i'm kim lawton reporting. >>> now, feng shui. according to chinese tradition, there is in everything and everyone a life force called chi. chi flows best, they say, through the wind, or air, called feng, and through water, shui. feng shui is the science or practice of arranging everything in your environment -- your home, workplace and city -- so it's in harmony with the flow of chi. lucky severson took a tour of hong kong recently and discovered that even in that modern center of business and t decisions. >> few cities around the world can match the stunning skyline of hong kong. architecture here is a big deal, and so is the 3,000-year-old chinese practice of feng shui. few skyscrapers are constructed without the advice of a feng shui master, and raymond lo is one of a handful of grand masters. >> definitely, hong kong is a feng shui city. you can see hong kong is such a tiny spot in such a big country. why hong kong is so unique? because it enjoys the best feng shui. >> nury vittachi is an internationally syndicated columnist

i think they were very pleased. >> kim lawton of religion & ethics news weekly.avid gibson, many thanks. >>> finally, on his travels around the world, fred de sam lazaro has found some unusual religious practices. one of them is in ghana in west africa with its youous funerals and fantasy coffins. each representing the lifetime achievements of the deceased. fred's report is from ghana's capitol. >> reporter: half days are set around for funerals in the numerous congregations that line the streets and alley, the air is filled with prayer. most time with songs blaring at it electronic limits. nowhere it seems any outward sign of sorrow or grief with few exceptions like the death of a young person. my host said that's theway it is. >> when somebody dies in christ or dies a christian, it's a good thing because he's going to god. he has died on a good path. when somebody dies and somebody that does not know god, then people cry because his soul is lost. >> reporter: we saw little evidence of any crying on this saturday and it would be hard to discern a lot soul. the v

simon sat down with our managing editor kim lawton for a rare interview about spirituality. >> reporter: there are songs about god and his son. angels, creation, pilgrimage, prayer, and the afterlife too. paul simon says there's always been a spiritual dimension to his music, but the overt religious references in his most recent album, "so beautiful or so what," surprised even him. >> there seems to be a theme in the album, not intentional, and it's funny because for somebody who is not a religious person, god comes up a lot in my songs. >> reporter: simon may not describe himself as religious, but he admits he's fascinated by the spiritual realm. >> i think it's a part of my thoughts on a fairly regular basis. i think of it more as spiritual feeling. it's something that i recognize in myself and that i enjoy and i don't quite understand it. >> reporter: he may not understand it, but he's been writing and singing a lot about it, and that has generated attention. one irish blogger suggested "so beautiful or so what" could be the best christian album of the year. cathleen falsani, an evan

kim lawton reports. >> announcer: at a megachurch in orlando, evangelical christians gathered to pray for the nation. the meeting was organized by a group called the response, which has been holding similar sessions in other early primary states. they say they're praying because they are well aware of the importance of the upcoming election and of their own role in helping to choose the republican nominee. according to exit polls, two-thirds of the gop primary voters in south carolina last week described themselves as born-again or evangelical christians. 44% of them voted for newt gingrich. mitt romney and rick santorum each got 21% of the evangelical vote. here in florida, conservative christians make up about 40% of likely republican primary voters. >> it is important just because there are so many of us. but we don't all think alike. we don't all support the same person. >> reporter: and that division among evangelicals has been a major factor this primary season. although one-time presumed front-runner romney does have some support within the evangelical community, so far, many r

kim lawton is managing editor of "religion and ethics newsweekly." kevin eckstrom is the editor-in-chief of religion news service. and e.j. dionne is a senior fellow at the brookings institution, a columnist for the washington post, and a professor at georgetown university. welcome to you all, and happy new year. >> happy new year. >> e.j., the iowa caucuses take place in just a few days. what do you see there and what is the role of religious conservatives in the republican campaign? >> well, in the iowa republican caucuses religious conservatives always play an important role. and what's been striking for most of this campaign is how fragmented they've been. there's been a real argument among them about who the better candidate is. there's no national champion as we talked about last week, mike huckabee, four years ago really emerged as a unifying candidate for christian conservatives. some of that also i suspect has to do with other forces in the republican party. there is the tea party which includes a lot of evangelical christians, one should sa