Religion: The blessing of creating new life
My dear wife recently gave birth to our daughter Mushka on July 23, bringing another blessing into our family and into the world. In honor of this joyous occasion, allow me to share some thoughts on the significance of having a child.
Judaism places a...
Religion: Like a changing tree
The Dhammapada, a collection of sayings of the Buddha, is one of the most widely read and best known Buddhist scriptures. In the Dhammapada, Verse 277, we find this lesson: “All conditioned phenomena are impermanent;” when one sees this with insight-wisdom, one becomes weary of...
Religion: Hijrah—To start anew and carry on the message
On Friday, July 29, Muslims began the New Year of 1444 with the month of Muharram.
Prophet Muhammad’s migration to Medinah from Mecca (the hijrah) was such a pivotal event for Muslims that the second Caliph Omar decided that it should mark the beginning of...
Religion: Praying for the dead
July 28 used to be one of my favorite days of the year. On the Roman Catholic calendar, it is the feast day of a minor saint, Pope Saint Victor I, who was martyred by the Romans around the year 199 AD. Pope Victor...
Religion: Pioneers in our lives
On the 24th of July, my family and others celebrated the 175th anniversary of “Pioneer Day,” the day that pioneers seeking religious freedom arrived in Salt Lake City after walking across the Plains from Illinois.
My great-great-grandfather, Samuel Openshaw, came from England in 1856 at...
