Disgraced Bishop Sentenced
Instead of viewing work as only a means to gain wealth, prestige and power, we all need to see that work presents the most powerful environment for spiritual development and contribution.
The prospect of evangelical voters deciding between a Catholic and a Mormon for the nomination of the Republican Party means that a whole lot of political "truths" are about to get buried in the dustbin of history.
The notion that social change can be sparked by an inner revolution is not only realistic. It also gives us a gift that conventional "realism" withholds -- a chance to do something that might make a difference.
Now that it's actually 2012, the year in which those fictional events supposedly were to have taken place, you may be wondering: Is the Mayan calendar a real thing? Were we warned? Is 2012 the end of the world?
The Haredi communities turning to violence have forgotten the essential cornerstone that has kept Judaism relevant, vibrant and intellectually honest through the ages.
Yalda celebrates rebirth in the midst of winter's death, the victory of light over darkness, a victory on the very day in the calendar when at last light will once again begin a steady gain on darkness.
In January 2009 Ed Bacon, the rector here at All Saints Church in Pasadena, Calif., was a guest on Oprah and spoke the words, "Being gay is a gift from God." Three years later, we are finding that that statement is the gift that keeps on giving.
If being spiritual can make people healthier and bring them together, then it wouldn't matter if God was in our genes or up in the sky, it would be the act of believing itself that was important.
As American Muslims, we're happy that some are starting to ease the negative imaging and stereotyping against us, and are instead open to learning more about what the Islamic faith truly stands for.
Each day we have the ability to transform lives, to speak out against injustice, to be "upstanders" for positive change. Why do we remain silent?
If we Jews are enjoined to emulate our patriarch Jacob who wrestled with an angel, then surely we must also respectfully challenge our spiritual leaders and reclaim our human voice.
Buried in the "controversy" over Bradley Cooper's selection as People's most recent Sexiest Man Alive is a little known fact: If you had polled American Muslim women the winner would have been -- wait for it -- Jon Stewart.
It is time to engage in the spiritual reflection that would restore the moral compass our politics and economics have lost. I have decided to take that charge -- to go deeper -- personally. Beginning now, I will be taking a three-month sabbatical.
If we could see the Jewish world naked, we might well see a new Judaism emerging this new year, stripped of xenophobia and 19th century clothes for 21st century issues. In the long run, it could save the Jewish people from extinction. If we're lucky, it could save Israel as well.
We have reached the point when politicians and media commentators eager for a sound bite on the evening news think nothing of exploiting the Holocaust and Nazi terminology, and apparently the crasser the better.
For a person of faith, Intelligent Design is not just an unnecessary choice; it is a harmful one. It reduces God to a kind of holy tinkerer. It locates the divine in places of ignorance and obscurity.
Before We head off to the night club to party, before we pop that champagne cork, let's take a few steps back. The New Year is not just a chance to party, it is also a time for starting over.
The creative lens of the African American Church colored my spiritual worldview. I have witnessed the western divisions of sacred and secular under the weight of the "Blues and Gospel" motif of the African American Church experience.
Sometimes my inner life seems like an endlessly scrolling to-do list. My resolution this year is to turn this dreary soliloquy into a psalm of gratitude and desire.
Aaron Freeman, 2012.01.04
Neil J. Young, 2012.01.04
Rabbi Alan Lurie, 2012.01.04
