Brad Hirschfield

Always raise concerns, but never make policy

American Catholic bishops, like religious leaders everywhere, are 100 percent right to raise their voices about an issue of moral concern to them. Genuine faith is not simply a once a week thing designed to relieve tension and give us something to do before a shared meal with family and friends. But the bishops are not only raising a voice of moral conscience, they are attempting to dictate policy. And between those two, lies a world of difference.

By Brad Hirschfield | November 18, 2009; 10:35 AM ET | Comments (2)

Don't discharge God from the military

God should be welcomed into the army, whether as Adonai, Lord Jesus, Allah, or any of the other names by which God is known. So should the presence of those who believe that God does not exist. And all should play by the same rules.

By Brad Hirschfield | November 10, 2009; 01:04 PM ET | Comments (2)

Death panels? How about compassion panels?

Whoever called it "end-of-life" counseling made a terrible mistake, not only from a marketing perspective, but from an ethical/spiritual one. By ceding values-laden language to their opposition, and failing to approach this issue from a values-driven perspective, they opened themselves, and all those who support this much-needed aspect of health care reform, to the death panel crowd and their charge that such counseling is about nothing more than cost-cutting. Nothing could be further from the truth

By Brad Hirschfield | November 4, 2009; 08:03 PM ET | Comments (1)

Hate crimes legislation is a well-intentioned mistake

Punishing individuals for what they believe and not what they have done is a scary precedent which avoids the real cultural challenges we face and potentially devalues the significance of crimes not rising to the level of a hate crime.

By Brad Hirschfield | October 27, 2009; 07:50 AM ET | Comments (5)

Welcoming the Vatican's welcome of disaffected Anglicans

Why does a rabbi care about whether or not the Catholic Church becomes more welcoming of disaffected Anglicans? In this case, it's because I welcome all moves which increase diversity within religious community. But whether or not this new move will accomplish that remains to be seen.

By Brad Hirschfield | October 20, 2009; 05:27 PM ET | Comments (5)

Religious Problems Demand Religious Solutions

Religion will be part of the solution in Afghanistan when those who call themselves religious have a vision of the world which accords full dignity and equality to all people, regardless of the faith they follow, including no faith at all.

By Brad Hirschfield | October 5, 2009; 05:11 PM ET | Comments (9)

Nuclear Arms Are Frightening, But Not Sinful

The entire arc of human existence has been one in which we take on greater and greater power, both the power to heal and the power to destroy, the power to nurture life and the power to destroy it. In fact, it seems that the two capacities have always gone hand in hand, and it doesn't seem wise to step back from that empowerment.

By Brad Hirschfield | September 29, 2009; 05:29 PM ET | Comments (5)

Why Joe (and Kanye and Serena) Won't Apologize

Civility is about creating a culture of mutual respect, not simply making sure that the biggest celebrity in the room has their moment. But Serena doesn't get that, and neither do Kanye or Joe. And that's why they can not or will not offer meaningful apologies for their bad behavior.

By Brad Hirschfield | September 15, 2009; 07:40 AM ET | Comments (186)

Leave Security to the Professionals

It's both empowering and healing for people who are threatened to take some control over a situation that threatens them. But a bunch of guys playing soldier are more like to get an innocent person killed than anything else.

By Brad Hirschfield | September 8, 2009; 03:56 PM ET | Comments (12)

Don't Teach God at School

How much theology should be taught in our nation's public schools? None, zip, nada. And imagining it should be otherwise is as wrong-headed as banishing the story of religion's influence over our nation's founding and subsequent history.

By Brad Hirschfield | September 1, 2009; 11:13 AM ET | Comments (6)

Scotland's False Compassion is No Compassion At All

The Scottish government took the path of least resistance; the one of least responsibility and the one which made them feel best about themselves. That is neither compassionate nor is it just.

By Brad Hirschfield | August 25, 2009; 04:04 PM ET | Comments (7)

Don't Use God to Inflame an Already Overwrought Debate

As a Jew, rooted in a system which is far more concerned with obligations than it is with rights, but always aware of both, I want to see a real conversation about the balance between health care as a human right and the obligations that should be born by all people who get that care.

By Brad Hirschfield | August 18, 2009; 02:49 PM ET | Comments (8)

If God is God, Then God Tweets

The question is not really whether God Tweets, but are we capable of tweeting anything sacred, purposeful or meaningful.

By Brad Hirschfield | August 11, 2009; 09:42 AM ET | Comments (8)

Stop Hurting People in God's Name

Consider the possibility of multiple spiritual communities, some that celebrate gays in religious leadership and some that ban them from such positions.

By Brad Hirschfield | August 4, 2009; 11:03 AM ET | Comments (185)

Jimmy Carter Apparently Thinks He's Jesus, Moses and Muhammad

By making statements equating his own understanding of religion with the will of "Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul, Moses and the prophets, Muhammad, and founders of other great religions", Jimmy Carter continues his well-established tradition of making outrageous statements to justify legitimate concerns.

By Brad Hirschfield | July 21, 2009; 11:31 AM ET | Comments (8)

Law Above All Else, Not to the Exclusion of All Else

While there may be no room for justices actively looking beyond the law to make/interpret law, there is no way to stand outside one's self and render decisions either.

By Brad Hirschfield | July 14, 2009; 12:53 PM ET | Comments (1)

Every Group for Itself

When public policy is made in light of obligations assumed instead of rights asserted, we are all better off.

By Brad Hirschfield | July 9, 2009; 02:28 PM ET | Comments (2)

God Talk Works For Most Americans

Since the Bible celebrates both of those values, perhaps it is we who should invoke the Bible even more than the politicians when it comes to matters of public misdeeds and the proper response to them.

By Brad Hirschfield | June 29, 2009; 09:35 PM ET | Comments (0)

Burqas Can Liberate or Debase

Burqas are most certainly a public matter and the public, be it in France, the United States or anywhere else in the world is best served when its members are allowed the greatest degree of religious freedom.

By Brad Hirschfield | June 24, 2009; 03:50 PM ET | Comments (3)

Both Democracy and Theocracy Can Turn Idolatrous

There have been many theocratic governments that accomplished much good for the governed and advanced the quality of life for all under their control, regardless of faith.

By Brad Hirschfield | June 17, 2009; 12:05 PM ET | Comments (6)

Respecting Freedom of -- and from -- Religion

The NH law simply puts gay couples seeking a religious wedding on the same ground as all couples who turn to a particular spiritual community to sanctify their marriage.

By Brad Hirschfield | June 10, 2009; 09:21 AM ET | Comments (6)

Obama's Speech Brilliant and Troubling

The President's remarks were filled with partial truths which often idealized the history of Islam and consistently avoided many of the real challenges which the world faces today. But it put being productive ahead of what some of us call being right, and that is the path to peace and reconciliation every time.

By Brad Hirschfield | June 4, 2009; 10:44 AM ET | Comments (46)

Child Sacrifice Persists, and We're All Complicit

Child sacrifice should horrify us. But the fact that it still exists, and is making headlines in a number of states, should not really surprise us.

By Brad Hirschfield | May 25, 2009; 09:27 AM ET | Comments (3)

Denominations Choose, But Who Pays?

Questions about who should and should not serve as clergy are strictly denominational issues and it is the height of arrogance for those outside a given community to pretend otherwise. But each decision that is made carries with it a real price.

By Brad Hirschfield | May 13, 2009; 09:08 AM ET | Comments (0)

Torture is Wrong, Until It Saves a Life

The very notion of torture sickens me. I am almost 100% certain that it must always be opposed. But I live with the awareness that if it was my kid and I genuinely believed that torture would save their lives, I might think differently.

By Brad Hirschfield | May 11, 2009; 09:29 AM ET | Comments (46)

Obama's Wise, But Unfortunate, Decision

Unfortunately, President Obama is making the right decision by not hosting a National Prayer Day event at the White House.

By Brad Hirschfield | May 5, 2009; 03:30 PM ET | Comments (40)

The Dangerous Hypocrisy of Theocrats

The real debate here is about who decides what's right for people, people themselves or God.

By Brad Hirschfield | April 23, 2009; 07:48 AM ET | Comments (4)

Obama's Wishful Exaggerations

President Obama's claims about both America's relationship with the global Muslim community, and the extent to which we are not a "Christian nation", are partial truths which express a hope more than a reality.

By Brad Hirschfield | April 14, 2009; 03:55 PM ET | Comments (6)

Pope Benedict's Apologies Teach Spiritual Lesson For All

We can learn from this phenomenon of a global religious leader having the moral courage and spiritual sensitivity to apologize for his actions.

By Brad Hirschfield | April 5, 2009; 04:26 PM ET | Comments (16)

Thin Line Between Religions and Cults

Most cults have the capacity to move past the kind of ugly behavior which defines them as a cult. And more importantly, most religions can and do slip into cult-like behavior from time to time.

By Brad Hirschfield | April 1, 2009; 07:34 AM ET | Comments (31)

Satan and Evil Exist; Less Certain About The Devil

Satan is found when war is tried before peace. Satan is found when we build religious and political identities and loyalties based more on the hate of what we are not, than the love of what we are. Satan is found when I give in to a pizza or a box of doughnuts, even though they may put me in an early grave.

By Brad Hirschfield | March 25, 2009; 05:25 PM ET | Comments (4)

Americans Reject Labels, Not Faith

Saying 'no' to your parents' religion, or to all religion as currently defined, does not necessarily mean saying 'no' to faith and/or to God.

By Brad Hirschfield | March 18, 2009; 03:51 PM ET | Comments (16)

Americans (Still) Rejecting Religious Status Quo

New religion survey shows Americans are rejecting labels, not faith. The personalized, even idiosyncratic nature of faith in our culture has been a growing trend for a very long time.

By Brad Hirschfield | March 11, 2009; 11:32 AM ET | Comments (93)

Resistance to Stem Cell Research About Fear, Not Faith

The vast majority of arguments, both religion-based and otherwise, against embryonic stem cell research are rooted in fear about the future abuse of capacities we already possess or soon will. So this is really about our faith in each other more than our faith in God.

By Brad Hirschfield | March 10, 2009; 06:44 AM ET | Comments (0)

Our Brothers' Keepers, Not Their Guarantors

We are responsible for each other. But the fact that we are obligated to bail each other out, for both moral and economic reasons, does not mean that we must restore all those who have lost out to their former glory and meet their every expectation.

By Brad Hirschfield | March 5, 2009; 08:01 AM ET | Comments (8)

Taking God Public

Where does God belong and who gets to decide? That sums up the debate underlying two new rulings by the United States Supreme Court and it seems to be a split decision.

By Brad Hirschfield | March 3, 2009; 11:31 AM ET | Comments (8)

Religion, Violence and My Murdered Friend

If Aasiyah had been shot numerous times with a family-owned gun, it would be appropriate to discuss the problems associated with the prevalence of guns in American culture. Given that her death reflects a specific set of religious and cultural issues within Islam, it is appropriate to examine those.

By Brad Hirschfield | February 25, 2009; 06:36 AM ET | Comments (17)

American Foreign Policy and Iran's Jews

Palestinians in Israel have the right not only to critique the state in which they live, but to call for its end. Can Iran's Jews do the same?

By Brad Hirschfield | February 23, 2009; 12:12 PM ET | Comments (7)

Sacred Reading and Sacred Sex

Of course, there is no such thing as truly reading alone. We are always accompanied by the readings, interpretations, cultural contexts and presumptions which shape that which we read.

By Brad Hirschfield | February 20, 2009; 12:37 AM ET | Comments (8)

Honesty, Not a Gay Pastor's Prayer, Tested in OK

It's not prayer, public or otherwise, that divides us. At least it doesn't have to. It's our inability to be honest with each other about what we really believe and how to make room for the beliefs of others.

By Brad Hirschfield | February 18, 2009; 05:39 PM ET | Comments (17)

A Murder in Buffalo Touches Us All

The Co-Founder and Program Director of Bridges TV, the largest provider of Muslim Programming on North American cable television, was murdered, allegedly by her husband Mo Hassan, who founded the station with Aasiya and served as its CEO.

By Brad Hirschfield | February 17, 2009; 06:26 PM ET | Comments (1)

Discrimination Is a Problem, Not Faith

The federal government has no business aiding programs which follow such practices. Note that I said programs, not organizations.

By Brad Hirschfield | February 13, 2009; 12:33 AM ET | Comments (5)

Lincoln, Darwin and Gay Marriage

Lincoln and Darwin were two great men whose visions and life work ultimately served humanity but polarized people enormously.

By Brad Hirschfield | February 11, 2009; 01:29 AM ET | Comments (171)

Not All Holocaust Denial Is Equal

A total ban on engaging Holocaust deniers is a convenient way to ignore the real challenge of engaging people with ugly views. And those are usually the most important people to engage. The real choice one has to make is which deniers to ignore and which to engage.

By Brad Hirschfield | February 4, 2009; 07:39 AM ET | Comments (16)

A Peace Plan for the Evolution/Creation Wars

Using the same word to describe faith in God and support for a scientific theory strikes me as foolish and pernicious. It's bad for both science and faith, creating a false dichotomy between the two positions.

By Brad Hirschfield | February 2, 2009; 11:25 AM ET | Comments (84)

President Too Soft On Some and Too Hard On Many

There is no single Muslim world, and any intimation that there is, will either work against addressing the serious threats we face from some Muslims, or cause us to miss the genuine opportunities that will be found by working more constructively with many more. Where President Obama got it right was in using the word "mutual" to define the new way forward which he seeks.

By Brad Hirschfield | January 30, 2009; 08:21 AM ET | Comments (39)

Pope Benedict: Panderer or Creative Community Builder?

Williamson's reinstatement doesn't bother me because I am Jewish, it bothers me because I would hope that it is beneath the Church to honor a man who believes and continues to teach such ugly and dangerous lies.

By Brad Hirschfield | January 26, 2009; 03:10 PM ET | Comments (49)

Biblical Literalism Kills -- Literally

Leilani and Dale Neuman stood by as their diabetic daughter slipped into sickness, then acute illness and finally death from diabetic ketoacidosis.

By Brad Hirschfield | January 21, 2009; 06:37 PM ET | Comments (30)

Warren's Inclusive Invocation and Obama's Jewish Speech

The combination of Pastor Rick Warren's invocation and President Obama's inaugural address set the stage for a new kind of public religion in this country. It is both more inclusive and simultaneously proud of particularity than anything we may have seen before.

By Brad Hirschfield | January 21, 2009; 03:37 AM ET | Comments (1)

The Option to Pray is Sacred

Could we all agree that having the option to pray at the inauguration or of ending the oath of office with the words "so help me God" is what is truly sacred? Isn't that kind of choice, especially in matters of faith, what this nation is built on?

By Brad Hirschfield | January 16, 2009; 12:53 PM ET | Comments (6)

Catholics Calling Gaza a Concentration Camp = Ugly Hyperbole or Worse

Catholic leaders are making grotesque and false analogies about the situation Gaza.

By Brad Hirschfield | January 11, 2009; 05:38 PM ET | Comments (5)

Hamas Has a Point, But So What?

While it makes some people uncomfortable, the fact is that according to some readings of Islam, Israel's existence does violate foundations of the faith both morally and theologically. So what? The faithful of every tradition have always found footnotes to justify their actions.

By Brad Hirschfield | January 9, 2009; 05:09 PM ET | Comments (3)

Religion Will Do the Very Best and Very Worst in 2009

In 2009, we should expect religion to do what is has always done -- inspire the very best and the very worst in human thought and practice, especially when it comes to politics and public policy.

By Brad Hirschfield | December 31, 2008; 06:19 AM ET | Comments (5)

Choosing Warren: Obama at His Best

Whether one is a fan of the next President or not, any fan of faith should be cheered by President-elect Obama's choice of Rick Warren to offer the inaugural invocation. Once again the President-elect shows that he will confound ideologues time after time.

By Brad Hirschfield | December 27, 2008; 12:15 PM ET | Comments (5)

Defining Loyalty and Betrayal in the Episcopal Church

As the debate within the Anglican community focuses on which group are the "real Episcopalians", each side could learn a real spiritual lesson from the U.A.W. leaders and confronting the choice between cutting ties with others and maintaining those ties at the cost of what we think is our integrity.

By Brad Hirschfield | December 19, 2008; 08:45 AM ET | Comments (3)

Avoiding Next Madoff Meltdown by Balancing Justice and Compassion

From Yeshiva University and Steven Spielberg's Wunderkinder Foundation, whose loses top $100 million, to Elie Wiesel's foundation or the endowment of my own kid's school, the Madoff meltdown challenges blue chip names in philanthropy, especially Jewish philanthropy.

By Brad Hirschfield | December 17, 2008; 03:44 PM ET | Comments (38)

God's Word Is Bigger than Either Side Admits

The issue is never what the Bible says; it's what the readers say it says. Each side should admit that there is a world of difference between insisting on knowing what God thinks and making a good faith effort at acting in light of what one believes God asks of them

By Brad Hirschfield | December 15, 2008; 03:21 PM ET | Comments (3)

Iran To Get Nukes and Ancient Wisdom Addressing That Reality

In fact, it is actually a little dangerous to pretend that anything short of a massive military intervention will keep the Iranians from getting the nukes that the mullahs do deeply desire. Should we go to war over their getting nukes? I hope not.

By Brad Hirschfield | December 12, 2008; 02:21 PM ET | Comments (20)

Conflict in Hebron, Painful but Necessary

No country can fight against the religious fanaticism which undermines the rule of law in other nations, if it fails to so in its own.

By Brad Hirschfield | December 8, 2008; 04:30 AM ET | Comments (2)

Kill Terrorists and Examine Terrorism

There is no room for appeasement when it comes to terrorists and there is no substitute for real understanding in the prevention of future terror.

By Brad Hirschfield | December 5, 2008; 07:42 AM ET | Comments (13)

Pope Says No to Inter-Religious Dialogue

Pope Benedict XVI is at it again - making fine distinctions which create gross problems. The Pope uses language that may be helpful in a philosophy seminar, but actually causes real harm to human relations around the world.

By Brad Hirschfield | December 2, 2008; 09:51 AM ET | Comments (32)

President-Elect Needs Better Excuse For Avoiding Church

If President-elect Obama chooses not to attend church, that's his business. But telling us that he has made that choice because he "doesn't want to disrupt the service for others" stretches even this supporter's ability to trust his answer on this issue.

By Brad Hirschfield | November 29, 2008; 02:30 PM ET | Comments (12)

National Thanksgiving and Prayer, but not "To God"

Why do so many people presume that for prayer and thanksgiving to be meaningful, God must be invoked? And why for so many others, must the mere mention of prayer and thanksgiving cause an almost allergic reaction of unpleasantness?

By Brad Hirschfield | November 21, 2008; 06:13 AM ET | Comments (7)

Saudi King Abdullah, Villain or Valiant?

Saudi King, Abdullah Abdul Aziz al Saud, spoke at the UN. His remarks about the dignity of religious difference sparked global controversy.

By Brad Hirschfield | November 20, 2008; 09:17 PM ET | Comments (51)

Forget Compassion. Celebrate Modesty as Expression of Genuine Faith

In a world filled with faith-driven hate and violence, simply appealing to something as amorphous as compassion will not do the job. What we need is an agreement about how to practice the kind of modesty which assures that we not seek the destruction of those with whom we have genuine difference.

By Brad Hirschfield | November 12, 2008; 08:46 AM ET | Comments (32)

Barack Obama is Not the Messiah

If we are serious about healing the divides in this country, as Obama has pledged over and again, let's follow his example. Let's celebrate this moment with smaller claims about its significance and larger acts which embody the values we claim to celebrate.

By Brad Hirschfield | November 6, 2008; 06:08 AM ET | Comments (27)

Always a Religious Reason to Pick a Candidate

In this election, as in life, we would all benefit from invoking a God who offers more choices and more wisdom than could ever be contained within any one candidate, any one of us or any one of our traditions

By Brad Hirschfield | November 4, 2008; 03:08 PM ET | Comments (5)

Powell: Right and Wrong on Fear of Muslims

Powell's response was both entirely right and dangerously incomplete. The fact is that many Americans are scared of Muslims because more than three thousand Americans were murdered for the "crime" of being in America.

By Brad Hirschfield | October 23, 2008; 11:40 AM ET | Comments (81)

Empowering Women to Choose

All religions can empower women, and all have empowered women at various times. They can also disempower women and have done so many times. The issue is less about religion and more about those who call themselves religious.

By Brad Hirschfield | October 22, 2008; 04:26 AM ET | Comments (2)

Obama and McCain as Panderers-in-Chief

Telling us the truth, even when it hurts! Every mess we are in right now, from the war in Iraq to the meltdown in the markets was driven by leaders on both sides of the aisle who told us what they wanted to be true, instead of what was. Both candidates are doing the exact same thing.

By Brad Hirschfield | October 16, 2008; 11:40 AM ET | Comments (9)

Ancient Wisdom for a Contemporary Economic Crises

From homeowners on Main Street to brokers on Wall Street, people insisted that things were worth what they wanted them to be worth, not what they actually were worth.

By Brad Hirschfield | October 8, 2008; 02:51 PM ET | Comments (10)

Judge the Company They Keep AND the Reasons

No one act, or even an ongoing friendship, should define any candidate. But how they manage that relationship, bring us into their confidence about why it was worth it, or how they made a mistake in the past about it - their answers to those questions should inform our thinking about who deserves to be our next president.

By Brad Hirschfield | October 7, 2008; 04:41 PM ET | Comments (6)

What Do Biden and Palin REALLY Believe and Where Does That Leave The Rest Of Us?

My questions for both Senator Biden and Governor Palin focus on how they balance religious traditions that would dictate every area of life, which each of their faiths would, and their obligation to respect people of all faiths, including those with no faith at all.

By Brad Hirschfield | October 2, 2008; 03:07 PM ET | Comments (6)

It's My Body And I'll Cut If I Want To

What we need are people who are willing to stop politicking abortion on either the left or the right. We need people who are willing to enact laws that reflect the collective wisdom of the American people, not the religious dogmas or the psychological dramas of small segments of the population.

By Brad Hirschfield | September 24, 2008; 07:17 AM ET | Comments (20)

Justice and Mercy on Wall Street

In the coming days, there will be ongoing debate about bailing out banks, insurers, and their stock holders. Rather that pound each other over who deserves what, I would love to see us consider what we are able to do for each other.

By Brad Hirschfield | September 18, 2008; 12:22 AM ET | Comments (13)

Sarah Palin: Prophet or Politician?

There is no room in a democracy for elected officials who believe that they are prophets. Prophets draw their authority from a direct relationship with God. Our elected officials draw their power from the electorate - at least they are supposed to!

By Brad Hirschfield | September 10, 2008; 04:06 PM ET | Comments (23)

Hypocritical? Perhaps, Literally

Hypocrisy is a funny thing since it's generally a charge made by people against others, who almost by definition, do not see things as their detractors do. Yet it assumes that they should.

By Brad Hirschfield | September 4, 2008; 05:28 AM ET | Comments (11)

Let's Not Make This Election About What God Says

We need to know where you will turn in the middle of the night when confronting the really big questions. To the Bible? To your spouse? To the Constitution? The pollsters? That's what we really need to know.

By Brad Hirschfield | August 29, 2008; 11:40 AM ET | Comments (22)

Forgivness Has No Limits, But Those Asked To Forgive Might

As to the recent story with John Edwards' infidelity, and frankly I don't know why its a news story at all, the only thing to decide about his wife's decision to forgive him is why we think she did it.

By Brad Hirschfield | August 26, 2008; 07:45 AM ET | Comments (4)

Religion and State, Never. Faith and Poliitcs, Always.

Right on, Rick Warren! Now let's hope he means it. But whether or not we trust his intentions, we can all learn from his words.

By Brad Hirschfield | August 20, 2008; 08:01 AM ET | Comments (13)

Find the Good in Each Other

What traits or abilities does your adversary possess which you would do well to emulate? How would your presidency reflect your growth in that direction?

By Brad Hirschfield | August 14, 2008; 07:52 AM ET | Comments (8)

God as My Financial Adviser

When feeling materially poor, we can recall that there is always someone with less. When feeling wealthy, we should ask about the obligations that come with that blessing. And when feeling uncertain, we might remind ourselves that there is always more possibility and potential within us and in any given situation than we immediately perceive.

By Brad Hirschfield | August 8, 2008; 12:16 PM ET | Comments (10)

Faith-Based Racism is an Ancient Tradition

Racial prejudice reflects wonderfully on your religious beliefs....if you are a religious racist! The fact is that one can, and many have, articulated powerful religious systems that posited a divine preference for one race of human being over others.

By Brad Hirschfield | July 31, 2008; 02:17 AM ET | Comments (24)

Changing The Debate From What Is Right, To What Works

Imagine no longer fighting about which side is right, but inviting all those affected to consider the needs of those around them before eating the meal they need to meet their own.

By Brad Hirschfield | July 29, 2008; 09:44 AM ET | Comments (14)

The Power of Faith and the Problem with Magic

One person’s “paranormal” is another person’s religion. All religions believe that there is consciousness greater than ours and that it is possible to be in touch with it. So how do we distinguish between the ones of which we approve and those of which we don’t?

By Brad Hirschfield | July 21, 2008; 07:08 AM ET | Comments (39)

Communion for Non-Catholics and Kabbalah for Non-Jews....With Integrity

The response to Ms. Quinn’s apparent tone-deafness typifies the responses of all religious watchdog groups, be they Catholic, Christian, Jewish, Muslim or Hindu. They never miss the opportunity to read a well-intentioned ritual misstep, as purposefully provocative or shamefully disrespectful.

By Brad Hirschfield | July 9, 2008; 09:48 AM ET | Comments (49)

Thank God For The Atheists

The more we believe in something, the more ready we need to be to question it and even to walk away from it. Abraham lived that lesson and so, I think, do those twenty-one percent of atheists who claim to believe in something.

By Brad Hirschfield | July 7, 2008; 10:32 AM ET | Comments (14)

Three Books That Changed My Life

The Talmud is our chance to participate in a three thousand year-old conversation about life's biggest questions, and some of its most pressing details, too.

By Brad Hirschfield | June 30, 2008; 08:44 AM ET | Comments (6)

Sit Back and Enjoy the Show

If we all learned to laugh at ourselves a little more, we might not find ourselves living in a world in which people destroy churches because of cartoons, label as anti-Semitic any film that questions the actions of the State of Israel, or burn copies of The Da Vinci Code because it is “an offense to God.”

By Brad Hirschfield | June 23, 2008; 10:48 AM ET | Comments (5)

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