Inside the heresy files
Interrogation. Surveillance. Ethnic profiling. Censorship. The words come from 21st-century headlines, but they have an ancient pedigree. Cullen Murphy on how the Inquisition ignited the modern police state
Faith & Religion
Q&A: Andy Hamilton
Comedian and writer Andy Hamilton on being a ‘wavering agnostic’ with sympathy for the Devil
Book review: Evolution and Belief by Robert Asher
Adam Rutherford tires of zombie arguments about creationism
Return of the moral minority
Fire-and-brimstone evangelists are usually associated with the US. But turn to the BBC at the weekend and you’ll see they’re enjoying a revival on these shores, says Francis Beckett
D’oh my God: faith in The Simpsons
This year, The Simpsons celebrate their 25th birthday and their 500th episode. Andrew Mueller pays homage to the family we can all believe in
A time to sow
After a year of revolts in the Arab world, is the region reaping the rewards of freedom? Paul Sims talks to veteran Middle East watcher Fuad Nahdi
Cartoon cowardice shames our press
In the aftermath of the firebombing of Charlie Hebdo, reprints of the magazine's Muhammad cover were conspicuous by their absence, notices Frederick Stjernfelt
A tale of two Dickens
The great Christian chronicler of Victorian destitution was also a ‘wicked man’. Matthews Adams talks to biographer Claire Tomalin about the conflicted life that fed his art
In God They Trust
As the US enters primary season ahead of the 2012 elections, Abby Ohlheiser assesses the chances of the “God and Guns” Republicans hoping to challenge Obama in November
Book review: Religion in Human Evolution
Where did religion come from? Keith Kahn-Harris reviews a monumental study