I am delighted to convey my best wishes to the editors of the washingtonpost.com - Newsweek “On Faith” feature.

Your undertaking comes at a time of sharply increasing intolerance, extremism and violence in many parts of the world. The terror attacks of 9/11, war and turmoil in the Middle East, ill-considered words and drawings -- all have helped reinforce this trend, and have inflamed tensions between different peoples and cultures. They have notably strained relations between followers of the three great monotheistic faiths.

That is why initiatives like “On Faith” are so important. They can help reaffirm that the problem is not the Koran, nor the Torah, nor yet the Gospel. Indeed, I have often said the problem is never the faith – it is the faithful, and how they behave towards each other. Your work can help spread this vital message, and engage the faithful in a discourse stressing the basic values common to all religions: compassion; solidarity; respect for the human person; the Golden Rule of “do as you would be done by”.

It is in that spirit that I wish you great success, and look forward to following your discussions online.

I am pleased that The Washington Post and Newsweek have launched "On Faith - A Global Conversation on Religion," which will be led by Jon Meacham and Sally Quinn. I am also delighted that prominent individuals like Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Elie Wiesel and Madelaine Albright are contributing. I regret that I am unable to directly participate at this stage, but I do look forward to perhaps contributing in the future in some manner.

Continue »

On October 12th an Open Letter to Pope Benedict XVI signed by 38 Muslim scholars from around the world was delivered to the Vatican’s ambassador in Amman, Jordan. The letter, which was mentioned by "On Faith" panelists Diana Eck and George Weigel, was a response to Benedict’s comments on Islam during a lecture he delivered in Regensburg, Germany in September. Though the Pope had quoted a 14th century figure, his remarks were widely viewed by Muslims as an affront to their faith.

Continue »

Do I believe in God? Yes. But what has that really told you about me? I’m Jewish. Whether you know some or a great deal about Judaism that would still tell you little about me. The same would apply, I believe, if I had been born Catholic, Presbyterian, Muslim or Hindu. The label means nothing. You will only know us in this world by our deeds, by the way we live, and by the way we treat our fellows.

Locked deep down in each of us is our own personal, utterly unique, understanding of and compact with our Maker. "Call that a him or a her, call it God, the deity, creator, Buddha, Mohammed, Jesus or Yehuda, like no two snowflakes, no two thumbprints, our compacts with that entity are absolutely individual, no two alike."

Not to belabor the point, but I submit that three hundred or three thousand people, sitting knee to knee in the same pew of the same church every Sunday year after year, praying together from the same sacred text, no two congregants are having the same inner experience. The sacred texts we read from and the church strictures we observe may nurture our relationships with the entity we are worshiping, but the specifics of that relationship are buried deep within each of us and should remain there.

Continue »

We asked some denominations if non-celibate homosexuals can be members in good standing of their faith. Here's what they said:

Roman Catholic Church
"The Catholic Church does not expel people…Being a gay person who is sexually active can preclude one from receiving Communion worthily. The Catholic Church holds that sexual activity belongs within the Sacrament of Marriage, a marriage between a man and a woman, and a violation of that teaching is serious matter....Some of our members…always do the right thing; others seldom do. But all are children of God, and through baptism have earned the right to the name "Catholic.” “In good standing?” That’s something one may only know deep within his or her soul, in that encounter between Creator and created.
     Sr. Mary Ann Walsh, spokeswoman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

Conservative Judaism
The denomination's Rabbinical Assembly, in a 1992 "Consensus Statement", said that Conservative rabbis "will not perform commitment services for gays or lesbians....will not knowingly admit avowed homosexuals to our rabbinical or cantorial schools....At the same time, we will not instigate witch hunts against those who are already members or students....[and]...we hereby affirm gays and lesbians are welcome in our congregations."
     Breaking news on this topic

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Church President Gordon B. Hinckley "has addressed this question on a number of occasions," wrote church spokesman Michael R. Otterson. "He has expressed his love for all people as sons and daughters of God, including those who feel the pull of same-sex attraction. He has acknowledged that people may have certain inclinations which are powerful and which may be difficult to control. 'If they do not act upon these inclinations,' he said in a 1998 address, 'then they can go forward as do all other members of the Church. If they violate the law of chastity and the moral standards of the Church, then they are subject to the discipline of the Church, just as others are.'"

Otterson continued that Hinckley "has pointed out that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God. Referring to those who choose to set aside the promises they made when they were baptized into the Church, he said: 'We cannot stand idle if they indulge in immoral activity, if they try to uphold and defend and live in a so-called same-sex marriage situation.To permit such would be to make light of the very serious and sacred foundation of God-sanctioned marriage and its very purpose, the rearing of families.'”

Southern Baptist Convention
"Homosexuality is a sin and sin causes a separation from God. A non-celibate homosexual, as anyone unrepentant of sin, would not be in good standing in his relationship with Christ and that should be the greatest concern," said Will Hall, vice president for News Services, SBC Executive Committee.

"Each respective church aligned with the Southern Baptist Convention decides what qualifies someone to be a member in that local congregation. In the case of a non-celibate homosexual, a congregation would decide how that unrepented sin affects the standing of that person’s membership and fellowship with the congregation," he added.

"As for a church’s standing with the SBC, our Constitution states, 'Among churches not in cooperation with the Convention are churches which act to affirm, approve, or endorse homosexual behavior.'"