Religion

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...

When a soloist holds a note for a very long time, the audience is mesmerized. They guess how much longer the note will play and express excitement upon the conclusion. One of the most recognizable symbols of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, is the...

What does freedom taste like? As Jews celebrate the weeklong holiday of Passover (Pesach) beginning this Saturday night (April 12), the interactive ritual of a Passover Seder provides a rich learning experience to literally taste freedom.  The book of Exodus details the story of Passover...

There are times in life when we find ourselves called from seasons of relative peace and tranquility into what we know will be a time of unknown storm. Sometimes the storm chooses us. Sometimes we choose the storm.  As we navigate our way forward, we...

Do you have a prayer room? Is there a room or destination that is “your place” to connect with God? The garden across the Kidron Valley was a place where Jesus went to pray and connect with his father. It is there that Jesus...

In the San Francisco Bay Area, we seem to be in a bubble of more open-minded thinking and inclusion. There are other places, regions and states that seem to be filled with fear of the outsider and suspicion of neighbors of different ethnicity, national...

Are we making it all up? My three-year-old has an imaginary friend. They play, laugh and explore together. But that’s not what’s supposed to happen in our faith traditions—right? Too often, my childhood picture of Jesus behaved more like an imaginary friend than the risen...

Our nation is facing a new crisis.  Our young people are battling mental health issues, depression and self-harm at rates far, far higher than older generations. A study by Murmuration found that members of Gen-Z—people born between 1997-2012—are about twice as likely as older Americans...

This year the Multifaith Action Society is celebrating the Interfaith Year of Resilience. The “Resilience” theme was chosen to remind communities to continue to be strong and maneuver through the perils and all the uncertainties we find ourselves going through.    We are living in times...

As we approach the darkest time of the year, Jews prepare to celebrate Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights. The ancient story took place in the 2nd century BCE during the reign of Syrian-Greek King Antiochus IV. He imposed harsh decrees upon the Jews forbidding...