This Torah is from the former Glockengasse Synagogue in Cologne

Congregation B’nai Torah, The only Synagogue in St. Charles County, was recently visited by a Certified Torah Scribe. The Scribe had come to inspect their Torah, even though he had been told that the Torah was no longer kosher, since it was damaged– some letters were missing.

I spoke with Jack Cohen, the congregation’s president, on Tuesday because I had received a letter from him regarding the interesting story of his congregation’s Torah, which said in part:

During the Holocaust, Hitler gave orders to his soldiers to collect the Jewish artifacts from the synagogues they burned, as he wanted to create a Museum of an Extinct People. The Nazis threw over 1,500 Torah Scrolls into the basement of a museum in Prague, Czechoslovakia. After the war, the Torahs became the property of the Czechoslovakian government, and remained in the basement until an English…

We at the Missouri Zen Center are frequently invited to talk about Buddhism and Zen at schools and other institutions. This Civil Religion site provides a forum to engage in interfaith dialogue and discussion. While we enjoy and seek out opportunities to have these discussions, we also note the paradox of the situation. An essential characteristic of Zen Buddhism is the recognition that, ultimately, human language is incapable of expressing the truth. Language is like a finger pointing to the moon of truth. By practicing zazen, or meditation, we seek to witness truth by going beyond language and other human creations.

Language is just one of the many things that humans create. We dwell in things – cities, civilizations, castles in the air – and then we hold onto things such as money, matter, and mind. Ultimately, we are shut in and bound by these things, becoming separated (selfish, sinful) and disintegrated…

http://nitawriter.wordpress.com/2007/09/15/why-people-are-religious/

I wanted to write a blog about the sad situation with Christians in the middle east (especially Iraq) talking about how they have lived there harmoniously and prosperously for over a thousand years and how the recent events have destabilized their situation like never in a thousand years. In doing the research I saw this article from nearly two years ago about the Archbishop of Canterbury Mr. Dr. Rowan Williams speaking strongly to bring attention to their plight.

Archbishop of Canterbury Mr. Dr. Rowan Williams

It reminded me yet again how many times Anglicans (or Episcopals in USA) are often foremost in speaking up in matters of faith to support those needing support. A few months ago Dr. Rowan Williams spoke in support of allowing Sharia law in UK to help settle domestic issues within the large Muslim minority in UK. Though there was a large outcry from many to oppose this when…