Religion

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...

Egyptians call it Om al Donia, the mother of all nations. If you ask an Egyptian why, he or she will give a full list from the oldest civilization to the best falafel sandwich you will ever have! Here is my interpretation why Egypt has...

When March 1 arrives, I always think of spring. I know that the official start of spring is later in the month of March, but for me spring is here at the beginning of March. I grew up in the south, and when March...

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And He fasted for forty days and forty nights.”  Mathew 4: 1-2 The recent appearance of actor Mark Wahlberg with his “40 Day Challenge” on NBC’s Today morning...

I had the opportunity to visit the beautiful city of Paris, France back in November 2008. My friend and I spent a day in the city on a tour bus, driving past many recognizable locations. One of those locations was Notre Dame. The bus...

In the summer of 1975, my friends and I built a treehouse in a large tree located in an open field near our homes. This was the best place to be a kid. All of the neighborhood hung out there. During that same summer, there...

Jewish teachings emphasize the importance of “rachamim,” which is usually translated as compassion or mercy. We first read about rachamim when it is used in Exodus 34:6-7 in the Hebrew Bible. It is one of the 13 attributes used to describe God. In the...

Through my Interfaith work with the Interfaith CommUNITY of Santa Clara (ICSC) and the Interfaith Clergy Association (ICA) I have many opportunities to engage with many aspects of Interfaith life—its celebration of the diversity of culture, faith expressions, food, music, art and more.   Recently in...

The MLK Jr. Interfaith Service at St. Mary’s in Gilroy earlier this month was a beautiful example of why different faith traditions bother to take the time to come together when we are so different. The truth is that our differences can make our...

Very little is known about the Amish Community. The term “Amish” conjures visions of people who are anti-progress, who are against technology, and who live in the 21st century like our forefathers did in the 18th century. In 2006, the world caught a glimpse...