I’m feeling burdened by the bigotry and ignorance of people who are objecting to the Cordoba Institute’s community center (and yes, mosque) at a location in lower Manhattan near the World Trade Center. (The so-called “Ground Zero Mosque.”) Although some of the rhetoric has de-escalated to “they may have the right to build it, but [...]
Religious bigotry
August 17th, 2010 · No Comments
Tags: · current affairs · international · rants · religion
Resistance to Cordoba House
July 31st, 2010 · 1 Comment
Most New Yorkers seem to have their heads on straight about Cordoba House, the Islamic community center proposed in downtown Manhattan. Mayor Michael Bloomberg (via the Cordoba Initiative): If somebody wants to build a religious house of worship, they should do it and we shouldn’t be in the business of picking which religions can and [...]
Tags: · current affairs · politics · religion
People disgust me
July 30th, 2010 · 2 Comments
Here is what the anti-American “tea party” is like: First, Islam is NOT a religion, it is an ideology – the religious portion only encompasses 11 % (the qur’an) the rest is the Sira and Hadith and the closest parallel to Islam is the Ku Klux Klan – if that is Six Flag’s idea of [...]
Tags: · current affairs · politics · religion
Morning meditation
December 16th, 2009 · Comments Off
I’ve moved (not far, just over Winter Hill, about a mile). The new apartment is wonderful: Third floor (instead of basement); four rooms (instead of studio); wood floors (instead of nice tile); lots of double-hung windows (instead of four little ones). My new commute to work puts me on an outdoor train platform. This is [...]
Tags: · Buddhism · home · religion
What Is Real? Lessons from a virtual life
December 4th, 2009 · 2 Comments
Order of service and message presented to Unitarian Universalist Association staff chapel Nov 10, 2009 What Is Real? Lessons from a virtual life By day, Kenneth Sutton is the mild-mannered managing editor of UU World magazine. But by night, he is Otenth Paderborn, gentleman, landowner, Steampunk, and DJ in the virtual world of Second Life. [...]
Tags: · religion · Virtual Worlds
Karen Armstrong at TED
October 6th, 2009 · Comments Off
via Andrew Sullivan
Tags: · international · politics · religion
Reflections on Yom Kippur 5770
September 30th, 2009 · Comments Off
Wonderful reflections on a Yom Kippur retreat by Rachel Barenblat at Velveteen Rabbi: Yom Kippur 5770. The gates of repentance are open to anyone who approaches them with an open heart. There is an infinite source of love available to us, and we are always already forgiven. We just have to come knocking.
Tags: · religion · spirituality
WBC Protest at UChicago
March 10th, 2009 · Comments Off
The Westboro Baptist Church brought their show to campus, leading the student body to a myriad of counter-protests and celebrations of pride and diversity. Whatever the WBC’s goals are, we’ll never know, but the students’ voice was heard loud and clear: “Many identities, one community.” (Hat tip to Scalzi. Photo by froboy licensed under Creative [...]
Tags: · lgbt · politics · religion
Flat out copying
January 28th, 2009 · 1 Comment
Copied verbatim from Noli Irritare Leones because it is just so good: Heard in the social room after meeting for worship this Sunday What Quakers are like: “We’re like a small yappy terrier that doesn’t know it’s small.”
All right, you ministers
January 5th, 2009 · Comments Off
Show your stuff! A different kind of sermon contest. We want sermons that explore the awkwardness of too much privilege, right-wing relatives, the drunk stranger in the back pew, our pad in the comfy end of the global village, litter in the poor part of town.

