Is it possible that the U.S. Roman Catholic bishops will one day be credited with having significantly advanced, albeit unintentionally, the argument for a single-payer health care system in the United States? In their opposition to having to make contraceptive services available to their employees through institutionally provided health care,...

I am a sucker for a great love story -- and, no, I am not joking. I was the large, bald, tattooed guy who saw "Titanic" four times in theater; that is more than 12 hours of my life I can't get back (as...

Just like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, Republican Governor Sam Brownback had a feeling he was not in Kansas anymore. At least not the Kansas that he once knew. His Sunflower State was teeming with unfamiliar creatures and though not tin-men or scarecrows or wicked witches, they were nonetheless...

I was driving into downtown Seattle when I heard the news of Randy "Mack" Wolford's death on National Public Radio, in a British accent no less. Randy, a snake-handler in West Virginia, had died -- bitten by a snake and poisoned. Mack had a spare room full of poisonous snakes,...

Governor Cuomo has an opportunity to exercise economic leadership on behalf of the Empire State's most vulnerable families. Despite his characterizations, raising the state's minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.50 can and should be done. According to a recent Siena College poll, 79 percent of New York State...

Last weekend, the Jewish people marked the anniversary of the first uttering of perhaps the most famous words in human history. We celebrated Shavuot, the festival commemorating the giving of the Torah at Sinai, and of course, the proclamation of the Ten Commandments.

Whether the separation of...

Editor's note: The HuffTorah is an overview of the Torah reading of the week, which is a double portion, and includes links to additional resources for study and discussion. Read the full text of Parshat Naso interlinear Hebrew/English.

God tells Moses: Lift up the heads of the Gershonites...

At a time when efforts to ban sharia law have been tabled in some two dozen states, it would be interesting to know what precisely their sponsors are hoping to prohibit -- because their target has a 1,400-year history that extends deep into the realms of faith.

When the...

On June 6, 2012, New Yorkers of all faiths will come together to support the Kenyan Sikh community's efforts to fight the famine that has devastated their region since last summer. Hunger, an issue that cuts across all faiths, is a natural point of connection for the 10 NYC congregations...

The Emir of Kuwait is faced at this very moment with the decision of approving a law that would impose the death penalty against unrepentant Muslims (and varying prison sentences upon others) who exercise their religious freedom of speech in a way deemed blasphemous. So far, this is the most...

The neighbors in a bordering county are not happy. I live in Vance County, N.C. That is about 40 miles north of Raleigh. At one time Vance County had textiles, tobacco and Roses Variety stores. Now they are all gone. This is a rural, poor county. Next door is Franklin...

Punctuality, said Louis XVIII of France, is the politeness of kings. Royalty arrives on time and leaves on time. So it is with Her Majesty the Queen, with one memorable exception.

The day was Jan. 27, 2005, the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, and the place, St. James'...

A prominent new atheist blogger has just completed a week-long series paying homage to the great journalist H. L. Mencken, best known for his coverage of the 1925 Scopes Trial. The series represents ongoing efforts to enhance the mythology of evolution, efforts that have been particularly successful when...

In a much discussed article in the new online publication Religion & Politics Journal, New York Times religion reporter Mark Oppenheimer offers an enthusiastic endorsement of Jon Stewart's coverage of religion on "The Daily Show," which Stewart hosts on Comedy Central. "Jon Stewart may not be a believer," writes Oppenheimer,...

According to the Internet, I am 100 percent Reform Jew. This came as something of a surprise to me since I'm a Muslim.

Let me explain. In the wake of Sept. 11, I was invited to contribute an essay to a short book on Islam sponsored by the religion website...

Life interrupts us. When we can't fit our life experience into our religion, something has to give, and life can't give. Like a sturdy surgical tool, life cuts back across our religion to save us from it. Just when we figure everything out, when our belief systems, traditions and practices...

Forty is a sacred number.

When the number forty appears in the Bible, the reader knows a change is about to take place. In Scripture, the number forty marks a moment of transition, transformation and transcendence.

Forty years in the wilderness? Forty days on the ark? Forty days of...

My wife got her first tattoo this weekend. It's a lovely piece, one that she's been contemplating for most of our 14-year partnership. The wait was worth it! I myself have a number of tattoos, but the ones I'm really proud of came from a little tattoo parlor in Copenhagen,...