Inspiration Faith & Prayer Health & Wellness Entertainment Love & Family
Newsletters Special Offers

Windows and Doors

An ongoing conversation with a deeply reflective and thoughtful, though not traditionally observant, Israeli friend yielded the following e-mail about Jewish laws of sexual modesty in general and Kol Isha, women’s voices in particular. Whatever one thinks about these rules, my friend’s questions are really about the nature of what “really important” according to the…

City of Brass blogger, Aziz Poonwalla, takes the Simon Wiesenthal Center to task for screening “The Third Jihad”. Is he right? Yes and no. There is no question that it’s an incendiary film and to that end, it’s fair to ask what good comes from screening it. Calling it educational doesn’t work because even those…

With the love lives of priests in the news again, this time Miami’s Father Cutie’, a man torn between love of his tradition and love of a woman, people are asking if clergy restrictions based on gender, marital status or sexual orientation make sense these days? Should the Catholic priesthood be restricted to single, celibate…

When my cell phone rang at ten o’clock last night, it was my brother. “So, did you meet him? Did you shake his hand?” And I responded, “Yes, I have met the man in the red Gucci loafers.” We talked a bit about the meeting in Nazareth to which I had been invited, but as…

The Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka Kansas, infamous for its grotesque protest marches at the funerals of fallen US service personel, usually under banners proclaiming “God Hates Fags”, is at it again. This time the target is Jews. Combining ancient and contemporary forms of anti-Semitism, they continue their traditional combination of hate-mongering and apocalyptic doom.…

Pope Benedict found the peace and unity he seeks on his pilgrimage to Israel, more than a little elusive on his first full day in the country. But in each case, the problem lay not so much with the Pope, as it did with his audience, both Jewish and Muslim. Standing, wreath in hand, at…

“The hopes of countless men, women and children for a more secure and stable future depend on the outcome of negotiations for peace,” he told a welcoming ceremony at Israel’s international airport. “In union with people of goodwill everywhere, I plead with all those responsible to explore every possible avenue in the search for a…

What to do for our mothers and the mothers of our children on Mothers Day? Flowers and family dinners out are wonderful, but end quickly. A moving story by Rabbi Irwin Kula on The Huffington Post suggests using the structure of a Tweet on Twitter to give the mom you love a more lasting gift…

Today is the National Day of Prayer, as mandated by Congress. And President Obama has made a wise, but unfortunate decision by not hosting any event in observance of the day. Whether hosting such an event is constitutionally justifiable or not, the President is correct that doing so could establish, in the hearts of many…

“Israel has to work for a two state-solution. You’re not going to like my saying this, but not build more settlements, dismantle existing outposts and allow Palestinians freedom of movement … and access to economic opportunity,” Vice President Joe Biden told the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). The response to these comments was not…
archives most recent
search this blog
More from Beliefnet and our partners