Faith

Can An Ordinary Person Enjoy A State Of Grace?

Anne Naylor | Posted 11.06.2009 | Living


Anne Naylor

Can we create the conditions in which we lead grace-full lives? Is it even possible to expect to live gracefully, with the world in so much chaos? My view is that there has never been a better time.

Crucifix Banned From Italy's Schools By New EU Court Ruling

AP | ALESSANDRA RIZZO | Posted 11.03.2009 | World


ROME — The Vatican on Tuesday denounced a ruling by the European court of human rights that said the display of crucifixes in Italian public sch...

Afghanistan: A Whole New Approach

Jim Wallis | Posted 10.29.2009 | World


Jim Wallis

When you massively intervene in a country as much as the U.S. has in Afghanistan, you can't responsibly just walk away. We must lead with what works -- development.

Collision: Is Religion Absurd or Good for the World?

Christopher Hitchens | Posted 10.20.2009 | Living


Christopher Hitchens

Are our morals dictated to us by a supreme entity, or do discoveries made by science and reason make Atheism a natural conclusion? You decide.

The Annual National Observance of Children's Sabbaths® Celebration

Marian Wright Edelman | Posted 10.19.2009 | Living


Marian Wright Edelman

One of the main concerns people of faith will be lifting up this year is the need for health care legislation that assures real reform of our broken and inadequate child health system.

Do the Rockies Discriminate Against Non-Religious Players?

Jason Salzman | Posted 10.08.2009 | Denver


Jason Salzman

I wonder about whether the team favors religious players every time I see another Rocky show his faith by crossing himself or pointing upward after a base hit.

Mitch Albom: New Book Has A Little Faith

AP | MIKE HOUSEHOLDER | Posted 10.06.2009 | Books


DETROIT — Mitch Albom is many things. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist, a popular radio show host, an author of best-selling novels an...

Hospital's New Policy Welcomes Role of Hmong Shamans

New York Times | PATRICIA LEIGH BROWN | Posted 09.22.2009 | Living


At Mercy Medical Center in Merced, where roughly four patients a day are Hmong from northern Laos, healing includes more than IV drips, syringes and b...

The Coen Brothers Get "Serious" with a Comic (and Spiritual) Masterpiece

Cathleen Falsani | Posted 09.18.2009 | Entertainment


Cathleen Falsani

The Coens have created moral universes in which some of life's essential questions are asked -- if not always answered. It seems there's no question the brothers are afraid to tackle.

Meet Me at The Shack

Tom Matlack | Posted 09.14.2009 | Entertainment


Tom Matlack

For Mack, and for us as readers, what transpires in the shack requires creative imagination not unlike that in any number of fantastic tales. But in this case the subject is far closer to home: the healing of a broken heart.

Friday Talking Points [93] -- Lies, Lies And Propaganda

Chris Weigant | Posted 09.12.2009 | Politics


Chris Weigant

Political discussions in America are fast becoming solely theological in nature.. Each side has their beliefs. Each has their tenets which they fervently defend. Much of this is done on faith.

"Only God Can Save Us"

Jim Selman | Posted 10.17.2009 | Living


Jim Selman

We need to commit ourselves to a vision bigger than is reasonable and go into action to clean up our messes and create the world we want -- a world that works for everyone.

The Lessons of Ramadan for Muslims

M. Zuhdi Jasser | Posted 09.27.2009 | World


M. Zuhdi Jasser

The spirit of Ramadan is a true example of how Islam can flourish under the separation of mosque and state.

"I Have Lived a Blessed Time" - Senator Ted Kennedy

Carolyn Rubenstein | Posted 09.25.2009 | Living


Carolyn Rubenstein

This is not news nor a headline. This is reality. And for the past 10 years (ages 14 to 24), I have faced the loss of young children and young adults after their own battles with cancer. Many of these individuals were very close to me.

Obama Calls Health Plan a ‘Moral Obligation'

New York Times | Posted 09.19.2009 | Politics


WASHINGTON — President Obama sought Wednesday to reframe the health care debate as “a core ethical and moral obligation,” imploring a coalition ...

There Is Always Trauma In The Room

Sharon Salzberg | Posted 09.18.2009 | Living


Sharon Salzberg

I've done a little bit of work with soldiers returning from Iraq and have worked with domestic violence shelter workers on issues of vicarious trauma. I've also found in teaching the diverse groups who come for meditation guidance that, as someone once said to me, "There is always trauma in the room."

4 Steps To Enrich Your Life

Anne Naylor | Posted 09.15.2009 | Living


Anne Naylor

"Ordinary riches can be stolen, real riches cannot. In your soul are infinitely precious things that cannot be taken from you." Oscar Wilde Educati...

Is 'Spiritual' A Dirty Word?

A Compulsive Overeater | Posted 09.11.2009 | Living


A Compulsive Overeater

My last boyfriend hated when I said the word "spiritual." Suffice to say, the relationship didn't last. I used to be like him, I condemned things prio...

What Religion Are You?

Tom Matlack | Posted 09.07.2009 | Living


Tom Matlack

"What religion are you?" my 13 year-old son Seamus asked me last night. His mother and I have been divorced since he was six months old. He's grown up a strict Catholic. I was born a Quaker.

How Faith Develops

Alan Lurie | Posted 09.03.2009 | Living


Alan Lurie

We are all products of our experiences, inclinations, culture, sex, and choices. Our faith orientation shows up when we respond to the people, events, and objects in our lives.

Micky Ward: A Boxer's Comeback Based on Faith

Suzette Standring | Posted 09.02.2009 | Entertainment


Suzette Standring

The power of prayer amazes famed boxer Micky Ward. Actor Mark Wahlberg portrays him in The Fighter, a Paramount movie being filmed in Lowell.

Why do we Suffer? Three Possibilities

Alan Lurie | Posted 08.27.2009 | Living


Alan Lurie

As a Rabbi, I've found that the most troubling spiritual question for most people is: "Why is life so difficult?" Below are three compelling ideas.

Where Is a Genie When You Need One?

Jim Selman | Posted 08.15.2009 | Living


Jim Selman

We live as if the causes and the solutions to our problems are somehow outside of ourselves and that they are beyond our ability to resolve. This view of the world inevitably leads to resignation.

Three Moral Issues of Health Care

Jim Wallis | Posted 08.02.2009 | Politics


Jim Wallis

With an issue like health, deeply personal but of great public concern, the faith community has a unique and important role to play: to define and raise the moral issues that lay just beneath the policy debate.

Thank God for Atheists! A Word About Disagreement and Debate

Jonathan Ellerby | Posted 07.31.2009 | Living


Jonathan Ellerby

I place as much value in communication, dialogue and evolving worldviews as I do in certainty or blind faith.