Since Sept. 11, the spirituality of Americans has been put under the spotlight of media attention.

As a result, there's now a flood of information about religion and how it affects our everyday lives. It's within easy reach of readers and television viewers.

A national opinion poll conducted in April for PBS' Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly and U.S. News & World Report found most Americans are tolerant of other people's religious beliefs.

More than three-quarters of those surveyed believe all religions contain elements of truth.

"A large majority does not think of their own religion as the only true religion," the poll results stated. "They have this spirit of acceptance and openness to religious differences even though most do not personally know people who practice religions different than theirs or know much about the religious beliefs of others."

Few, especially Christians, know much about what other people believe, the poll found. They knew little about the basic teachings of Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Judaism, according to Bob Abernathy, the show's host and executive editor.

There's an easy way to learn.

Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly is an award-winning television news magazine produced for PBS. The show offers objective reports on such topics as the recent sex abuse controversy in the Catholic Church and the turf battles in Israel.

For the last month, the 30-minute program has also examined the religious views of Americans. The show has focused on spirituality inside and outside organized religion, the changing face of American Catholicism and the impact of religion on popular culture.

The show makes such weighty topics easy to digest but doesn't skimp on information. It's also well-reported and balanced.

It airs locally on WHYY on Sunday afternoons at 12:30. The next show will air June 23.

In the meantime, viewers can catch up on the news by visiting www.pbs.org/religionandethics.

There, visitors can find transcripts of each program, weekly polls, links to related information on the Web, reading lists, commentary on the show's topics and an archive of past stories. The results of the April survey are there, too.

A viewer's guide, including essays, discussion questions and resources, is also available online or through the mail. To request a copy, write to: Religion & Ethics Guide, P.O. Box 245, Little Falls 07424-0245.

It's worth a look.

Kim Mulford writes about issues of faith. Call her at (856) 845-6521. E-mail her at kmulford@courierpostonline.com.