by Jackie Semmens When I was a freshman in college, I took part in a pro-life protest. A group across campus took a vow of silence for a day and dressed in black to symbolize the lives that were lost to abortion. Being 18, abortion seemed to be a clear injustice to me – it seemed obvious to me that a fetus should have the same right to life as a person outside the womb. The question was black and... Read more
by T.M. Doran Many believe in a Supreme Being who intentionally, artfully, and benignly created the universe and everything in it, by one process or another, including human beings who have a measure of reflective free will. Whether this is true or false is another discussion, but for our purposes this Supreme Being is assumed. The Supreme Being doesn’t need anything in this created universe, in the sense that human beings and other creatures need things, nor was God obligated to... Read more
By Kaleem Hussain The world as we know it is at a critical cross road. If one looks across the geometric and political divide whether be it in the West or East, the permanent features are theaters of conflict, bloodshed and brutality. These conflicts are often driven by bigoted, altruistic, tribal or nationalistic quests to cling on to power. On other occasions, there may often be a warped and distorted theological undertone or overtone inspiring and spurring a movement to gain... Read more
There are dangers of speaking of the dead. Derrida warned against the possibility of using another’s death, even unintentionally, for one’s own end, or “to draw from the dead a supplementary force to be turned against the living . . . ” (2001, 51). The risk is double here in that I did not personally know those who died—in this case Michael (MJ) Sharpe and Zaida Catalan, both members of the UN’s Group of Experts, along with their interpreter Betu Tshintela—whose bodies were found in late March in the same region of the Congo where they had been investigating human rights violations. Read more
By Kyle Sebastian Vitale. With the November elections, as with so many recent social conflicts, the word love has re-entered our national lexicon. Hashtags, t-shirts, and protests announce that “Love Trumps Hate.” Hurting voters express love for the refugee, the Muslim, the LGBTQIA+ through moving Facebook posts. Meanwhile, President-Elect Trump claims electoral victory to the tune of a new nationalism that expresses love of country in a spectrum of colors. Yet these same pathways also celebrate vindictiveness. Unfriending plagues Facebook,... Read more
By Amy Gopp, Deborah Rosenbloom, and Christina Tobias-Nahi. So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. ~ Genesis 1:27, The Torah Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. ~ Romans 12:10, The New Testament O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made... Read more
By Catharine and Melissa Richmond. A lot has been written about Mormon voters distaste for Donald Trump. What began as an initial discomfort, following Trump’s suggestion that Muslims should be banned from the country, ended with firm opposition when a tape was released on which Trump bragged about sexually assaulting women. Most pundits are now predicting that Mormon voters will flock to third party candidates, like Gary Johnson and fellow Mormon Evan McMullin. But, why won’t Mormon women become... Read more
By Shalom Goldman. A year ago, as U.S citizens of both political parties were developing a fascination with Donald Trump, no pundits came forth with a mythic or religious way to understand Trump’s appeal or his ability to strongly repel those not attracted to him. As I teach college courses on the intersection of religion and politics, I was hoping that someone quicker and wiser than I am would come forward to situate the Donald in the world of archetypes,... Read more
By Anantanand Rambachan. Diwali is the Hindu festival of light, and we pray each year to be led from untruth to truth (asato mā sad gamaya), from darkness to light (tamaso mā jyotir gamaya), and from the transient to that which has ultimate value (mṛtyor mā amṛtaṃ gamaya). The truth that we pray for on Diwali is the truth of goodness and righteousness. It is truth that challenges us to search into our minds, hearts and traditions for the... Read more
By Shalom Goldman. In the current presidential campaign, Republicans and Democrats seem to be competing with each other to proclaim their “pro-Israel” stances. In a March address to AIPAC Hillary Clinton said, “I feel so strongly that America can’t ever be neutral when it comes to Israel’s security or survival.” Clinton was not introducing a new idea into the presidential campaign; “pro-Israel” statements are a necessary part of many, if not most, political campaigns in the U.S. And these... Read more
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