In a previous entry (Do You Really Want Peace on Earth?) I mentioned the upcoming Mindfulness Day. We had a nice event, meeting new and old friends and enjoying “golden wind” on a clear autumn afternoon. In my presentation, one of three offered that day, I talked about why we have problems and how to solve them.

All problems come from selfishness due to self-preservation. The accretion of four billion years of self-preserving action and its results (karma) has created hard shells with which we shroud our individual and collective selves, like shellfish. Confined and limited, we can no longer move freely, knowing and acting well.

No one likes the selfishness of others, but everyone loves one’s own. Selfish individuals or groups are hated, hit, hypnotized in hubris, but eventually humiliated due to their own karma, like iron crumbling in its own rust. Like cancer, selfishness grows from its essence and destroys…

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…

Christian Smith has written a follow-up to his widely praised book Soul Searching, a thorough and incisive treatment of religion among America’s youth. While I have not yet read his new work, Souls in Transition, Naomi Schaeffer Riley has, and she summarized it in last Monday’s Wall Street Journal.

Smith’s conclusion is that young people are becoming increasingly irreligious. “Only about 20% attend religious services at least once a week, a 22% decline from Mr. Smith’s survey, five years ago, of the same group of young people.” But paradoxically, young people still expect to maintain their religious habits–when they grow up. And that appears to be farther away for many young people than ever. While statistically, my generation is not so different than our parents, we will spend longer away from religion (and a longer time before we marry, have kids, and “settle down”) than they did. We want religion, but…

A couple of days earlier, I was on my laptop, when I saw a YouTube window, which read “YouTube-Amazing Convert Story”. Upon reading this … I became a bit curious, I turned on the video, and listened to it half heartedly (it’s about 15 min long) as I did my homework and checking my mail.

As I was listening to this, the guy was describing how he was at a point in his life where he was confused and was looking for answers. It was a hard time in his life and he needed to believe in something. He went from religion to religion in search for something to fill the emptiness inside him.

When he asked the religious leaders of some given religions, questions, they would give him an answer but it was like it was their own opinion. After a while he finally stumbled across Islam and when he asked…

“Organized religion has been at the basis of too many wars. I see very little good in it. I’m raising my children without any talk of God, as I don’t think it’s fair to push God down their throats when they’re too young to think logically.”

I came across this comment in what is otherwise a very intriguing reflection on the Passover and religious identity by Judith Warner in her New York Times blog, “Domestic Disturbances.”

One can find comments like it all over the place: the lazy dismissals of religion as the root and cause of every single thing that has ever gone wrong in the world. And I’ll confess that they drive me up a wall because (1) they often come from people who are simply buying into other people’s thoughts without thinking for themselves, and (2) they’re often wrong.

If someone is looking for something to blame for all the worst things…

So I know it’s kind of old news at this point, but I just read another article about “Hit A Jew Day”. This one from The Jewish Light.

I’ve heard the news reports and read numerous other articles. I read Tim’s post about it and the comments. And seriously, are you kidding me?

The “are you kidding me?” is directed at the people who think this is not a big deal or just immaturity. Yes, many sixth graders are immature. And no, I don’t believe that the incident is deeply rooted in anti-Semitism. I’m not calling it a hate crime either. But come on. What better way for children to learn that it is ignorant and inappropriate to single others out based on religion then calling them out on it. Let them feel embarrassed and stupid for what they did. And maybe, just maybe, they won’t do it again.

I know some people are saying…

The pulpit and politics in my church – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – rarely come together. Ranking religious institutions and political involvement on a scale of one to ten, with ten being the most politically active, my church is likely to be rated a 2 or 3 on the scale.

My church affirms it’s political neutrality. However, it maintains the right to speak out on social and moral issues that affect the Church and families. And occasionally the Church encourages action.

Most recently, our church leaders are encouraging members to vote YES on Proposition 8 in California to provide a legal definition of marriage being between a man and a woman. LDS.org, the Church’s website, offers various links to discussions and information on this issue.

One point made in the discussions is the idea of the “Tyranny of Tolerance” – when tolerance is redefined to mean acceptance rather than love.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks, Latter-day Saint church leader, clarifies and reminds us what “tolerance” means:

“Tolerance obviously requires a non-contentious manner…

A friend was visiting Cape Cod recently and brought me a most unusual gift. It was six inches in diameter and formed from two concentric disks, the top disk slightly smaller than the bottom disk. The two disks were held together by a rivet which allowed the disks to turn freely, either clockwise or counter clockwise. The top disk bore the title: CHOOSE YOUR RELIGION: A GUIDE FOR THE SAVVY CONVERT. A large red arrow enabled the top disc to point at any one of thirty “religions” by name. The reason I put the word religions in quotes is because some readers would be quick to declare one or two of these as, “not religions at all.” Consumerism is on the chart, along with Atheism, and Psychoanalysis.

Cut into the top wheel are six openings which are labeled: Description; Accessories/Paraphernalia; Afterlife Promises; Potential New Friends; Drawbacks; and finally, Perks. The device is…

I don’t get to go to the movies much. I have two small children, a husband who hates theaters, and a short attention span. But last night, after an eleven month hiatus from the cinema, I saw Sex and the City. It was worth the nine dollar ticket, the cost of a babysitter, and two and a half hours of sitting still.

So what does Sex in the City have to do with religion? Well, nothing. But seeing this much anticipated movie brought me back to my days as a single girl. It brought back memories (good, bad and ugly) of the dating scene. And by “dating scene” I’m referring to the process of conducting interviews for a potential spouse.

In this blog about religion, we’ve touched on same sex marriage and plural marriage but not interfaith marriage. I am the product of an interfaith marriage. My mom is Jewish and my dad…

I would like to respond to a question posed by a comment on my recent post asking about the Pope. Well, two questions actually. And the reason I am devoting space to it here, is because I think that they are good questions.

Here they are:

“How will Jews who have rejected Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior know when their savior comes?” And, “What is the end game for Jews and how will they know when it arrives?”

Let me begin by reiterating that I am by no means any type of authority on Judaism. I’m just a girl who in my early years, repelled the thought of any type of religious education. I did have a Bat Mitzvah, but only after my parents had to foot the bill for a private tutor. I was kicked out of my temple’s religious school for being “disruptive” and “too social”.

My interest in religion now is…

When asked to be a contributor to this blog, my initial response was, “Me? But I’m not that into religion.” I guess that was the point. The desire was for a diverse group of writers and diverse it is. And just to be clear, in case it isn’t by the end of this entry, among the range of scholars and lay people, I’m a lay person.

Religion has never played a big role in my life. Or so I thought. So while searching for inspiration about what to post this week, I realized I’m in Laguna Beach, California. I’ve traveled halfway across the country to attend a childhood friend’s wedding – Jewish wedding. Well, there’s something.

So I’m sitting on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, watching one of my oldest, dearest friends exchange vows under a billowing blue and green chiffon chuppah, and I am moved. Moved to tears by the…