Volume 125 Issue 1 January/February 2010

Editorial: Bishops, belief and barnets: Catholic child abuse scandals highlight the dangers of religious privilege

Cover Story

Head to head: When we heard that Tzvetan Todorov, author of In Defence of the Enlightenment, was coming to London we couldn’t resist getting him together with our very own contemporary philosophe, AC Grayling, to discuss the new book and the legacy of the great 18th-century republic of letters

Consider me indifferent: National Secular Society president Terry Sanderson reveals his true feelings about religion

Dangerous liaisons: Will the new Policing and Crime Act protect prostitutes – or persecute them? Sally Feldman plunges into the underworld
In search of the G spot: Is faith hard-wired in the the brain? Raymond Tallis scans some new claims
Who needs God?: Why is religion on the rise in so many different countries? Tom Rees finds the missing link
Whistleblower: working for Scientology: Paul Sims speaks to Marc Headley, the Scientology escapee now revealing what life is really like on the inside
Suffer the little children: The Catholic Church not only allowed priests to destroy hundreds of young lives, it blamed the victims and covered up the crimes for decades. For Laurie Taylor it’s personal
Bad Faith Awards 2009: Pope Benedict XVI emerges victorious: After a tightly fought campaign, and more than 7,000 votes cast, we announce the winner of our coveted 2009 Bad Faith Award
Welcome back Uncle Joe: Russia’s ‘efficient manager’ is being written back into official history, reports Michael Binyon

Diary: Taking the reins: Running the BHA is daunting but very exciting, says Andrew Copson
Endgame: Brain drain: Laurie Taylor does some thinking aloud

Fair game?: 350 million do it regularly. It offers levels of complexity and human interaction beyond any other art form. We can’t continue to ignore the cultural impact of online gaming, says Michael Bywater
Going gentle: A series of new care centres shows modern architecture rediscovering its humanity. Ken Worpole takes the tour

The God Market: How Globalisation is Making India More Hindu by Meera Nanda: Edna Fernandes isn't quite convinced by an explanation of India's religious nationalism
Logicomix: An Epic Search for the Truth by Apostolous Doxiadis & Christos Papadimitriou: Marcus Chown enjoys a graphic maths lesson
Mirrors: Stories of Almost Everyone by Eduardo Galeano: Andreas Campomar surveys the 20th century with a Uruguayan master
Testament by Jean Meslier: Colin Brewer admires the last testament of an atheist priest
Asylum: Inside the Closed World of State Mental Hospitals by Christopher Payne: Max Houghton on stunning new photographs of America's state asylums