Manuel Lopez Zafra is an associate professor of religion at the New College of Florida in Sarasota. He is an expert on Buddhism, especially Tibetan Buddhism, and Hinduism.

James Najarian is editor of the journal Religion and the Arts at Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

Ronald Nakasone is a senior lecturer in Buddhist art and culture at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, Calif. His research interests include Buddhist aesthetics, art, and ethics, spirituality and aging.

Why do all the world’s religions emphasize giving thanks? What are the spiritual benefits of giving thanks? The physical benefits?

Alka Arora is an assistant professor in women’s spirituality at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco. She is an expert on women and spiritual-based activism and Buddhism.

In 2010, a Florida pastor with just a few dozen followers attracted international media coverage when he announced plans to burn copies of the Quran on the anniversary of 9/11. By taking the bait, media outlets became complicit in advancing his hate-filled agenda, making Terry Jones a household name in the U.S. and far beyond. […]