Podcast: What do Cats Have to do with Interfaith Work?
Why a war with Iran is the real threat
The war drums are beating. Yesterday’s announcement that the EU has formally adopted an oil embargo against Iran follows the news that Britain, America, and France are sending six warships led by a ... Read More
The Fatigue of Result-Oriented Hope
Last week at State of Formation, a number of fellow contributors wrote inspiring posts about the meaning they find within their respective religions. One of these posts in particular caught my attenti... Read More
US Bishops Re-Release the Catholic Voters Guide for 2012
Someone needs the thank the US Catholic Bishops for re-releasing the 2012 voters guide for the good of the Catholic faithful once again this year. But a survey of today’s headlines shows that expres... Read More
Is Rooting for Tim Tebow Kosher?
As an observant Jew (as well as a San Diegan who views the Denver Broncos as a rival), I have frequently found myself wondering how I ought to feel about Tebowmania. For those who might have gone on... Read More
The Shekhinah or The Divine Presence or Divine Feminine in Judaism
A version of the following article was originally posted at Judaism.bellaonline.com. There exists within many, if not most, religious traditions and spiritual systems some notion or conception of the ... Read More
American Dreamer
The essence of the American Dream can be captured in two words: upward mobility. On more than one occasion, I have written about how for those left behind by the Great Recession, the American Dream ha... Read More
Statehood, Selfhood, and the Importance of Boundaries
A few years ago I was going through a very hard time. I said to my father, “I just want my dignity back!” My father, a Navy survival instructor, replied, “Jenny, no one can take away your dignit... Read More
The Search for Meaning
Philosophy, religious or not, attempts to deal with the inescapable and fundamental question of the meaning of life. Why are we here? What is our purpose, if any? In my teens, I was engrossed by Jean-... Read More
Meaning and meaning: An Important Difference
I agree with the overall gist of Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning (1946) in the fact that we all desire, will, and create meaning in our own ways. I consider meaning-making a phenomenon f... Read More