A Day of Solidarity In Tacoma
In the last six years I have also learned that when people get off the sidelines and stand together with those impacted by violence, the cycle of violence can be interrupted. On Sunday people of all wisdom traditions stood with one another to uphold the human dignity of all and our aspirational constitutional value of freedom to pray or not pray as we wish.
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Being Okay Doing What We Can
We may major in allyship with a few groups, but we can be supportive of many groups – and see the interconnections between them. We can still show up when other groups need us, even when it is beyond our field of study.
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One Act of Hate, A Multitude of Love
On October 11th an arsonist tried to set the building of the Islamic Center of Tacoma. Fire crews arrived quickly and put the blaze out, but the building was damaged. Even before the smoke had cleared the community was receiving offers by neighboring communities of wisdom to use their buildings. A Lutheran church with a…
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An Engaging Hope
Our democracy is in danger these days. But we all can play a our part by practicing an engaging hope. We can do this even when we don’t feel it full
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Weaponizing Love
Conversation and relationship are the greatest powers wisdom communities can engage to bring greater healing and unity to our hurting and fractured communities. In response to the weaponization of love we can unleash the power of the potluck – even if only virtually
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Science and Religion and the Vaccine
There was a battle for who owned truth brewing in the the 19th century. On one side, people said that the scientific method was the only possible way to truth. On the other side, people said that religion based in a revelation from God was the only possible way to truth. As with most battles,…
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Islam and Women’s Rights
In the 7th Century CE, Islam ushered in a package of women’s rights, including:
the right to own property,
the right to inheritance
the right to choose who to marry
the right to divorce
the right to child custody
the right to an education
Who Represents Islam?
The Taliban no more represent mainstream interpretations of Islam than Westboro Baptist, The KKK, or the Lord’s Liberation Army represent mainstream Christianity.
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Working for Change With Courage and Humility
When we can step back from our first reaction of denial and defensiveness and realize that our institutions are not perfect, we can do our part of work for a more perfect lived reality. When we can step back from our anger and realize our own imperfections and let go of our search for purity, we will find more partners to work for a more perfect lived reality.
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