Jesus Christ, this month's issue of RG Magazine is devoted to religion and spirituality. RG editor Chris Gibbons explained: "It's an ambitious topic that we've wanted to tackle for some time. What we wanted to do was to find out what role religion, or any form of spirituality, plays in today's society.

"With more than 100 places of worship and at least 32 denominations on the Island, it would be impossible to cover the topic comprehensively and include every faith, neither did we set out to prove or disprove anyone's `God' or engage in any theological debate.

"Instead, we wanted to present, if you like, a snapshot of Bermuda's spiritual life on the eve of a new Millennium. We talked to a cross-section of church leaders, long-time churchgoers, born-again Christians, Muslims, Jews, youth leaders, and even Westgate inmates about what their faith means to them on a daily basis.'' Mr. Gibbons says the articles, by RG's senior writer John Burchall and Royal Gazette reporters Carol Parker-Trott, Patricia Calnan, Robin Smith and Patrick Burgess, accompanied by photographs by freelancers Graeme Outerbridge and Tamell Simons, reveal that despite the strains and stresses of modern life (or perhaps because of them), Bermuda's spiritual life is alive and well.

He said: "Some individual congregations may be in decline and are struggling to attract new blood but the diversity of denominations and the work of spiritually-based organisations such as Salvation Army's Harbour Light and 12-Step programmes indicates that the need to connect with a Higher Power and find a personal level of peace, strength and understanding remains as strong as ever.'' This month's RG Magazine also gets in the Christmas spirit with a 16-page pullout Gift Guide packed with gift ideas to suit every budget from stocking stuffers to something special.

Make sure you don't miss your copy -- it's available only with tomorrow's edition of The Royal Gazette .