Volume 122 Issue 6 November/December 2007

Editorial: The A Word: When it comes to being cultish and dogmatic, religion is still the brand leader

Cover Story

Holy communion: New wave atheism is aggressively antagonistic to religion. But, argues Richard Norman, it’s more fruitful to find common ground

Mahmoud's Gaff: An exclusive look at the blog of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of Iran, translated by Peyvand Khorsandi

Demob happy: After seven years on the faith front lines, Guardian religious affairs correspondent Stephen Bates is glad to be back on civvy street
Global warning: With cartoon controversies reverberating across the world Tzvetan Todorov, one of the world’s foremost philosophers, considers the after-effects of the Danish images
Getting better all the time: Genetic modification of humanity isn't just possible, argues John Harris. It's a moral duty.
Shock waves: The idea that continents float deserves to rank alongside those of Galileo and Darwin as one of science’s most profound insights, argues Ted Nield
Campus crusades: Ebenezer Obadare reports on the rise of Nigeria’s student zealots
Allah's ambassadors: Edna Fernandes gains unique access to the ultra-orthodox Deoband madrassa in rural India
God almighty PLC: Marketing expert Winston Fletcher analyses a world-beating strategy
Check republics: The game of chess has its roots in rationalism. And, like the Enlightenment itself, argues Sally Feldman, it’s a force for both liberation and tyranny

Thinkers: William Blake: William Blake was a confused failure but a great humanist, says Shirley Dent
Diary: Forget about the stars, the Wise Men and the Baby Jesus. Christmas is all about family, says Carrie Quinlan
End game: Bursting out: Laurie Taylor can't contain himself

Ring master: High flying, visual acrobatics, visceral shocks – Russia’s greatest director used the tricks of the circus to captivate the crowds. Owen Hatherley takes a seat in Eisenstein’s big top

Nihil Unbound by Ray Brassier: Daniel Miller gets to grips with nihilism
Fallen Angels by Harold Bloom: Jonathan Derbyshire on Harold Bloom's angels
One Soldier's War in Chechnya by Arkady Babchenko: Michael Binyon reviews an horrific memoir from the Chechen wars
Quantum Theory Cannot Hurt You by Marcus Chown: Bill Thompson enjoys an introduction to quantum physics
There's a Riot Going On by Peter Doggett: Andrew Mueller takes on Sixties counter-culture
Blasphemy in the Christian World by David Nash: Toby Saul on how blasphemy changed the way we think