ABSTRACT
The statement on the cover of a recent issue of the American maga zine Mother Jones, reads: 'Believe it or not: Spirituality is the new reli g ion / The issue contains a variety of articles exploring Americans' sustained fascination with things religious-from the Dalai Lama, to the New Age, to the struggle of Catholic priests with celibacy. In the words of its lead editorial: 'Spirituality, if approached with integrity and intelligence, is an effective force for public good.'1 Hence the reason why an explicitly political investigative magazine, and a leftleaning one at that, should report on religion, almost as though it were something requiring an apology.
