Benjamine Spencer was 22 years old in 1987 when he was arrested for murder. He was newly married, and expecting his first child. Cooper Neill for NPR hide caption

One secret to midlife happiness is being a rookie at something. Trying new things and failing keeps you robust. retrorocket/Getty Images hide caption

Taking an intelligence test at the University of Maryland: In one month of brain training, former NPR correspondent Barbara Bradley Hagerty vastly increased her scores in intelligence tests. Courtesy of Barbara Bradley Hagerty hide caption

Carol Fiore's husband, Eric, died after the plane he was test-piloting crashed in Wichita, Kan., 12 years ago. An atheist, Carol felt no comfort when religious people told her Eric was in a better place. Barbara Bradley Hagerty/NPR hide caption

Ronan at 2 years old. "I know Ronan's purpose in life was to shed light on this disease," says his mother, Maya Thompson. "This is why I will continue to fight for childhood cancer for the rest of my life." Courtesy of Maya Thompson hide caption

temple George Frey/Reuters hide caption

Attendees pray during The Family Research Council's Values Voter Summit on Sept. 14 in Washington, D.C. Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

President Obama walks on stage with first lady Michelle Obama and daughters Sasha and Malia to deliver his victory speech on election night in Chicago. Win McNamee/Getty Images hide caption

A statue representing womanhood — and women's role in raising children — is seen with the Mormon Temple in the background in Salt Lake City. Douglas C. Pizac/AP hide caption

A nun chants while she and her sisters pray together during Vespers at their home near Dumfries, Va. Unlike older sisters shaped by Vatican II, a new generation of women are flocking to more conservative orders. Barbara Bradley Hagerty/NPR hide caption

Rev. Sun Myung Moon (left), founder of the Unification Church, and his wife, Han Hak Ja, attend the ceremony after the Peace Cup final match between Hamburger SV and Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma at Suwon World Cup Stadium on July 22 in Suwon, South Korea. Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images hide caption

John Walker Lindh was captured in Afghanistan in 2002 after fighting with the Taliban. AP hide caption

Mitt Romney rarely talks about his Mormon faith. Bill Pugliano/Getty Images hide caption

This composite image shows Republican vice presidential candidate Rep. Paul Ryan (left) and Vice President Biden. Both men are Catholic, but their worldviews are strikingly different. Jose Luis Magana/Thanassis Stavrakis/AP hide caption

Republican activist David Barton speaks before testifying before the Texas State Board of Education in 2009. Harry Cabluck/AP hide caption

Mohammed Ahmed runs at the NCAA championships in June in Des Moines, Iowa. He's representing Canada at the Olympics and had to decide whether to fast for Ramadan this year. Charlie Neibergall/AP hide caption