`NOTHING SACRED' IS AN HONEST LOOK AT PRIESTHOOD BY ROB OWEN TV/RADIO WRITER.(LIFE & LEISURE)

The success of ``Touched By an Angel'' has made spirituality hip in Hollywood, but religion remains taboo.

In the rare instances that TV deals with religion in prime time, it usually takes the safe path, making a preacher just another parent with a wacky job (i.e. The WB's ``7th Heaven,'' ABC's ``Soul Man'').

That changes with tonight's premiere of ``Nothing Sacred'' (at 8 on WTEN, Ch. 10), a one-hour drama about Father Ray (Kevin Anderson), a young Roman Catholic priest who questions his faith, his calling to the priesthood and the existence of God, all in the show's first episode.

Because of the way it shows Father Ray dealing with hot-button issues especially abortion ABC's ``Nothing Sacred'' has already divided the Catholic Church, receiving pans from the conservative Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights and raves from America, a Jesuit-run magazine.

As a television drama, ``Nothing Sacred'' has its shortcomings, but it's laudable in …