NEW YORK (RNS) I played the New York lottery for the first time last week. My $2 ticket didn't win the $588 million payout. In the end, I liked the idea of financial security, but saw little to be gained from sudden wealth. By Tom Ehrich.

"You've got a guy who is a rising Republican star, and who wrote the budget, saying he's read her books and Washington needs more of her values," said Eric Sapp, executive director of the American Values Network, which is trying to tie Paul Ryan to atheist philosopher Ayn Rand. "If you're a Christian, you've got to ask some serious questions about what's going on here."

(RNS) There are certain speeches, songs, books, letters, laws, and axioms that Americans appreciate enough to argue about, says religion scholar Stephen Prothero. By Daniel Burke.