The world mourns the loss of beloved actor and director Leonard Nimoy, best known for his role of Spock on the 1960s television series Star Trek, which combined humanistic values, scientific principles, and mystical philosophy to create one of the most popular science fiction franchises. Additionally, religious writers discuss how their faith affects them personally, what it's like to exist as a member of a minority religion, and what non-denominational but spiritually minded people all have in common with one another. All that and more this Faithful Friday.

Legendary thespian Leonard Nimoy was probably best-know for his role as the half-Vulcan Spock on Star Trek but did you know that the famous Vulcan greeting was Jewish in origin?

Dan Halloran, noted Heathen and former New York City councilman, was sentenced on Wednesday to 10 years in federal prison on charges of corruption and bribery. Cara Schulz at The Wild Hunt has the details.

Why are so many people increasingly non-denominational? Researchers Georga Barna and David Kinnaman examine five trends among the "unchurched."

Does religion make people more or less risk-averse? Or does it, as this article from Slate suggests, depend on the kind of risk?

Lastly, Wajahat Ali at The Guardian discusses what it's like to live as the member of a religion minority in a region not exactly known for its broad cultural tolerance: namely, a Muslim in the American South.