It’s Time to Let Jews, Muslims, and Sikhs Join the Military
This piece was originally published on The Daily Beast. The rash of hate crimes following the Boston Marathon bombings reminds us of the major challenges religious minorities face in this country. Last week a taxi passenger in Northern Virginia verbally and physically attacked his driver for being “a fucking Muslim.” The victim, Mohamed Salim, who [...]
Will The Dark Knight Rise?
“People need dramatic examples to shake them out of apathy, and I can’t do that as Bruce Wayne. As a man, I’m flesh and blood. I can be ignored, I can be destroyed. But as a symbol… as a symbol, I can be incorruptible. I can be everlasting.”
Can Unitarian Universalists Really Believe Whatever They Want?
Unitarian Universalism is a religious tradition with roots in Christianity, but has since taken a strong stance regarding religious freedom in every person’s spiritual formation. This may be characterized as a non-credal religious tradition, which is a characterization arguably shared with some mainline protestant traditions and other traditions altogether. However, Unitarian Universalism reaches a step [...]
Hindu Community Makes Its White House Debut
Hinduism is hardly new to the United States. Swami Vivekenanda is thought to have first introduced it when he visited as part of the World’s Parliament of Religions at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. He received a standing ovation from the 7,000 people in audience, whom he declared his “Sisters and Brothers of America.” [...]
Religious Ethics After Abu Ghraib
Last December, I had the opportunity to attend the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Melbourne, Australia. The Parliament seeks to promote harmony, reconciliation, and understanding in the world through both intra-religious and interreligious dialogue. In short, it sustains a collective hope that religion will truly be a purveyor of peace and not a conduit [...]
Contributing Scholars
Anna DeWeeseAnna DeWeese, 28, received her Master of Arts degree in Systematic Theology from Union Theological Seminary in New York City in 2009.
She is Project Coordinator for the CARE for Teachers program, a program of the Garrison Institute's Contemplative Teaching and Learning Initiative. She also teaches for the Interfaith Community in New York City, a non-profit religious education organization for blended-faith families.
Simran Jeet SinghSimran Jeet Singh is a doctoral student in the Department of Religion at Columbia University. His research focuses on South Asian Religions, particularly the Sikh tradition and the life of its founder, Guru Nanak.
Lee PaczullaLee is an MDiv candidate at Harvard Divinity School, preparing for ordination as a Unitarian Universalist (UU) minister. She spent the last five years doing community-based youth development and health action work in Washington, DC, and has a BA in psychology and women’s studies from Swarthmore College.