The story of the Tower of Babel has always confused me. In it, humans are punished for working collaboratively together. But what kind of god causes confusion and separation, rather than illumination ...Read More
“Well, this is awkward,” I thought as small drops splashed onto my cassock. I suppose it shouldn’t have struck me as that awkward. After all, I was processing through a church singing all about ...Read More
I conducted anthropological research on interfaith couples and marriages in Indonesia in 2010, and have continued to investigate interfaith dialogue practices, religious diversity management and inter...Read More
It was raining at dusk. I decided not to ride my bike to the progressive Yom Kippur service on the Boston University campus. If I rode my bike, I would get too thirsty coming home and I wouldn’t ke...Read More
“Them girls knew what they was doing. They just out to get his money. I don’t care what he did. I’m gonna keep playin’ his music and I’m gonna party to it!” These passionate words were sai...Read More
It was evening in Mumbai and the windows to the Jesuit residence on the fifth floor of the Xavier Institute of Engineering were open to let in a cooling breeze. The sun had set and the last monsoon ra...Read More
One “fold” on the Buddhist Noble Eightfold Path toward enlightenment is Right View. “Right view” is the skill of dissolving interpretations in favor of drawing closer to the reality of the wor...Read More
America’s Bill of Rights promises freedom of religion in that the government shall make no law restricting the exercise of religion. The American people, by contrast, have often struggled to accept ...Read More
“Give your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping. For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts. And stand together yet not too near together: For the pillars of the temple stand apart...Read More
My research on interfaith dialogue is driven by questions about people’s individual capacities for transformation and cohabitation with other humans. In previous articles (here and here) I demonstra...Read More