The Evolution of Religion

Nicholas Wade, a science writer for the New York Times, is Mary's guest on Tapestry this week. Wade goes beyond the debate about whether religion is good or bad for us, and asks why some people believe in a higher power at all. He says the need for religion is a drive that has always been part of human nature. That drive, he says, may account in part, for the survival of the human species. Nicholas Wade is the author of The Faith Instinct: How Religion Evolved and why it Endures, published by The Penguin Press.

Avatar
Oscar night is just around the corner, and we didn't want to miss a chance to weigh in on a contender. Cathleen Falsani is a religion columnist and film buff in Laguna Beach, California. Cathleen is not impressed by the spiritual message of Avatar; tune in to hear why. Cathleen Falsani is the author of The Dude Abides: The Gospel According to the Coen Brothers, published by Zondervan.

Tom Forrestall
Tom Forrestall is a painter of large talent and faith. He's one of a group of Atlantic Canadian painters, who are often called Magic Realists. The celebrated artist, who is 74, and lives in Nova Scotia, never picks up a brush unless he is touched by a vision, a vision he says is inspired by the hand of God. CBC radio producer Mary Lynk talked to Forrestall in his studio overlooking Halifax Harbour.

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On today's program, you heard excerpts from Eye Heart Knot, by General Fuzz.