Judaism
A Reflection on the Passing of Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi
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Reflections on Rabbi Zalman, who, with depth, with love, with humor, and with songs, imparted a spiritual conscience of an old age that spoke to the generation of a new age.
Religion
Why Choosing to Believe in God can be a Rational Decision
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Evolutionary psychology provides evidence that choosing to believe in God can be a rational decision and it would appear that when God-belief is based in rationality, it is personally satisfying and socially beneficial. The choice to believe and act upon that belief is up to each one of us.
Culture
Young Muslims Choosing to Wear the Hijab Despite Rising Tide of Islamophobia
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Outward displays of one’s faith can be controversial, especially if that faith has anything to do with Islam. Young adults discuss the physical demonstrations that keep them connected to their spirituality, and maintaining these displays in the face of discrimination.
Empathy
Our Self-Sufficiency is Ruining Relationships — Here's How to Stop the Cycle
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For many saying “I need you” is scary. If I need you, then I am needy, and so I am dependent, and so I am a failure. But the truth is that I do need you, that I cannot make it [with the same success] without you, that I am [therefore] needy and that I am dependent. It just means that I am human – and that I enjoy a relationship with you that makes many things possible. That is a cause for rejoicing!
Culture
Jews in America: Our Conflicted Heritage
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The good news is that even as many young Jews reject Judaism, they nevertheless have inherited a memory of the values that Judaism sought to inspire, and so many have joined in a wide variety of prophetic enterprises to reclaim Jewish spirituality and/or rebuild a Jewish social justice consciousness.
Atheism
Supreme Court Ruling on Public Prayer Re-enforces Christian Supremacy
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While a strict separation of synagogue and state, mosque and state, Hindu and Buddhist temple and state, and separation of atheists and state and virtually all the other approximately 5000 religions and state has been enacted, on the other hand, church – predominantly Protestant denominations, but also Catholic – and state, have connected virtually seamlessly to the affairs and policies of what we call the United States of America, from the first invasion of Europeans in the 15th century on the Christian Julian to the Christian Gregorian Calendars up to 2014 Anno Domini (short for Anno Domini Nostri Iesu Christi – “In the year of our Lord Jesus Christ”).
Rethinking Religion
Spirituality and Technology: The Case of the Caring Bridge
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What is good about talking about human suffering and death using technology? What is not? At these moments of great stress and distress, we want nothing counterfeit.
Culture
Young Muslims Choosing to Wear the Hijab Despite Rising Tide of Islamophobia
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A generation of young Muslims grew up in the shadow of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and the rise of Islamophobia in America. Some have personal experience with hurtful speech and ignorant comments about their faith. Yet many still choose to show their faith through practices like prayer and fasting, wearing a hijab (head covering), or growing a beard.
Interfaith
Resurrection Garden, Resurrection Feast: A Post-Easter Reflection
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In John’s account of the Resurrection, Mary Magdalen mistakes Jesus for the gardener. Or perhaps it is not a mistake or not just a mistake but also a poetic truth. In any event, John’s Gospel makes clear: the Resurrection takes place in a garden!
Culture
A Seed on the Seder Plate
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Returning in springtime, with Passover on the horizon, has given us time to reflect on the liberation story of our ancestors and ask what needs liberating in our current world. Control over seed means a control over our lives, our food and our freedom: a dangerous and deadly business. It’s time we collectively stand up for seed freedom, which is why this year we are proposing adding a seed to the Seder plate.