Norquist, Ellwood

Ellwood W. Norquist is a noted philosopher and teacher. Norquist's spirituality is most certainly Christian—but he said he's received criticism from fundamental and conservative Christians who are offended by his notion that we are all one. "I'd go to some Christian shops to see if they'd sell my book," he said, "and after reading it, they'd refuse, saying there was no way they were one with Jews or Muslims."

Norquist came from a traditional Baptist upbringing and said he became disillusioned with that form of spirituality at a young age. "In my church, we were lead to believe that everyone—Catholics, Jesuits, everyone except for Baptists—were going to hell," he said. "I stopped reading the Bible as much when I got to college, but when I returned to it and read it carefully, I couldn't find anything in it to support the view that all non-Baptists were going to hell."