2009-11-20T20:24:16Z Other views on religion in the news. tag:newsweek.washingtonpost.com,2009:/onfaith/guestvoices//626 Copyright (c) 2009, WashingtonPost.Newsweek Interactive 2009-11-20T20:24:16Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-11-23:/onfaith/guestvoices/2009/11/can_an_atheist_be_grateful.html

By Edward Grinnan Editor-in-Chief, Guideposts Can an atheist be grateful? And if so, to whom? I pose this question because at my family's Thanksgiving gatherings there is a close relative who professes to be a devout atheist (God bless him). Like many families, we go around the table and enumerate the things in our lives for which we are each grateful. When the aforementioned relative's turn comes, he is as profuse in his gratitude as...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Edward Grinnan 2009-11-23T20:40:24Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-11-23:/onfaith/guestvoices/2009/11/12_things_we_should_teach_our_kids_about_darwin.html

By Deborah Heiligman author This is Darwin's year. We celebrated his 200th birthday in February and this month is the 150th anniversary of publication of "The Origin of the Species". Sadly there are still misconceptions about Charles Darwin and his science, falsehoods that are spread, making people scared to teach children about him. But we most certainly should teach our children about Darwin. Here is a primer I hope will convince: 1. Charles Darwin was...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Deborah Heiligman 2009-11-23T15:16:03Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-11-23:/onfaith/guestvoices/2009/11/j_street_and_the_jewish_tradition.html

By Bernard Avishai Hebrew University JERUSALEM -- During the first night of the J Street conference, when delegates were just getting settled, a half dozen speakers -- activists, rabbis and students -- unexpectedly poured their hearts out. The 1,500 people in the hall, the speakers insisted, were not only gathered to represent the majority of American Jews who think U.S. policy should put its weight behind bringing about a two state solution. We were gathered...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Bernard Avisha 2009-11-23T16:11:02Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-11-23:/onfaith/guestvoices/2009/11/defending_darwins_science_by_taming_social_darwinism.html

By Gregory Paul researcher, author One hundred and fifty years after Charles Darwin's world changing "On the Origin of the Species" was published on Nov. 24, there are signs of change in the struggle between the forces of science and creationism. In all other prosperous democracies solid majorities, up to eight in ten, accept human descent from animals. In America nearly half still think humans were created by God a few thousand years ago, and...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Gregory Paul 2009-11-23T21:08:27Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-11-20:/onfaith/guestvoices/2009/11/rabbis_letter_to_israels_ambassador.html

By Shmuel Herzfeld Rabbi, Ohev Sholom--The National Synagogue Below is a letter I sent on Friday, November 20 to Israel's Ambassador to the U.S., Michael Oren. The letter was in response to the arrest of a woman for wearing a prayer shawl (tallit) at the Western Wall in Jerusalem which is immediately adjacent to the Temple Mount. The fact is that this woman was trying to observe Judaism and her practice was in accordance with...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Shmuel Herzfeld 2009-11-20T17:03:25Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-11-20:/onfaith/guestvoices/2009/11/the_manhattan_declaration.html

By Timothy George founding dean, Beeson Divinity School Orthodox, Catholic, and Evangelical leaders have come together to reaffirm fundamental truths about justice and the common good on three of the most pressing issues in our country today--the sanctity of every human life from conception to death, the strengthening of marriage as a covenant union of husband and wife, and the defense of religious liberty and the rights of conscience for all persons everywhere. These are...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Timothy George 2009-11-20T14:54:17Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-11-20:/onfaith/guestvoices/2009/11/what_the_islamists_and_islamaphobes_dont_want_you_to_know.html

By Alex Kronemer film producer The Fort Hood tragedy has become a renewed occasion for many self-appointed spokespersons, hostile critics, experts, pseudo-experts, pundits, and politicians to assert their theories about what Muslims really think. In the past few two weeks, I've heard the Qur'an quoted more times on talk radio than in a mosque. Verses are thrown around either to argue that Islam is, as we often hear, "a religion of peace" or as Pat...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Alex Kronemer 2009-11-19T16:49:48Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-11-19:/onfaith/guestvoices/2009/11/should_hasan_be_court-martialed.html

By Mikey Weinstein president, Military Religious Freedom Foundation We are learning more each day about Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the man accused of senselessly and mercilessly killing 13 people, including 12 of his fellow soldiers, at Fort Hood earlier this month. It has now become reasonably clear that Hasan was in contact with radical Muslim cleric Anwar al-Aulaqi and may have incorporated aspects of Islam into his work as an Army psychiatrist. He allegedly argued...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Mikey Weinstein 2009-11-18T21:18:09Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-11-18:/onfaith/guestvoices/2009/11/our_moral_duty_to_afghanistan.html

By Muqtedar Khan Director of Islamic Studies, University of Delaware On November 5, I had the privilege of testifying to the House Armed Services Sub-Committee on Oversight and Investigations. These hearings are part of the lengthy ongoing deliberations in Washington D.C. searching for a new direction in Afghanistan. The Hearing was chaired by Chairman Dr. Vic Snyder (D-Ark) and Ranking Member Rob Whitman (R-VA). The panel was divided. Half the participants were pro-surge and advised...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Muqtedar Khan 2009-11-16T20:49:32Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-11-16:/onfaith/guestvoices/2009/11/evolution_of_the_supernatural.html

Nicholas Wade journalist, author When a human behavior is ancient and universal, it's reasonable to suspect it may be part of the mind's innate furniture, placed there by evolution because it favored survival. Religion is found in every society in the world, so is the human mind wired up to believe in gods, and if so does this diminish the value or standing of religion? I believe there is an instinct for religious behavior, and...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Nicholas Wade 2009-11-12T19:41:53Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-11-12:/onfaith/guestvoices/2009/11/the_catholic_churchs_veto_power.html

By Bill Press Radio talk show host Consider this scenario. After months of debate, the national legislature is set to cast a historic vote. But, before legislators can vote yeah or nay, the bill must first be sent to the country's Supreme Religious Council for its approval. Only after the unelected clerics give their blessing are elected politicians permitted to vote on the legislation. Did that happen in Iran? No, it happened right here in...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Bill Press 2009-11-13T16:23:39Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-11-12:/onfaith/guestvoices/2009/11/the_spiritual_awakening_of_jon_gosselin.html

By Benyamin Cohen Public opinion of Jon Gosselin likely lies somewhere between Osama Bin Laden and Glenn Beck. And that's understandable. As one-tenth of the wildly popular reality-show Jon and Kate Plus Eight, Gosselin was (perhaps rightfully) accused of exploiting his children for financial gain. Rumors of infidelity, embarrassing photos, and all-around immature behavior this summer led to the crumbling of his marriage (and his beloved television show) much to the schadenfreude delight of US...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Benyamin Cohen 2009-11-11T20:50:59Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-11-11:/onfaith/guestvoices/2009/11/lobbyists_for_god.html

By Niv Elis policy analyst Businesses looking to have an impact on policy issues like health care and energy are teaming up with groups claiming to represent a powerful, well-known, but surprising figure: God. Faith-based lobbying groups, the likes of which played an important role in the civil rights movements, are resurgent in Washington, and savvy businesses are taking notice. It's common knowledge that business is a powerful force in politics. K Street is brimming...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Niv Elis 2009-11-12T19:33:16Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-11-11:/onfaith/guestvoices/2009/11/faith_on_campus_student_video_contest.html

Your Browser DoesNot Support IFrames. By Sally Quinn and Leo Brunnick On Faith and Patheos.com On Faith and Patheos.com, a site dedicated to global dialogue on religion and spirituality, are inviting college students and young adults across the country to share their faith in a video contest. "Faith on Campus" will be open for video submissions from Nov. 12, 2009 through Jan. 31, 2010. During that time, students can also promote their entries and encourage...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Sally Quinn and Leo Brunnick 2009-11-12T15:59:22Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-11-11:/onfaith/guestvoices/2009/11/islam_in_america.html

By Imam Faizul Khan Islamic Society of Washington Area Forty or fifty years ago the words Islam and Muslims were unheard of in the press. Seldom was they mentioned, rarely were they publicly discussed and not much was talked about the Muslim presence in America. Today, the situation is vastly different. Muslims and Islam are almost daily covered by the media. There are many reasons. Muslims have been in America for over a century now,...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Imam Faizul Khan