Matthew Weiner is the Program Director at the Interfaith Center of New York. He recently defended his dissertation at Union Theological Seminary, where he studied public religion. He is currently writing a book about interfaith and civil society.

Blog Entries by Matthew Weiner

Religion in the Public Schools: A Story about Civics in the Bronx and Queens

Posted June 29, 2009 | 07:45 AM (EST)


Why should students at a predominantly Latino public High School in the South Bronx learn about religion? And what happens when fifty of these students take a field trip to visit Hindus, Buddhists, and Muslims in Queens? As it turns out, the result is a mixture of controlled chaos, curiosity,...

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Talking with the Enemy

8 Comments | Posted May 7, 2009 | 10:23 PM (EST)


The Dalai Lama Talks with Chinese Leaders in New York


While governments negotiate about negotiations, debate who they can talk to, and enforce hard parameters for diplomatic discussions, the world's preeminent Buddhist leader does things differently.

Yesterday in Midtown Manhattan His Holiness the Dalai Lama met...

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Unexpected Karmic Consequences

107 Comments | Posted May 3, 2009 | 02:49 PM (EST)


When the Dalai Lama comes to New York this week, he will be flooded by an onslaught of Buddhists and spiritual seekers. His popularity, and the interest in Buddhism, has grown exponentially since the 1960's through an overwhelmingly liberal excitement over non violence and spiritual exploration. But the Dalai Lama...

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Domestic Violence, Islam, and the Unexpected Response

Posted March 2, 2009 | 11:09 PM (EST)


As we should know by now, domestic violence is a crime that afflicts all communities, be them rich or poor, black or white, and regardless of their faith background. Still, the Muslim community in America suffers disproportionately. Or so many Muslims in New York believe. If a Jew or Christian...

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Obama's Interfaith Score Card

Posted January 22, 2009 | 04:10 PM (EST)


Obama gets a "B" for his first interfaith outing. Not bad for a beginner, so let's give him an "A" for effort.

First, let's look at the things he did right. The service at the National Cathedral was the first real religiously plural function of its kind. He included a...

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