For me science is already fantastical enough. Unlocking the secrets of nature with fundamental physics or cosmology or astrobiology leads you into a wonderland compared with which beliefs in things like alien abductions pale into insignificance.

Besides the healthcare bill being unconstitutional and a great expansion of federal government I think if it does not respect people's individual religious views and makes groups or individuals do things that are contrary to their deeply held beliefs there is going to be a visceral negative reaction.

In fact the U.S. military has bent over backwards to respect the religious beliefs of some very dangerous fanatics who want to kill us.

Americans will respect your beliefs if you just keep them private.

The beliefs I was raised with - to respect animals and to be aware of nature to understand that we share this planet with other creatures - have had a huge impact on me.

In Lincoln's day a President's religion was a very private affair. There were no public prayer meetings no attempts to woo the Religious Right. Few of Lincoln's countrymen knew anything at all of his religious beliefs.

Anyone with sincere religious beliefs cannot say that all religions are true. That is so illogical it is pathetic. All religion cannot be true because some of them are so diametrically opposed to each other.

A lot of people have questioned how yoga and their own spiritual beliefs can come together. Yoga actually pre-dates religion.

Many of us saw religion as harmless nonsense. Beliefs might lack all supporting evidence but we thought if people needed a crutch for consolation where's the harm? September 11th changed all that.

Our institute's agenda is relatively simple. We study the relationship between social-economic change and culture. By culture we mean beliefs values and lifestyles. We cover a broad range of issues and we work very internationally.