For years, the Catholic Church has seen dramatic declines in Mass attendance. Many agree that the Catholic Church needs sweeping changes. I wrote about why people leave church here. I wrote about the differences between the perceived reasons and the real reasons here. Is “Poor Evangelization” the Problem? In 2021, Bishop Zubik of Pittsburgh closed the Catholic church that I attended in my youth. In 2018, there were 188 parishes in the diocese. Today, there are 63 parishes... Read more
As science informs us, we are increasingly unlikely to believe unbelievable things. I wrote about the Buddhist approach to reducing suffering by managing attachment, craving and ignorance here. Among people who are deconstructing their religious beliefs, there is a lot of suffering caused by attachment, craving and ignorance. Why People Leave Their Religion Barna Group reports that 52% of U.S. adults and teens have experienced religious doubts in the past few years. Daryl R. Van Tongeren, PhD, wrote... Read more
The Zen patriarchs encourage us to manage attachment, craving and ignorance. I wrote about the Buddhist understanding of pain and suffering here. “Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water” is a famous Buddhist saying. The saying encourages us to focus on the present moment. In that way, we enjoy even the most mundane tasks, such as washing the dishes, and we tolerate even the most unpleasant tasks, such as losing money. Thich Nhat... Read more
Buddhist Ken Wilber compares spirituality to the stock market. Wilber says that, over the long haul, there is a slow upward trend. Over the short haul, there can be considerable pain and suffering. This week, we discuss the parallels between spirituality and the stock market, and we introduce the Buddhist understanding of pain and suffering. Next week, we will expand on this theme. Everyone experiences pain, notably birth, sickness, old age and death. Along the way, all of us experience... Read more
We should think before we speak. We can take our beliefs too seriously. And we can take them too personally, too. Differences of opinion are NOT always attacks on our characters. I practice a very eclectic spirituality. Religions are like languages. I am fluent in several traditions and conversant in several more. I believe that everyone is related and everything is connected. Beyond that, I do NOT hold many beliefs, and I do NOT hold any beliefs too... Read more
These are tough times to be poor. In The Way, I describe my experience preparing federal income tax returns for low- and moderate-income families. Since 2012, I prepared over 1,000 tax returns. Of course, taxes are personal, and you can learn a lot about a person in 30 seconds: “This is my W-2. I made a lot of money until I got fired. This is my 1099-MISC. After I got laid off, I worked construction. This is my 1099-G. After... Read more
Should we really fire the people who collect the money? Tax Day is coming, and there has been a lot of talk about abolishing the IRS. Over the last 15 years, I helped over 1,000 low-and moderate-income families file their taxes. I care about this stuff. Abolishing the IRS (or cutting the IRS budget or firing IRS employees) threatens whether you get your return processed, whether you receive your refund or your stimulus payment promptly, whether you get... Read more
Do you think that Jesus would take money from the poor? I don’t. Should Cuts in Social Services Really Fund Tax Cuts for the Rich? Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a budget bill that cut spending. The House would cut $1.1 trillion in Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP.) The “savings” would fund $1.1 trillion in tax cuts for the richest 1% of us. In effect, this is a $1.1 trillion transfer from... Read more
The government has to be an essential partner in helping the needy, including the poor, veterans and other deserving people. That’s OK. Tax Day is coming, and there has been a lot of talk about abolishing the IRS. In my career, I worked in and around the tax code every day. Since retiring, I have assisted AARP in providing free income tax assistance to low- and moderate-income families. In all, I have prepared over 1,000 federal tax returns.... Read more
The Buddhist precepts help us to determine right and wrong. Some of my Christian friends wonder how non-Christians can live moral lives without accepting the Christian commandments. They presuppose that Christian morality is the only acceptable morality and that other traditions do not have guidelines for moral behavior. Currently, I am studying the Buddhist precepts in my Zen practice. In some ways, the Buddhist precepts are similar to the Judeo-Christian Ten Commandments. In other ways, they are not. For example,... Read more
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