Category: Community
Virtue is its Own Reward: Why Michael Pollan’s “Cooked” is a Religious Text
After perhaps my 20th snide comment about something in "Cooked" that annoyed me, my fiancee asked me if I would please shut up and allow her to enjoy her food porn. This is an entirely reasonable req... Read More
Our Mission to Light Candles and Engage in Peace (A Charge to Graduates)
This week, we have been asked to reflect on how our philosophical/religious convictions have helped us to be prepared for major life transitions and moving into new areas of growth and reflection. H... Read More
Public Piety, Authentic Courage and Christian Witness
You may have heard about the young man, a valedictorian in Liberty, SC. I’ve been following the story somewhat closely, because it’s close to home in more than one way. More abstractly, is... Read More
Hate in Manchester, TN — Where Do We Go From Here?
Islamophobia in middle Tennessee is becoming a real problem. In the past several years, two mosques have been firebombed: one had swastikas drawn on its walls, with “White Power” written on the si... Read More
Trust, Fear and London
The problem with trust, of course, is that it involves vulnerability. By trusting, we risk getting hurt. Yet I have come to realise that failing to trust risks far more harm. I live in the hustle and ... Read More
Buddha Jayanti at Buddhist Vesak: Time of Spiritual Recollection, Celebration, Penance, and Renewal
Introduction Every year in the late spring, Buddhists all over the world celebrate Vesak, i.e., the birth, death, and enlightenment of Siddhārtha Gautama, who came to be known as Śākyamuni Buddha, ... Read More
On the Park 51 Community Center: Why I am committed to building inter-religious relationships
Park 51 Community Center, AKA the “Ground Zero Mosque”, has, today, a single employee: a young woman named Hanadi. During a recent visit, I had the opportunity to hear Hanadi’s story firsthand &... Read More
Moving the Conversation Forward
It just seems like déjà vu. Another terror attack in a western city and another nail in the coffin of Muslim community relations! Weeks after the Boston bomb attack, the gruesome Woolwich (South... Read More