Volume 120 Issue 4 July/August 2005

Cover Story

Bad Karma: A recent court case in the United States has found Hare Krishnas guilty of child abuse on a massive scale. Mary Garden uncovers the story of a hidden scandal

Taliban tendency: What is the right balance between authority and autonomy, between prohibition and freedom? This has become the overarching question during Tony Blairï¿½s third term.
God can't save Africa: Manmade problems require manmade solutions, argues Ebenezer Obadare
Lobbing Horseshit: With everyone talking about the need for 'respect' Martin Rowson reckons it's time to come clean about what they really mean
No god in the details: A new film threatens to explode Christianityï¿½s central myth. Director Brian Flemming asks what if Jesus didnï¿½t exist
Who wears the frocks?: Raffaella Malaguti reports on the latest challenge to the Vatican boys' club
Game theory: Peter Cave tries some thought experiments
Turn me on, dead man: What do the Beatles, the Virgin Mary, Jesus, Patricia Arquette and Michael Keaton have in common, asks Michael Shermer
Believe it or not: David Pollock asks why the government is reluctant to grant humanists their human rights
Aura Bore: Laurie Taylor wonders what you do when friends go freaky

New Labour: Do you have a smile in your voice, a flexible attitude and the ability to negotiate? If so, warns Ewart Keep, you could be part of a growing workforce that is skilled without necessarily being able to do anything
Serious intent: Laurie Taylor interviews Isabel Hilton: Acclaimed journalist Isabel Hilton talks to Laurie Taylor about China, democracy, dictatorships and her passion to represent those at the bottom of the heap
Remarkable things: How should sociology respond to a globalised world? Les Back recommends a return to the link between individual stories and the bigger picture
God's my big homie: Caspar Melville reports on the resurrection of religion in black popular music
Trapped by Buddha: It's not just China that is preventing the emergence of a modern Tibet. Western romantic delusions are just as stifling, argues novelist Jamyang Norbu

Coming out on top: With nipple counts at an allï¿½time high, inflated sales of silicon implants, and the relentless rise of topless celebrities, Sally Feldman puzzles over the sexual politics of breasts
From the front: Dorothy Rowe is touched by messages from the past
Coming home: Judi Herman finds that love is thicker than blood
Thinking aloud: Mark Pagel on what makes scientists tick
Born to be mild: Stanley Middleton's new novel fails to live up to its title says Chris Paling
Dem bones: Brenda Maddox on a remarkable pioneer of paleontology
Matinee idylls: Andrew Tudor samples this summerï¿½s holiday blockbusters