What's in a Shape?
Traditionally, a sanctuary environment contains a symbolic menorah or a pair, meant to recall the menorah that stood within the mishkan/tabernacle and ultimately in the Temple in Jerusalem. It is a...
View ArticleCongratulations: Finally, Israel Is on the Doorstep of the Ultimate; Her...
Over three millenniums, Jewish people have been betrayed time and again; each time they have made their home and their nest, it was torn down. After the cruelty of Romans, they finally felt home in...
View ArticleFor White People Who Can't Bear to See '12 Years a Slave'
Yet another white person said to me yesterday, "I'm not sure I can go see 12 Years a Slave. It just sounds too painful to watch, and I wonder, why would I want to pay a babysitter so I can be in agony...
View ArticleOne Jew's Take on the War on Christmas
There's a "War on Christmas" being waged. At least that's what Republicans would like us to believe. There's even a new book about it, Good Tidings and Great Joy: Protecting the Heart of Christmas,...
View ArticleU.S. Catholic Funders: Resist Calls to Abandon Social Justice
In the last few years community organizers have learned it's in their self-interest to become astute Vatican watchers. The Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) which is run by the US...
View ArticleThanksgivukkah Foretold in Talmud Over 2000 Years Ago
Ever since I became a dad I've had mixed feelings about Hanukkah. The holiday itself is inarguably beautiful. We kindle a flame to commemorate a miracle, we gaze at its light, and we are forbidden to...
View ArticleStep Away From the Bible!
Although they'd be horrified to hear it, militant atheists and Christian fundamentalists share one thing in common. They both read the Bible badly. Their interpretive reading skills, at least when it...
View ArticleSomebody Else's (Homo)sexuality Is None of My (Muslim) Business!
Lately, it seems Canada's cities are making headlines for all the wrong reasons, most recently my own birthplace: Calgary, Alberta. Here, our Muslim Council is now officially on report for granting the...
View ArticleHanukah and Thanksgiving: A Possibly Once-in-a-Lifetime Event
Hanukah and Thanksgiving occur simultaneously this year, which puts a twist on an idea that people have in their minds that certain Jewish holidays are the "equivalent" of certain Christian holidays,...
View Article'Grateful to Almighty God'
During the holiday season, I feel some sympathy for those who try to write religious faith out of our nation's history. Suddenly everyone is talking about giving thanks to God, and even public...
View ArticleWorld's Faith Leaders Challenged to Lead 'Sustainability Revolution'
Calling for an international "Sustainability Revolution," spearheaded by faith leaders from around the world, American philanthropist and environmental sustainability advocate Christina Lee Brown...
View ArticleFestivals of the World: Essence of Hanukkah
Happy Hanukkah! "Festivals of the World" is an educational series by Mike Ghouse developed in 1993. When we live as neighbors and in the same communities, we might as well learn about each other. The...
View ArticleFrom Oscar Romero to Pope Francis: Will Catholics in Congress Heed the Call?
Pope Francis recently made headlines again for his critique of capitalism and the predatory greed of the world's most wealthy. Issuing an 84-page document outlining his views on the papacy, Francis...
View ArticleThank God I'm Gay
Dear God, I don't know why or how you made me gay. I know that a lot of people feel that they were gay coming right out of the womb, but I don't feel that I was. I don't think my parents did anything...
View ArticleA Brown, Bearded Muslim American Gives Thanks to Gap on Thanksgiving
As this brown, bearded Muslim was getting ready to pick up his Thanksgiving turkey order from a local Boston Market, news broke of racist graffiti in New York city. Gap had recently launched a holiday...
View ArticleLeading a Thanksgiving Seder (Rendelez)
In honor of Thanksgiving and Hanukkah coming on the same day (and because Passover is just so friggin' cool), I'm leading a Thanksgiving Seder tomorrow night. It's called the Thanksgiving Rendelez, and...
View ArticleChanukah & Thanksgiving: It's Complicated
Much has been made of the overlap of Chanukah and Thanksgiving this year, a convergence that will not occur again for over 79,000 years. On the one hand, the meanings of the days are similar: Chanukah...
View ArticleCelebrating Imperfection
When I was a child, there was something magical about driving around at dusk. The sun would be setting, the sky slowly darkening into night, and folks would be turning on the lights in their houses....
View ArticlePope Francis, Liberal Populist
On Tuesday, Pope Francis issued an extraordinary, detailed and politically profound apostolic exhortation in which he called on political leaders and politicians to reject trickle-down economic...
View ArticleHanukkah, Christmas & Black Friday Presence
Indeed the holidays are upon us. For those who celebrate Hanukkah we're already knee high into the gifts. For those who celebrate Christmas though, you fortunately have a few weeks left, indeed, Black...
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