The dean of the Washington National Cathedral talks about poetry, the persecution of witches, and Stephen Prothero explains Buddhism

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Prayer Through Poetry, Modern Day Witch Hunts, and More

August 27, 2014

Summary: The Dean of the Washington National Cathedral stops by to share some of his favorite poems. Plus, the growing violence against people accused of witchcraft around the world, and World Religions 101: Buddhism.

Rev. Gary Hall's Literary Spirituality

August 27, 2014

For Rev. Gary Hall, Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost aren't just poets he taught as an English professor at UCLA. They're also some of his best spiritual inspirations. The Dean of the National Cathedral since October 2012, Rev. Hall says sometimes poems, plays and novels offer the most honest way to talk about life's greatest mysteries. From October 2013.

Read some of Rev. Hall's favorite poems.

The Very Rev. Gary Hall, Dean of the Washington National Cathedral

Growing Violence Against Accused Witches

August 27, 2014

Although it may seem like a thing of the past, violence against people accused of witchcraft is growing around the world, in places as diverse as the Pacific Islands, Africa and Latin America.The reasons are varied, and they go beyond the forces of local superstition and extreme poverty. Occult America author Mitch Horowitz points to other problems, like Africa's self-appointed preachers who warn parents against demon possession, then offer to perform exorcisms for a hefty fee.

Read Mitch Horowitz's op-ed on modern witch hunts in the New York Times.

Mitch Horowitz, author of One Simple Idea: How Positive Thinking Reshaped Modern Life

World Religions 101: Buddhism

August 27, 2014

In part three of our series, we explore the most psychological of the world religions. Buddhism says we can solve the problems of humanity on our own, through our minds, without calling on a God. For Buddhists, life is plagued by suffering, but since it has an origin (attachment), it can be eliminated, through a technique known as the Noble Eightfold Path.

Stephen Prothero, author of God is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions that Rule the World and Why Their Differences Matter