Indonesia, women are absolutely 100 percent equal to men

In times of economic distress, it's only natural for people - and Americans have done this for many years - to look for a scapegoat. Depending on where you live in this country, the scapegoats are either, frankly, Mexicans or Muslims. So, you know, God save you if you happened to be a Mexican Muslim in America right now.

The only question that matters with regard to a religion and its mythology is “What do these stories mean?

If you ask a Saudi Imam why women in Saudi Arabia can't drive, he'll say, 'Because Islam demands it.' But that's absurd, because - first of all - Islam demands no such thing; and secondly, the only country in the world in which women can't drive is Saudi Arabia. The inability to understand the difference between a cultural practice and religious belief is shocking among self-described intellectuals.

It is the job of the historian to say what is likely, and of faith to say what is possible.

Authoritarians tend to consolidate support by using fear, but more importantly by driving a wedge among the people that they want to control.

The New Testament is not a historical document.