Religion & Spirituality

Comedian Richard Belzer. After struggling through a poor and difficult childhood and a rough decade trying to make it as a comic, he is now performing in comedy clubs from coast to coast. He is also appearing in movies, and starring in comedy specials on cable TV.

Book critic John Leonard reviews a collection of essays by Primo Levi.

Father Michael Doyle. He's the pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Camden, New Jersey, which sits in the center of a rundown neighborhood in one of the most depressed cities on the East coast. A deeply religious man who over the years has had his differences with the church hierarchy, Fr. Doyle has committed his church to social change and helping the poor.

Jerry Falwell, former head of the Moral Majority and temporary head of the PTL (Praise the Lord) organization after revelations of sexual encounters brought down the Rev. Jim Bakker. Falwell recently stepped down as head of the PTL and of the Moral Majority, his Christian political action committee, to concentrate on his ministry, best known through his national television program "The Old Time Gospel Hour." He's written an autobiography titled Strength for the Journey.

Father Niall O'Brien. He has worked for over 20 years as a missionary priest in the Philippines. He was imprisoned by the Marcos regime because he helped the poor to start self-reliant Christian communities. He continues his work in the Philippines under the Aquino government.

Don Novello, a.k.a Father Guido Sarducci, the Vatican gossip columnist of "Saturday Night Live" fame.

Comic Jackie Mason. He's the star of the one-man Broadway show, "The World According to Me," a hit for eight months now. The show continues to draw more sold-out houses than any other non-musical attraction on Broadway.

Rock historian Ed Ward will look at the spiritual struggles of veteran rocker Jerry Lee Lewis and what role they played in his music.

Canadian writer Mordecai Richler, author of The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz and Joshua Then and Now, both of which were adapted into films.

Alexander Slepak was able to leave the Soviet Union and emigrate to the United States. His parents, both prominent Jewish activists, continue to be denied the right to leave the country.

Theater critic Richard Gilman was born into a Jewish family, later joined the Catholic Church, and now identifies as an atheist. In his new memoir, he describes how restrictive teachings on sexuality drove him away form organized religion.

Political cartoonist Doug Marlette draws inspiration from a lifetime in the South, including its fervent religious culture -- which he satirizes in his new book, There's No Business Like Soul Business.

The Nobel Prize-winning writer's formative experiences were informed by war in Eastern Europe, an itinerant childhood, and American novels and films. He has lived in the United States since 1960.

Early in his adult life, the writer believed that the narrow worldview of his Hasidic upbringing was at odds with his ambition to become a writer. Potok, however, is still very much tied to the Jewish tradition, which he explores in his novels.

Psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton researches the psychological effects of wartime atrocities on both survivors and those who committed crimes against humanity.

Evangelical minister Jerry Falwell has cultivated a network of political, educational, and media ventures to promote his conservative beliefs in culture and politics. He tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross about how he came to be a Christian, and how he hopes to guide others to the faith.

"The Power and the Spirit," is a documentary produced by Anne Bohlen and Celeste Wesson that examines the ban on the ordainment of women in the Catholic Church. The documentary features women who would like to become priests and women who favor more traditional roles and support the ban, as well as a bishop.

Reverend William Sloane Coffin is known for his activism in the Civil Rights and peace movements. Coffin served as the chaplain for Yale University for 18 years where he was active in leading anti-Vietnam War demonstrations. Coffin left Yale in 1976, and is currently the Senior Minister at New York 's progessive Riverside Church. Coffin's latest book is "Living the Truth in a World of Illusions."

Philadelphian and frequent guest Chaim Potok returns to the show. Potok is a writer known for his novels, including his first, "The Chosen," a best-seller. His latest novel, "Davita's Harp," has just been released in paperback. His fiction often looks at the interplay between religious and secular life, and Potok grew up in Hasidic community, and is a rabbi. Potok has also written non-fiction and was part of a committee of scholars that created a new translation of the Hebrew Bibile which was published in 1982 in three volumes.

Robert J. Lifton is a psychiatrist and author who is a board member of the group Physicians for Social Responsibility. His works include "Indefensible Weapons: The Political and Psychological Case Against Nuclearism" and "Home from the War: Vietnam Veterans: Neither Victims Nor Executioners." His latest book, "The Nazi Doctors: Medical Killing and The Psychology of Genocide," investigates the capacity for human cruelty and is based on interviews with former Nazi doctors and their surviving victims.