known in the United States as "French feminism" has little if anything to do with what French feminism actually is.

William Lobdell Slams Benny Hinn, Christian Faith Healers

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:44:03 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/03/25/Losing_Religion_William_Lobdell

Journalist William Lobdell criticizes Christian faith healers such as Trinity Broadcast Network star Benny Hinn, who he calls a "charlatan," and wonders why other mainstream pastors on TBN do not condemn Hinn. "Where's the courage within Christianity?" he asks.

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William Lobdell's journey of faith -- and doubt -- may be the most compelling spiritual memoir of our time. Lobdell became a born-again Christian in his late 20s when personal problems drove him to his knees in prayer.

As a newly minted evangelical, Lobdell -- a veteran journalist -- noticed that religion wasn't covered well in the mainstream media, and he prayed for the Lord to put him on the religion beat at a major newspaper. In 1998, his prayers were answered when the Los Angeles Times asked him to write about faith.

Yet what happened over the next eight years was a roller-coaster of inspiration, confusion, doubt, and soul-searching as his reporting and experiences slowly chipped away at his faith. He explored every doubt, every question -- until, finally, his faith collapsed. - Kepler's Books

William Lobdell has been a journalist for 25 years, winning scores of state and national awards. In 1998, he was assigned to the religion beat for the Los Angeles Times. During his eight years covering faith, he was a finalist for national religion writer of the year in 2002, 2003 and 2004. He left the religion beat when he lost his faith, in 2007.

Stephen Mitchell - The Tao of Translation

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 13:43:23 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/03/04/Stephen_Mitchell_The_Second_Book_of_the_Tao

Stephen Mitchell, author of The Second Book of the Tao, discusses his unique approach to translating Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching. He explains previous translations were done by "linguists and scholars and theologians," whereas he approached the work after years practicing and studying Buddhism.

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The most widely translated book in world literature after the Bible is Lao-tzu's Tao Te Ching, or Book of the Way, the classic manual on the art of living. Following his extraordinarily successful translation of the Tao Te Ching, renowned scholar Stephen Mitchell delivers The Second Book of the Tao.

Drawn from the work of Lao-tzu's disciple Chuang-tsu and Confucius's grandson Tsu-ssu, it offers Western readers precious new lessons in the Tao.

Mitchell has selected the freshest, clearest teachings from these two great students of the Tao to reveal the poetry, depth, and humor of the original texts, with vivid new clarity. Alongside each translated passage, Mitchell includes his own commentary; his meditations and risky reimagining of the original texts creat a book that is both a companion volume and an anti-manual to the Tao Te Ching.

Stephen Mitchell's many books also include Gilgamesh, The Gospel According to Jesus, Bhagavad Gita, The Book of Job, and Meetings with the Archangel.

Stephen Mitchell is a poet, translator, scholar, and anthologist. He is married to author Byron Katie. Mitchell was educated at Amherst College, the University of Paris, and Yale University. He is widely known for his translations of ancient classics.

David Plotz Argues His Way Through a 'Messy' Bible

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:44:55 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/03/07/David_Plotz_-_The_Bible_Disturbing_Hilarious_Inspiring

Slate Magazine editor David Plotz discusses his attempts to understand God's cruelty while reading the Bible. "Again and again, I found myself in the odd position of rooting against God - which was very disturbing," says Plotz.

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Slate Editor David Plotz discusses his book, Good Book: The Bizarre, Hilarious, Disturbing, Marvelous, and Inspiring Things I Learned When I Read Every Single Word of the Bible. This program was recorded in collaboration with Politics and Prose Bookstore, in Washington, D.C., on March 7, 2009.

Like many Jews and Christians, David Plotz, editor of Slate Magazine, long assumed he knew what was in the Bible. He read parts of it as a child in Hebrew school, then at-tended a Christian high school where he studied the Old and New Testaments.

Many of the highlights stuck with him--Adam and Eve, Cain versus Abel, Jacob versus Esau, Jonah versus whale, forty days and nights, ten plagues and commandments, twelve tribes and apostles, Red Sea walked under, Galilee walked on, bush into fire, rock into water, water into wine. And, of course, he absorbed from all around him other bits of the Bible--from stories he heard in churches and synagogues, in movies and on television, from his parents and teachers.

But it wasn't until he picked up a Bible at a cousin's bat mitzvah--and became engrossed and horrified by a lesser-known story in Genesis--that he couldn't put it down. - Politics and Prose Bookstore

David Plotz is Slate's editor. He is the author of Good Book: The Bizarre, Hilarious, Disturbing, Marvelous, and Inspiring Things I Learned When I Read Every Single Word of the Bible. In 1992, Plotz graduated from Harvard. Prior to his work at Slate, he worked as a paralegal for the Department of Justice, which he disliked, switching to journalism. Thereafter, he served as a writer and editor for the Washington City Paper. He joined Slate when it launched in 1996.

Dinesh D'Souza Credits India's Success to Christianity

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 19:18:11 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/12/07/Dinesh_DSouza_Whats_So_Great_About_Christianity

D'Souza argues that India's global economic successes are due to Christian tenets and values. He believes that, in contrast to the Hindu caste system, Christianity's precept of "universal brotherhood" appealed to Indians.

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Is Christianity obsolete? Can an intelligent, educated person really believe the Bible? Has Christianity been disproven by science, debunked as a force for good, and discredited as a guide to morality? Do the atheists have it right?

Bestselling author Dinesh D'Souza looks at Christianity with a questioning eye, but treats atheists with equal skepticism; he challenges the assumptions of both believers and doubters, and affirms that there really is, indeed, something great about Christianity - Grace Cathedral

Dinesh D'Souza is the Robert and Karen Rishwain Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Before joining the Hoover Institution, Mr. D'Souza was the John M. Olin Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. In 1987-88 he served as senior policy analyst at the Reagan White House. From 1985 to 1987 he was managing editor of Policy Review. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Dartmouth College in 1983.

Alan Jones, Ph.D., has been dean of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco since 1985. Jones was formerly the director of the Center for Christian Spirituality and Stephen F. Bayne Professor of Ascetical Theology at General Theological Seminary in New York City. Born and educated in England, Jones was also on the staff of Trinity Institute of Wall Street's Trinity Church. He became a citizen of the United States in 1975. Jones is the author of several books, most notably, Soul Making, The Desert Way of Spirituality, Passion for Pilgrimage and most recently, The Soul's Journey: Exploring the Three Passages of the Spiritual Life with Dante as a Guide. He is widely known as a gifted preacher and travels throughout the world preaching, lecturing, and leading retreats.

Robert Thurman - Buddha and the Atom: Everything Is Infinitely Divisible

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 17:38:19 -0800

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/02/09/Robert_Thurman_at_City_Arts__Lectures

Buddhist author Robert Thurman uses the atom to explain the Buddhist belief that nothing in the universe is indivisible. He says while scientists strive to "bump up against something hard," their quest is futile because all matter is "infinitely divisible."

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When author, translator, and scholar Robert Thurman was first introduced to His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 1964, he was described as "a crazy American boy, very intelligent and with a good heart (though a little proud), who spoke Tibetan well and had learned something about Buddhism [and] wanted to become a monk."

Thurman became the first Westerner to be ordained as a Buddhist monk, though he gave up his robes after several years for an American academic career.

His many books, including Essential Tibetan Buddhism, Inner Revolution, The Jewel Tree of Tibet, and Why the Dalai Lama Matters, reflect a deep reverence for Tibet combined with a flair for making Buddhism accessible to the West.

A champion of the preservation of Tibet's culture, Thurman co-founded New York City's Tibet House with actor Richard Gere and works closely with the Dalai Lama to educate the world about Tibet's political struggles against China.

Well-known for his enthusiasm and depth on the page and in person, Thurman is currently Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University, holding the first endowed chair in the field in the United States.

Stephen Singluar - The FLDS and the Mormon Church

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 16:56:19 -0800

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/09/16/Stephen_Singular_Investigates_FLDS_Polygamists

Author Stephen Singular and former Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints member Laura Chapman discuss the complicated relationship between the polygamist FLDS and the mainstream Mormon church.

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New York Times bestselling author and Edgar Award nominee Stephen Singular discusses his new book When Men Become Gods: Mormon Polygamist Warren Jeffs, His Cult of Fear, and the Women Who Fought Back.

One of the women profiled in Singular's book, Laura Chapman, a former FLDS member who escaped polygamy and was profiled recently on CBS' 48 Hours, also speaks at this event - Tattered Cover Book Store

Since 1987, Stephen Singular has published 17 more non-fiction books that reflect a wide range of interest and diversity of styles. Twice a New York Times best selling author, he's written three books about sports, including collaborations with NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and controversial NFL superstar Terrell Owens, and biographies of Hollywood power players Michael Ovitz and David Geffen. True crime remained the focal point of his work, but he'd begun writing less about individual crimes and more about social crimes. His 1995 study of the O.J. Simpson case, Legacy of Deception, went beneath the media hysteria surrounding these murders and connected the violent bigotry of The Order with the racist corruption inside the Los Angeles Police Department. Singular's 1999 book, Presumed Guilty: An Investigation into the JonBenet Ramsey Case, the Media, and the Culture of Pornography, performed a similar role for the infamous child killing in Boulder, Colorado.

Laura Chapman is a child services worker for the state of Colorado and an activist against polygamy. She was raised in the Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saints community until she left with her five children.

Reuven Firestone - Religious Texts of Peace and Aggression

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 17:04:47 -0800

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/09/18/An_Introduction_to_Islam_for_Jews

Rabbi Firestone discusses the seeming paradox of religious kindness and aggression. All religions hold traits of aggression, Firestone argues, and many "divinely authorized holy wars" simply grow out of those texts which speak most succinctly to the zeitgeist of the time.

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In his new book, Rabbi Reuven Firestone offers an introduction to Islam, intended for a Jewish audience.

He explains the similarities and differences between Judaism and Islam, the complex history of Jihad, the legal and religious positions of Jews in the Islamic world, how various expressions of Islam regard Jews, the scope of Muslim views about Israel and other topics - Sixth and I Historic Synagogue

Rabbi Firestone is Professor of Medieval Jewish and Islamic Studies, HUC-JIR/Los Angeles. He served for eight years as Director of HUC-JIR's Edgar F. Magnin School of Graduate Studies and the Jerome Louchheim School of Undergraduate Jewish Studies at the University of Southern California, which offers degrees in cooperation with HUC-JIR. Prior to joining the HUC-JIR faculty, he taught at Boston University and was Yad Hanadiv Research Fellow at the Hebrew University. He received a Center for Arabic Study Abroad (CASA) III research fellowship for the Spring 2006 semester for study at the American University of Cairo, funded by the Fulbright Binational Committee in Egypt and the U.S. Department of Education. In 2000, Professor Firestone was awarded a fellowship for independent research from the National Endowment for the Humanities, and was chosen to be a fellow of the Institute for Advanced Jewish Studies at the University of Pennsylvania in 2002. His specialties are early Islam and its relationship with Jews and Judaism, scriptural interpretation of the Bible and Qur'an, and the phenomenon of holy war.

Lisa Bitel - Jesus On a Pancake?

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:21:58 -0800

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/11/10/Dr_Michael_Arbib_and_Dr_Lisa_Bitel_Seeing_the_Divine

Religion historian Lisa Bitel examines several contemporary reports of religious visions, manifestations and apparitions.

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How, in this age of scientific rationalism, can we begin to understand religious visions and mystical experiences--now being reported by a growing number of people on the nightly news, across the internet, and by word-of-mouth?

Dr. Lisa Bitel and Dr. Michael A. Arbib discuss visions from the Middle Ages to today, especially the tensions between cultural, spiritual, and neurological explanations for extraordinary sights, and consider new ways to understand these mysterious phenomena - Los Angeles Public Library

Lisa Bitel is the Professor of History and Gender Studies and Chair, Gender Studies Program at USC College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Professor Bitel studies the social, cultural, and religious history of medieval Europe. She has written four books about religion and/or gender in early medieval Europe, and published articles about sex, dreams, architecture, and Christianity, among other topics. She is currently researching two books about religious vision: a book on the material history of medieval visions and a collaborative book about a modern-day vision event in the Mojave desert.

Za Rinpoche - Accepting Life's Struggles

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:21:58 -0800

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/05/02/Za_Rinpoche_on_The_Backdoor_To_Enlightenment

Tibetan monk Za Rinpoche identifies awareness of life's struggles as a necessary step towards personal enlightenment.

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Za Rinpoche shows us The Backdoor To Enlightenment.

Za Rinpoche, a Tibetan monk, first came to the world's attention when his life story was chronicled in the first chapter of Po Bronson's bestseller, What Should I Do with My Life?

While growing up in a refugee camp in Southern India, Za Rinpoche was recognized by the Dalai Lama as the sixth reincarnation of the Za Choeje Rinpoche.

Now, in The Backdoor To Enlightenment, he shares with us the keys to immediate, profound realization and lasting peace, revealing the secrets to enlightenment that have remained hidden in the distant reaches of the Himalayas for more than a thousand years.

This revolutionary work stands out as a smart, clear guide, showing step-by-step how you can use these deep truths to transform every aspect of your life.

Za Rinpoche is the founder of the Emaho Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Scottsdale, Arizona, dedicated to sharing Tibetan culture with the West, supporting humanitarian projects, and assisting with personal spiritual development - Cody's Books

Za Choeje Rinpoche was identified by H.H. the Dalai Lama as the sixth reincarnation of ZaChoeje Rinpoche. At the age of 16 he entered Drepung Loseling Monastery where, after ten years of study, he graduated with the Geshe Lharampa degree and continued his studies at Gyume Tantric College in India.

Firoozeh Dumas - Muslims in the Media

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 16:39:19 -0800

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/11/23/Firoozeh_Dumas_Laughing_Without_An_Accent

Iranian-American author Firoozeh Dumas criticizes American media for promoting what she views as an overly negative representation of Muslims.

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Often lost in the rhetoric of debate about the United States' immigration policy is this: although each immigrant's country of origin and reason for leaving are widely diverse, the experience of being an immigrant in the United States crosses all cultural divides.

For the past five years, Firoozeh Dumas has traveled the country reminding us that our commonalities far outweigh our differences ... and doing so with humor.

In 2001, with no prior writing experience, Firoozeh Dumas decided to write down her family stories as a gift for her two children. Those stories became the book Funny in Farsi, a San Francisco Chronicle and Los Angeles Times bestseller and a finalist for the PEN/USA award and for an Audie Award for best audio book (She lost to Bob Dylan).

She was also a finalist for the prestigious Thurber Prize for American Humor (she lost to Jon Stewart), and is the first Middle Eastern woman ever to be considered for this honor.

Dumas's latest book, entitled Laughing Without an Accent, was published in May 2008 - Grace Cathedral

Gustav Niebuhr - Working Towards Peace Through Interfaith Dialogue

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 17:40:17 -0800

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/08/06/R_Gustav_Niebuhr_Going_Beyond_Tolerance

Gustav Niebuhr, co-director of the Luce Project in Religion, Media, and International Relations at Syracuse University, argues that a willingness to engage in communication and dialogue is a necessary tool for promoting peace and understanding among rivals.

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Professor R. Gustav Niebuhr discusses his book, Beyond Tolerance: Searching for Interfaith Understanding in America, as a part of the Chautauqua Institution's 2008 lecture series. This program was recorded in Chautauqua, NY, on August 6, 2008.

Gustav Niebuhr is an associate professor of Religion and the Media, director of the Religion and Society Program, director of the Carnegie Religion and Media Minor, and co-director of the Luce Project in Religion, Media, and International Relations at Syracuse University.

Over a twenty-year career in journalism, most recently at the New York Times and, prior to that, at the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and the Atlanta Journal/Constitution, Gustav Niebuhr has established a reputation as a leading writer about American religion. He is a frequent guest blogger on the Washington Post's "On Faith" column, and he also does occasional commentaries on religion for the National Public Radio program "All Things Considered."

Sam Harris - Misconceptions About Atheism

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:41:54 -0800

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2007/07/04/Clash_Between_Faith_and_Reason

Author Sam Harris addresses what he feels are several commonly-held misconceptions about atheism.

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"Believing the Unbelievable: The Clash Between Faith and Reason in the Modern World" with Sam Harris speaking at the 2007 Aspen Ideas Festival.

Some of the most inspired and provocative thinkers, writers, artists, business people, teachers and other leaders drawn from myriad fields and from across the country and around the world all gathered in a single place - to teach, speak, lead, question, and answer at the 2006 Aspen Ideas Festival. Throughout the week, they all interacted with an audience of thoughtful people who stepped back from their day-to-day routines to delve deeply into a world of ideas, thought, and discussion.

Sam Harris is the author of the New York Times bestsellers, The End of Faith and Letter to a Christian Nation. The End of Faith won the 2005 PEN Award for Nonfiction.

Mr. Harris' writing has been published in over ten languages. He and his work have been discussed in Newsweek, TIME, U.S. News and World Report, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Chicago Tribune, The Economist, The Guardian, The Independent, The International Herald Tribune, Der Spiegel, The Globe and Mail, New Scientist, Wired, SEED Magazine, and many other journals.

Mr. Harris makes regular appearances on television and radio to talk about the danger that religion now poses to modern societies. His essays have appeared in Newsweek, The Los Angeles Times, The Times of London, The Boston Globe, and elsewhere. He blogs for the Washington Post / Newsweek website: On Faith, the Huffington Post, TruthDig, and Edge.org. Mr. Harris is a graduate in philosophy from Stanford University and has studied both Eastern and Western religious traditions, along with a variety of contemplative disciplines, for twenty years. He is completing a doctorate in neuroscience.

Peter J. Gomes - Would Jesus Support Gay Marriage?

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 17:05:03 -0800

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/06/15/Peter_J_Gomes_The_Scandalous_Gospel_of_Jesus

Baptist Minister Rev. Peter Gomes discusses why he believes Jesus would have supported the idea of gay marriage.

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"What did Jesus preach?" asks Harvard pastor Peter J. Gomes, who believes that excessive focus on the Bible and doctrines about Jesus have led the Christian church astray.

To recover the transformative power of the gospel - "the good news" - Gomes says we must go beyond the Bible and rediscover how to live out Jesus's original revolutionary message of hope.

With eloquence and insight, using examples from ancient times as well as modern pop culture, Gomes shows us why the good news is every bit as relevant today as it was when first preached - Grace Cathedral

The Reverend Professor Peter J. Gomes is an American Baptist minister ordained to the Christian Ministry by The First Baptist Church of Plymouth, Massachusetts. Since 1970 he has served in The Memorial Church, Harvard University; and since 1974 as Plummer Professor of Christian Morals and Pusey Minister in The Memorial Church.

His most recent work, The Scandalous Gospel of Jesus, includes extensive commentary and observation on the interrelations of Church and State throughout history and particularly in recent US history.

Alan Jones, Ph.D., has been dean of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco since 1985. Jones was formerly the director of the Center for Christian Spirituality and Stephen F. Bayne Professor of Ascetical Theology at General Theological Seminary in New York City. Born and educated in England, Jones was also on the staff of Trinity Institute of Wall Street's Trinity Church. He became a citizen of the United States in 1975.Jones is the author of several books, most notably, Soul Making, The Desert Way of Spirituality, Passion for Pilgrimage and most recently, The Soul's Journey: Exploring the Three Passages of the Spiritual Life with Dante as a Guide.

Kerry Kennedy - Feminism in the Catholic Church?

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 13:15:33 -0800

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/10/02/Kerry_Kennedy_Faith_in_a_Modern_Era

Author and humanitarian Kerry Kennedy discusses reconciling her strong support for women's rights with her faith in the Catholic Church.

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Author and humanitarian Kerry Kennedy discusses her book, "Being Catholic Now," in a conversation with David Batstone. This program was recorded in collaboration with the Commonwealth Club of California, in San Francisco, CA, on October 2, 2008.

How do you spend your Sundays? Could the Church change its image among young skeptics by using more innovative Web 2.0 technologies?

Kennedy interviewed high-profile church members in an exploration of personal journeys and interpretations versus dogmatic and impersonal mandates sent from above.

Kennedy shares her experiences, replete with tales of struggle, spirituality, denial and much more - The Commonwealth Club of California

Activist Kerry Kennedy is an advocate for the protection and promotion of fair and equal justice, the defense of basic human rights, and the rule of law worldwide. The author of Speak Truth to Power, which features interviews with international human rights activists, Kennedy has led over 40 human rights delegations to over 30 countries, all with the goal of preserving the rule of law and human dignity. Currently, she is chair of the Amnesty International Leadership Council, and is a judge for the Reebok Human Rights Award.

David Batstone, Ph.D., is Professor of Ethics in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of San Francisco. Batstone serves as Executive Editor of Sojourners magazine, which Folio awarded in both 2003 and 2004 as the "Best Religious/Spiritual Magazine" in the United States. In addition to his part in the leadership team, Batstone initiated and directs SojoMail, an online news and perspective that is delivered weekly to over 200,000 subscribers.

A.J. Jacobs - The Year of Living Biblically

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 15:25:29 -0800

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2007/10/24/A_J__Jacobs_Year_of_Living_Biblically

Author A.J. Jacobs discusses the motivations behind his book, "The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Qest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible."

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A.J. Jacobs discusses his book, "The Year of Living Biblically."

"The Year of Living Biblically" answers the question: What if a modern-day American followed every single rule in the Bible as literally as possible. Not just the famous rules - the Ten Commandments and Love Thy Neighbor (though certainly those). But the hundreds of oft-ignored ones: don't wear clothes of mixed fibers. Grow your beard. Stone adulterers. A.J. Jacobs' experiment is surprising, informative, timely and funny. It is both irreverent and reverent. It seeks to discover what's good in the Bible and what is maybe not so relevant to 21st century life. And it will make you see the Good Book with new eyes. Thou shalt not put it down. - Cody's Books

A.J. Jacobs is an editor at large at Esquire magazine, for which he wrote the article "My Outsourced Life". His last book was "The Know-It-All" in which he described the process of reading the entire Encyclopedia Britannica. - Cody's Books

Jim Wallis - Religion in the 2008 Election

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:34:44 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/09/01/Richard_Land_and_Jim_Wallis_Faith_and_Politics

Jim Wallis, Editor-in-Chief of Sojourner's Magazine, examines religious issues in the 2008 U.S. Presidential election, and argues that these topics represent a "sea change" from issues considered relevant just four years ago.

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Moderated by Krista Tippett, host of American Public Media's Speaking of Faith, this panel of conservative evangelical Dr. Richard Land and liberal evangelical Jim Wallis separates faith from any one party and defines a broad faith-oriented agenda - University of Minnesota

Jim Wallis is founder of the Sojourners Community, a 30-year-old Christian ministry focused on social justice and peace, and editor-in-chief of Sojourners magazine, which covers faith, politics, and culture. He is a speaker, author, activist, and international commentator on ethics and public life. In 1995, Wallis was instrumental in forming Call to Renewal, a national federation of churches, denominations, and faith-based organizations from across the theological and political spectrum working to overcome poverty.Wallis's columns frequently appear in The New York Times, The Washington Post and other major newspapers. His most recent book is God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It; he has authored five in total. He offers regular commentary and analysis for radio and television and teaches a course at Harvard University called "Faith, Politics, and Society."

Pico Iyer - The Dalai Lama on Nonviolent Opposition

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 17:56:35 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/04/20/The_Open_Road_with_Pico_Iyer

Dalai Lama biographer Pico Iyer discusses the exiled leader's philosophy of nonviolent opposition to the Chinese occupation of Tibet.

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Pico Iyer discusses his book, "The Open Road: The Global Journey of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama," in a conversation with Rev. Alan Jones. This program was recorded in collaboration with Grace Cathedral, in San Francisco, CA, on April 20, 2008.

Pico Iyer has been engaged in conversation with the Dalai Lama (a friend of his father's) for the last three decades - an ongoing exploration of his message and its effectiveness.

Now, in his insightful, impassioned book, Iyer captures the paradoxes of the Dalai Lama's position: though he has brought the ideas of Tibet to world attention, Tibet itself is being remade as a Chinese province; though he was born in one of the remotest, least developed places on earth, he has become a champion of globalism and technology.

He is a religious leader who warns against being needlessly distracted by religion; a Tibetan head of state who suggests that exile from Tibet can be an opportunity; an incarnation of a Tibetan god who stresses his everyday humanity.

Moving from Dharamsala, India - the seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile - to Lhasa, Tibet, to venues in the West, where the Dalai Lama's pragmatism, rigor, and scholarship are sometimes lost on an audience yearning for mystical visions, The Open Road illuminates the hidden life, the transforming ideas, and the daily challenges of a global icon - Grace Cathedral

Pico Iyer is a British-born essayist and novelist of Indian descent. He is most recently the author of The Open Road: The Global Journey of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama.

Richard Ackland - The Problem with Blind Faith

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:15:41 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/08/19/Would_We_Be_Better_Off_Without_Religion

Journalist Richard Ackland argues that many religious leaders encourage people to blindly follow their beliefs, which can lead to ignorant, and even dangerous decisions.

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While the world's religions have inspired stunning acts of creation, they also have been implicated in some of the darkest deeds in human history.

If God cannot be blamed for such moments of evil, His priests and prophets at least have a case to answer.

So what might they say? That religion is unfairly blamed -- and that we should look to other factors? Admit that there are problems but argue that on balance the good outweighs the bad? That there is no alternative; that people need religion like they need air? - Intelligence Squared

Richard Ackland is a prominent columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald writing on legal and ethical issues. He is founder of Law Press of Australia, whose publications include The Justinian and The Gazette of Law and Journalism. Ackland has been a staunch advocate of free speech and was co-winner of the prestigious Gold Walkley for Journalism in 1999 following work as writer and presenter of the ABC's Media Watch program. Ackland has also presented ABC Radio National's breakfast program, covering a range of issues and controversies. In 2000 he was awarded the Voltaire Prize for Free Speech.

Brother Guy Consolmagno - Was the Bible Meant to be Taken Literally?

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 14:00:31 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/03/02/Brother_Guy_Consolmagno_God_s_Mechanics

Astronomer, author and Jesuit brother Guy Consolmagno discusses the creationist theory of the origin of life, arguing that this theory rests on a literal interpretation of the bible that is not practical.

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Brother Guy Consolmagno discusses "God's Mechanics: How Scientists and Engineers Make Sense of Religion."

With wry humor, Brother Guy Consolmagno shows how he not only believes in God but gives religion an honored place alongside science in his life. His book God's Mechanics: How Scientists and Engineers Make Sense of Religion offers an engaging look at how - and why - scientists and those with technological leanings can hold profound, "unprovable" religious beliefs while working in highly empirical fields.

Vatican astronomer Guy Consolmagno is a Jesuit brother with advanced degrees from MIT and the University of Arizona. A highly respected planetary scientist whose research focuses on meteorites, asteroids, and dwarf planets, Consolmagno is the author or co-author of numerous books and publications, including Brother Astronomer and Turn Left at Orion. He even has an asteroid named in his honor (4597 Consolmagno, known to its friends as "Little Guy").

He has served as chair of the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society and is a past president of Commission 16 (Planets and Moons) of the International Astronomical Union - Grace Cathedral

The Dalai Lama - "War is Outdated"

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:25:38 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/07/26/His_Holiness_the_Dalai_Lama_at_The_Aspen_Institute

Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, describes war as "outdated" in an increasingly interdependent world.

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The Aspen Institute and co-chairs Margot Pritzker and Richard Blum, in collaboration with the Conservancy for Tibetan Art and Culture, are proud to present a substantive symposium that embraces Tibetan and Himalayan art, culture, science, medicine, spiritual practice, and history.

The three-day program - featuring His Holiness the Dalai Lama as the keynote speaker - will bring together an extraordinary number of eminent scholars, teachers, practitioners and tradition-bearers from around the globe to shed light on the rich historical and philosophical significance of Tibet and its impact on global issues today - The Aspen Institute

Tenzin Gyatso is the 14th Dalai Lama. He is the head of the Tibetan government-in-exile in Dharamshala, India. Tibetans traditionally believe him to be the reincarnation of his predecessors.

Irshad Manji - Understanding Islamic Leadership

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:23:07 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/07/01/Irshad_Manji_and_Dalia_Mogahed_-_Who_Speaks_for_Islam

Muslim-Canadian author and commentator Irshad Manji explains clerical authority in Islam, and how the religion's lack of a unified organizational system could open the door to reform.

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Irshad Manji and Dalia Mogahed discuss issues surrounding contemporary Islam at the 2008 Aspen Ideas Festival, including the nature of the religion in relation to peace and conflict and the interpretation of the Koran.

Irshad Manji is director of the Moral Courage Project at New York University, which aims to develop leaders who will challenge political correctness, intellectual conformity, and self-censorship. She is also the internationally best-selling author of The Trouble with Islam Today: A Muslim's Call for Reform in Her Faith. She created the acclaimed PBS documentary "Faith Without Fear" which chronicles her journey to reconcile Islam with human rights and freedom.

She also founded Project Ijtihad, which won the Youth Global Leader award from the World Economic Forum for its global campaign to popularize Islams own tradition of critical thinking. Irshads columns appear frequently in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Times of London.

Jeffrey Goldberg is the staff writer and Middle East correspondent for the New Yorker Goldberg, based in Washington, D.C.. He joined the staff of the New Yorker in 2000.

Previously, he was a writer for the New York Times Magazine, covering the Middle East and Africa. He has also covered the mafia for New York Magazine, served as the New York bureau chief of the Forward, and been a columnist for the Jerusalem Post. He began his career as a police reporter for the Washington Post.

E.J. Dionne on Faith and Patriotism

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 11:52:36 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/07/01/EJ_Dionne_in_Conversation

Washington Post Op-Ed Columnist E.J. Dionne discusses the relationship between faith and patriotism - while cautioning against blind loyalty to either.

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Washington Post Op-Ed Columnist E.J. Dionne discusses religion and American politics, as a part of the Chautauqua Institution's 2008 lecture series. This program was recorded in collaboration with the Chautauqua Institution, in Chautauqua, NY, on July 1, 2008.

E.J. Dionne is a twice-weekly columnist for The Post, writing on national policy and politics. His column appears on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Before joining The Post in 1990 as a political reporter, he spent 14 years at The New York Times, covering local, state, and national politics, and also serve as a foreign correspondent in Paris, Rome and Beirut. Dionne began his column for The Post in 1993. He is a University Professor at Georgetown University and a senior fellow at The Brookings Institution. Dionne has been a frequent commentator on politics for National Public Radio, ABC's "This Week," and NBC's "Meet the Press." His book Why Americans Hate Politics (1991), won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and was a National Book Award nominee. He is also author of Stand Up Fight Back: Republican Toughs, Democratic Wimps, and the Politics of Revenge (2004), and They Only Look Dead: Why Progressives Will Dominate The Next Political Era (1996).

Dionne received the American Political Science Association's annual Carey McWilliams Award in 1996 for a major journalistic contribution to the understanding of politics. In 2002, he received the Empathy Award from the Volunteers of America, and in 2004 he won the National Human Services Assembly's Award for Excellence by a Member of the Media.

Hitchens Debates McGrath on Religion: The Center vs The Fringe

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 17:30:42 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2007/10/11/Christopher_Hitchens_Debates_Alister_McGrath

Oxford University theologian Alister McGrath debates atheist author Christopher Hitchens on whether the goals of mainstream religions can be separated from those of their extremist "fringes."

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Poison or Cure? Religious Belief in the Modern World: A debate, dialogue, and discussion with Christopher Hitchens and Alister McGrath.

The Ethics and Public Policy Center and the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University host a debate between writer Christopher Hitchens and Oxford University professor Alister McGrath on the role of religious belief in the modern world.

Christopher Hitchens is an author, journalist and literary critic. Now living in Washington, D.C., he has been a columnist at Vanity Fair, The Nation and Slate; additionally, he is an occasional contributor to many other publications. He is most recently the author of "God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything" (2007) and editor of "The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Nonbeliever" (2007).

Alister McGrath is a biochemist and Christian theologian born in Belfast, North Ireland. He currently enjoys the title of distinction "Professor of Historical Theology" granted by the University of Oxford. He has written extensively on history and theology, including "In the Beginning: The Story of the King James Bible and How It Changed a Nation, a Language, and a Culture" (2001), and "The Twilight of Atheism: The Rise and Fall of Disbelief in the Modern World" (2005).

He has written biographies of John Calvin, Thomas Torrance, and J. I. Packer. He has also written on the interaction of science and theology and his "A Scientific Theology" (4 volumes, 2001-2004) has been hailed as one the most important works of systematic theology to appear in recent years. He has written two critiques of the biologist "Richard Dawkins: The Dawkins Delusion?" (2007) and "Dawkins' God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life" (2005). His most recent book is "Christianity's Dangerous Idea: The Protestant Revolution - A History from the Sixteenth Century to the Twenty-First," published by HarperOne. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 2005 and in 2009 he will give the prestigious Gifford Lectures at the University of Aberdeen.

Garry Wills - Was America Founded on Christianity?

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:15:17 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2007/10/13/Garry_Wills_Head_and_Heart

Pulitzer Prize-winning author and cultural historian Garry Wills discusses the origins of America's separation between church and state, and argues that this relationship has worked to the benefit of both interests.

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Historian Garry Wills discusses his book Head and Heart: American Christianities. This program was recorded at Politics and Prose Bookstore in Washington, D.C., on October 13, 2007.

A prolific thinker and writer on history and faith, Wills tackles the evolving roles of the multiple denominations of Christianity throughout American history. He sees an ongoing tension between reason and emotion, which he believes is necessary and inevitable, and is clearly visible in the fervor of the religious right pitted against the enlightenment values of separation of church and state - Politics and Prose

Garry Wills (PhD Yale, 1961) is an adjunct professor and cultural historian whose many books include penetrating studies of George Washington, Richard Nixon, the Kennedy family, Ronald Reagan, and religion in America. His numerous prizes include the Merle Curti Award of the American Historical Association, the National Book Critics Award, the Pulitzer Prize, and an honorary doctorate from the College of the Holy Cross.

FORA.tv Interview with Christopher Hitchens

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 17:11:12 -0700

Original video at: http://fora.tv/2007/05/23/Backstage_Interview_wChristopher_Hitchens

Bestselling author and journalist Christopher Hitchens speaks with FORA.tv President and CEO Brian Gruber. This program was recorded prior to an event featuring Mr. Hitchens at City Arts and Lectures in San Francisco, CA, on May 23, 2007.

Christopher Hitchens is an author, journalist and literary critic. Now living in Washington, D.C., he has been a columnist at Vanity Fair, The Nation and Slate; additionally, he is an occasional contributor to many other publications. Hitchens is most recently the author of "God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything."

Brian Gruber is Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of FORA.tv.Gruber has twenty years experience successfully building and marketing media enterprises. As the senior marketing officer for a range of respected media institutions, he has managed billion dollar revenue budgets and large and small marketing teams. As the first marketing director for C-SPAN, he built its affiliate sales and marketing organization, launching C-SPAN II with the largest subscriber base ever for a cable network at launch.