Christianity

Thou Shalt Not Employ a Transgender Professor? It’s Not a Verse in the Bible

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Reflecting on her own coming-out experience at Yeshiva University, Joy Ladin speaks out in support of Professor Adam Ackley, the theologian who was just fired from Christian Azusa Pacific University after coming out as transgender. There is no verse in the Bible in which God says, “Thou shalt not employ a transgender professor,” and religious organization who act against such people only do so out of fear: fear of difference, fear of the unknown, and fear of losing money.

Culture

Holistic Healing — Embracing the Practical and the Radical

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“Holistic healing” typically refers mind, body, and spirit, an approach that focuses on mastering what is going on within the four walls of our body. Operating in a world in which compete and win, dominate and control are so dominant, the author offers a broader definition that includes “the practical” – effectively negotiating your place in the world, as it is – and “the radical” – being an active agent in molding the environments within which you exist.

Culture

Russell Brand Exposes the Anti-Semitic Hugo Boss

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After receiving a GQ award from Hugo Boss, Russell Brand spoke out against the company honoring him and mentioned their history of utilizing Jews for forced labor in the creation of Nazi uniforms. Brand was reprimanded via social media, bringing to question the power we have to criticize those who run things.

Culture

Essays on Yom Kippur

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As Yom Kippur approaches, we invite you to reflect on two of Mark Kirschbaum’s pieces. One dealing with the relationship between time and teshuva and the other addressing why we read the Jonah story on this day.

Islam

Twelve Years Later, Words Are Still Not Enough

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Today, the twelfth anniversary of 9/11, monsters pretending to be my brothers in faith declared a holy war against my home and killed almost 3,000 innocent of my fellow countrymen and women in one terrifying swoop. Certainly their actions were taken by the entire country as a sign that Islam is a violent, bloodthirsty religion, wanting nothing more than to force the West to its knees through murder and mayhem. Ordinary Muslims such as I were aghast that such terrible actions could hold more weight than the statements of millions of Muslims in the United States and abroad who vehemently denounced them individually and collectively. But that’s human nature, isn’t it, that actions speak more clearly and resound louder than mere words do?

Christianity

Weekly Sermon: Learner's Mind — If What You Fear Does Not Exist

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The beloved city, Israel’s capital, is besieged by Syria. No one is free. We are the walled city. We are its violent, deceitful citizens. O, dear people, you have been in thrall to fears, and for so long a time. In the Cross of Christ, come free and see in the present moment that what you fear does not exist. The violence of anger will move from your path and you, like the lepers, will become angels—messengers of good news to the city.

Culture

Hey, It's Not A Meritocracy!

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“So what do the rich do every day that the poor don’t do?” I read this in an article posted to a Facebook business group. I was deeply disturbed by this article because it failed to mention the socially constructed systems that perpetuate economic inequality. I didn’t want to rock the boat in this business group because it’s part of my professional network. But a louder voice spoke (before I could even reel her in!), reminding me of my morning prayer.

Judaism

Rosh Hashanah (New Year) Essays

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For Rosh Hashanah, I invite you to reflect on the interrelationship between time and consciousness, and how they can be transcended and healed; how to relate to the holidays when one is in no mood to relate to the holidays; and the meaning of this metaphor of the “book” of life.