A Labyrinth Emerges in Houston's Freedmen's Town

By Mike Pardee

 

A multi-faith, highly diverse group of volunteers has been hard at work in April and May on a uniquely exciting art and service project. This motley group of pilgrims is collaborating to install an 11-circuit labyrinth in a prayer garden right in the shadow of Houston’s skyscrapers downtown. They have worked on constructing the labyrinth’s foundations for the past 5 consecutive weekends. In the final 2 weeks of their project (Saturday mornings May 24th and 31st), they plan to finish installing the labyrinth’s serpentine path itself. New volunteers who would like to participate are welcome to join them either day. Their aim is to dedicate the completed labyrinth structure and other enhancements during a closing celebration at 10:00AM on Saturday, June 7th.

Apostacy, Blasphemy and Other Ugly Things

By Ayesha Richards

This week, the western world was in shock at yet another barbaric punishment from a Muslim country. Meriam Ibrahim, a Sudanese woman who converted to Christianity, was sentenced to death by a Sudanese Shariah court. As a result, yet again I had to field countless questions and comments from my customers and colleagues at work. As a nurse, I suppose people know and trust me, and as the only Muslim woman in a busy private practice, I suppose I am the only guide to all things Islamic for many.

The True Meaning of Motherhood

By Shahina Bashir

Source: Greed for Ilm

 

It’s that time of the year again. Your mailbox is overflowing with advertisements from various stores enticing you with valuable coupons. And each time you log in to check your email messages you are bombarded with more solicitations. You walk into your local mall and every store is claiming it has the best sale of the year. Yes, we are headed straight into one of the biggest celebrations of the year- Mother’s Day. It is the second most gift giving holiday following Christmas. But is Mother’s Day all about giving gifts and taking moms to their favorite restaurants for a meal?

Muslim Inmates Aren't Treated Fairly in Texas

Source: Courthouse News

Texas discriminates in limiting religious services for Muslim inmates to one hour a week, under supervision by guard, chaplain or volunteer, a federal judge ruled. Bobby Brown raised the challenge by resurrecting his 1969 class action against the Texas Department of Corrections over its treatment of Muslim inmates. Though the department, now known as the Texas Department of Criminal Justice or TDCJ, was bound by a 1977 consent decree to treat Muslim inmates equally as compared with adherents to Catholic, Protestant and Jewish faiths, it moved to terminate the consent decree in August 2012.

 

Hucksters and Texas Tent Revival Politics

By Carol Morgan

Source: Houston Press

 

Religious liberty is at the very heart of what it means to be an American, yet Texas conservatives and our state's activist pastors have conveniently forgotten that. Lately, it feels as if Texas is waging some sort of religious war on a number of different fronts. Throughout history, politicians have embedded a few religious references in their speeches, but nothing close to what we're seeing lately. Beginning in earnest with Ronald Reagan's nomination in 1980 and continued by Bill Clinton, "Religispeak" has evolved into a must-have tool for every conservative's campaign rhetoric and policy effort. In the same way that sex sells in the media, politicians discovered that religion does also.

Religion and Worker's Rights

By Jessica Nguyen

 

What do workers' rights, immigration reform and government accountability have in common? For many, the answer is religion. After all, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and virtually every other religion in the world teaches values of mercy, justice, and rights to the downtrodden in society. So it should come as no surprise that religious groups across the country are coming together this May Day, as well as other days of the year, to fight for rights to workers, regardless of faith, immigration status or socio-economic status.

Lessons of Easter and Passover

By Tim Neeley

April was a commemorative month for two of the major religions of the world. Jews commemorated the event of Passover, while Christians celebrated Easter. But the fact that they coincide in time each year is in no way their only similarity. In fact, both holidays have much in common with each other, and both can be a source of wisdom for the world.

Why We Aren't Going to Church Anymore

Source: My Houston Magic

 

Many people donned their Sunday bests of hats, flowery pastel dresses, and linen or seersucker suits to attend church on Easter Sunday. But it is getting harder and harder to fill those pews even on Easter, the busiest Sunday of the year because, according to a Pew study, the only religious group in the U.S. that is growing is the religiously unaffiliated.

Man's Rejection of God: Who's Responsible?

Source: The Paper



 

Religion, if it's for the betterment of humankind, is a good thing. It reaffirms our sense of right and wrong - our moral compass that pulls us back on track when we stray. While there is good and bad in all religions, Christianity seems to come under attack more than most. Mahatma Gandhi was quoted as saying, "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” This is a sad indictment of the Christian community as a whole, but is it true?

When One of Us is Hurt We All Feel Pain

By Saadia Faruqi

Source: Tikkun Daily

As Passover ends for my Jewish friends, I join them to mourn the attack on the Jewish Community Center in Overland Park, Kansas. Yes I am a Muslim, and the world doesn’t expect me to sympathize with Jews. But the world is wrong. We have increasingly become divided along religious lines, and Jewish-Muslim relationships have become strained because they have incorrectly become synonymous with the Israel-Palestine issue. This is neither true Islam nor true Judaism.

A Celebration

By Rev. Nell Green
Source: ABPnews

She is young, energetic and smart. She wants to study genetics. Her English is broken, but she is absolutely determined to make it perfect. She realizes that coming to the US was a chance in a lifetime. He is a gifted and talented musician. He writes music, plays multiple instruments, and sings beautifully. He is never without a smile. His heart’s desire was to experience at least once an Easter Sunday in a church with a choir and orchestra.

Five Challenges of Diversity

By Rev. Nell Green

Source: ABPnews

 

How strange it has seemed to us to live in Houston. The Houston we left 28 years ago and the Houston we call home today are two entirely different places, though they share the same geographic location. It was about this time 37 years ago that Butch and I made a drive from College Station, TX to The Galleria Mall in Houston to purchase an engagement ring. Everyone in the mall looked, talked, and acted just about the same. Now when I go to The Galleria no one looks, talks, or acts the same. Mono-culturalism has given over to diversity.

A Powerful Expression of Love for the Supreme

By Manu Shah

Source: IndoAmerican News
 

The tinkling of ghungroos, the haunting notes of Krishna’s flute and the evocative dances by the gopis captivated an almost packed auditorium on 15 March in Pearland.  Presented by GOD – Global Organization for Divinity to celebrate their Namadwaar Prayer House’s fourth anniversary, the dance ballet titled Radhe…Radhe… depicted Radha Rani’s divine love for her Krishna through the medium of the Bharatnatyam form of dance. 

Lent is More Than Just Fasting

By Jonathan Powers

 

Lent is here again, and Catholics like myself are looking forward to a season of spiritual reflection and prayer. For many, Lent is a time for repentance, for others an opportunity for helping others through charity. At the same time, it has become a question for those who don't believe fasting is the way to earn God's love. Is fasting all there is to Lent? How does one strike a balance between extremes?

A Visit to a Hindu Temple

By Felicia Woodard

 

A part of my graduate curriculum is to learn about people and their culture. Culture is such a broad term, but for the sake of space I will not delve into that at this moment.  I will simply assume we can agree that culture may be any shared behavior, ethnicity, religion, tradition, values, and even things we may forget are cultural like the way we respond to things or the tone in our voice. My professor allowed the class an opportunity to visit a place that was different from our own culture. She gave us no restrictions, no leads. She said go; just go and learn. I chose a Hindu Temple.

 

Why Everyone Should Care about NYPD Surveillance of Muslims

By Saadia Faruqi

Source: Tikkun Daily

 

Last week the U.S. district Court dismissed a long-standing case against the NYPD for their secret surveillance of Muslims in New York and New Jersey in the years after 9/11. Yet few Americans outside of the American Muslim community spoke out against the judgment, and not all newspapers carried the news. For the average American of a different faith, this wasn’t really too newsworthy. Here’s why they are wrong.

Celebrating Black (Muslim) History

By Saadia Faruqi

Source: Tikkun Daily

 

A brand new year, another February drawing to a close. We all know this month is Black History Month, and the overall impression I’ve got from people who are not black is that nobody truly cares about black history except for African Americans. Granted, PBS airs some specials, and our kids learn about important African American figures in school, mostly the high-profile ones such as Dr. King, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks and a few other prominent black activists. for the average American, that’s the extent of our understanding of or participation in Black History Month. Other than that, we defer to the African American community and allow them to claim this “celebration” as their own.

A Carnival with a Jewish Flavor for Everybody

Source: Your Houston News

 

Jews have their own Halloween? Who  Knew? Purim is the Jewish celebration which some compare to Halloween. Well, the comparison is not quite correct: Indeed, people – children as well as adults – put on costumes, but that’s where the similarity ends.

Misconceptions of Science and Religion

Source: HealthCanal

 

The public’s view that science and religion can’t work in collaboration is a misconception that stunts progress, according to a new survey of more than 10,000 Americans, scientists and evangelical Protestants. A study by Rice University also found that scientists and the general public are surprisingly similar in their religious practices.

Culture Is Not The Problem

By Daniel Johnson

 

As I listened to Propaganda’s spoken word piece entitled Justice and the Gospel, he briefly addressed our issue as Christians with reconciling our views of culture. He says that we view culture as an invisible monster shaped by forces outside of our control, that we view culture as part of this imaginary us vs. them view. Is that a correct assessment?