Category: Challenges
It is a Shame for Women to Speak in the Church?
This article was first published at “The Bloviating Ignoramus,” a blog for politics and culture. I understand the Church of England’s stance against the ordination of women as an example of bl... Read More
Giving thanks when the trees are no more
This week, the United States will celebrate Thanksgiving. Turkeys will be roasted. Pies will be shared. Families will come together. And, just maybe, we will all pause for a brief moment before the me... Read More
Giving Thanks to the Voice of My Awakening
Before meeting Heather, I was a solitary creature, even virtually homeless at one time. I was rarely sociable, preferring the catacombs of my own imagination, the distractions of drugs and alcohol, or... Read More
A Catholic Woman Intent on Leaving a Mark
As a Roman Catholic woman in dialogue with various religious traditions, I am, at times, questioned as to my commitment: Don’t I, as a Catholic woman, feel restricted and degraded by a Church that i... Read More
Politics and the Book of Mormon
Cross-posted from Historicisms. One of the more uncomfortable aspects of the “Mormon Moment” for me was seeing LDS scripture deployed against the candidate on whose behalf I chose to exerc... Read More
“Buddhism and American Consumerism: Religious Identity as Protest” by Natasha L. Mikles
The First Truth of Buddhism, realized by the Buddha when he sat beneath the bodhi tree and attained enlightenment, is that life is suffering. All life, anywhere and at any time, is suffering. While th... Read More
Food Stamp Challenge: Done. Now What?
“Mom, I’m hungry. Can I have your grapes?” “Sure,” I replied—even though I’d been counting on that handful of grapes to carry me through the next few hours until dinner. It was Day 6 of ... Read More
Reflections on Social Media and Politics
Note: this essay draws on material originally published in two posts on my personal blog, Historicisms. Having just read Mark McCormack’s post, “Dialogue in the Age of Unfriending,” ... Read More