In Syria, Alawite Muslims are kind of like the Mormons of Christianity: they’re a branch of Islam, but many Muslims, especially the Sunni majority, don’t consider them legitimate. That’s always been a problem for Alawite president Bashar al-Assad. Now that more than 9,000 are dead in a revolt against the Assad regime, we explore why theological differences are playing a huge role.

Pictured: The old Syrian flag for the Syrian Republic (1932-58) has become a symbol of the revolution, waved by anti-Assad protesters. 

 

Joshua Landis, Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma

Dr. Kevin Nelson's bizarre encounter with a patient who claimed he was saved by visions of Jesus and angels led him to wonder - what is the biology behind spiritual experiences? In his new book, he explains why near-death visions, mystical experiences and spiritual ecstasies are the result of "borderlines of consciousness" - moments when our brains are caught between different states of awareness. 

 

Dr. Kevin Nelson, author of "The Spiritual Doorway in the Brain"

Some thirty years ago, John Rehm found himself walking into a church on New York’s Fifth Avenue– a funny thing to do for a devout non-believer. He looked up to the altar, and then, he says, “it happened.” What happened was a profound spiritual epiphany, a “paroxysm of joy” that would change his life. He now has a new book, “Onward Journey.” He joins us in the studio to share his book's first entry, "Inquiries," a poem reflecting on the Last Supper.

 

John Rehm, author of "Onward Journey: Seeking the Divine"