Rethinking Religion
There is a ferment in the world’s religions. We have all heard about conservative and fundamentalist religion. But we hear much less about religion that is deeply spiritual and nondogmatic, that builds empathic communities and inspires people to activism to create a caring, democratic, egalitarian, and environmentally sane society. Learn about such religion and spirituality here, in articles by experts and lay members of many religions, by “spiritual but not religious” people, and by atheists and agnostics who appreciate much of what, beliefs aside, religion or spirituality does for people’s lives. Click here to read Michael Lerner's essay on God.
Global Capitalism
Christmas Post-Mortem: Santa’s Attack on the American Family
by John Brueggemann
As I join many in my community in the annual post-feast January slim-down, it occurred to me that this is a fitting moment to reflect on how expansive market culture is damaging the health of our families.
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Judaism
The Primal Spirituality of Circumcision vs. the Cultural Steamroller of Scientism
by Zalman Kastel
Should a society based on the principles of democracy and Western thinking permit people to circumcise children? The answer to that question may well be no. I suggest, however, that this is the wrong question through which to understand the issue of circumcision.
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Judaism
Incision and Gender
by Mark H. Kirschbaum
The uproar over San Francisco’s proposed ban on circumcision has largely died down after a judge struck the measure from the city’s ballot, but the national conversation is far from over. Indeed, just this week, the American Medical Association voted to adopt a policy officially opposing any future attempts by cities or states to outlaw circumcision.
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Judaism
Becoming a Jew Is Dangerous — Circumcision Is the Least of It
by Tzvi Marx
Matthew Taylor initiates his sharp critique of brit milah (the covenant of circumcision) with anger ... as a rabbi, I would of course be very engaged by such a confession and would want to know more. But as an introduction to a learned discussion over a ritual practice that is so central to the Jewish narrative, this expression of anger is not exactly conducive to a rational exchange. It is, however, honest and deserves a sober response.
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Gender & Sexuality
My Body, My Choice: Ban Non-Consensual Circumcision
by Matthew A. Taylor
Like countless men who have been circumcised, I’m angry about what was taken from me. If I could go back in time to the moment before this was done to me, I would use any means necessary to stop it. I wish there’d been a law against it.
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Judaism
Debating Circumcision
by Tikkun Staff
The uproar over San Francisco’s proposed ban on circumcision has largely died but the national conversation is far from over. Indeed, the American Medical Association just voted to oppose all future bans. Don't miss this vigorous debate between opponents and defenders of the practice.
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Rethinking Religion
The Gift of the Gay Rights Debate
by Jay Michaelson
We grow as religious people through an unlikely combination of courage and humility. It takes courage to question one’s opinions, and humility to recognize that we may not be as right as we thought. It is for this reason that spiritual progressives have rightly embraced the movement for equality for LGBT people not as a condundrum, but as an opportunity for precisely the kind of spiritual maturation we seek.
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Health
Faith Healing For Skeptics: How the Expectant Brain Relieves Pain
by Rick Heller
Are those who seek faith healing deluded? Not entirely. Although no amount of faith can regenerate a lost limb, faith can indeed help a person overcome crippling pain. The natural brain mechanisms that allow this to occur are increasingly understood. Believing in a Higher Power—even a fictional one—can cure ills amenable to the placebo response.
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Books
Counterculture Hasidism
by Lynn Feinerman
Holy Beggars is a page-turner that reads like a memoir and weaves together journalism, history, deep Jewish teaching, rollicking storytelling, and poetic tribute. It paints a cinematic panorama of the 1960s in San Francisco, explores the impact of the era of “tune in, turn on, drop out,” and describes Rabbi Carlebach’s expansive musical career.
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Islam
Conquering Veils: Gender and Islams
by Asma T. Uddin
My cause has always been twofold: women’s equality and Islam. For the world to make sense to me, women and men had to be of equal worth and dignity, just as Islam had to be the true religion. Before I encountered the extremist interpretation of Islam, my world seemed wonderfully whole. Afterwards, my world became fragmented. To glue it back together, I had to reconcile sex equality and Islamic piety.
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