A 2002 Oxford study showed counting sheep actually delays the onset of sleep. It's just too dull to stop us from worrying about jobs and spouses.

I thought religion would eventually wither away and we'd all be worshiping at the altar of science.

Very few people changed the world by sitting on their couch.

I'm all for cafeteria religion. I think there's nothing wrong with cafeterias - I've had some great meals at cafeterias. I've also had some horrible meals, so it's important to pick the right things. Take a heaping helping of compassion and mercy, and leave the intolerance on the table.

I always thought the name of Utah’s major newspaper was some sort of weird misspelling of the word “desert.” But no, Deseret is the “land of the honeybee,” according to the Book of Mormon. I guess I should have figured they would have caught a typo in the masthead after 154 years.

I found there were things about religion that I really loved; things like the sense of gratefulness that it brings.

Giulia Melucci has written a wonderfully funny and moving book. It's like Eat, Pray, Love, with recipes.