Explorez tous les épisodes de Living Our Beliefs: Exploring Faith & Religion in Daily Life
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Date
Titre
Durée
11 Feb 2022
Evangelical Faith in Jesus – Cathy Sirvatka
00:33:16
Episode 5. In this engaging conversation with Cathy, a web design professional from Chicago, we delve into her walk with God and how she lives her faith. From her Catholic upbringing through New Age, and on to her current home as a Born Again Christian. Besides her path, we touch on the books of the Bible and some important terminology.
Highlights: - Identifying as Christian rather than Evangelical. - Reading the bible as a daily practice. - Becoming part of a church community after initial reservations it was a cult. - Personal relationship with Jesus enriches her life. - Proselytizing part of evangelical life but she's not comfortable with it. - Warmth of Christ's love has healed hurtful childhood.
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
A Christian on God, Sobriety and Art – Brendan Killian
00:32:52
Episode 6. Brendan Killian reveals the entwined relationship between God, sobriety and his art making. He talks about how he experiences God outside the church, yet continues to feel a calmness in an empty dark quiet church. The aesthetics of a Catholic church, images he grew up with, continue to speak to him, even if the service distances him from God. Ten years of sobriety and the recovery movement, along with the prayers for every occasion, offer frequent moments of meditation and reflection. The combination provide a response to the anxiety and fear that so dominate life outside his home and painting studio.
Highlights: - Art became an excuse to drink. - Sobriety, daily prayer practice, and the recovery community. - Beauty of a Catholic church appeals to his artistic eye as a painter. - He carries booklets of AA prayers always.
References Mentioned: Morning Prayer: "God please direct my thinking and keep my thoughts divorced from self-pity, dishonest or self-serving motives. Please keep my thought life clear from wrong motives and help me to employ my mental faculties that my thought life might be placed on a higher plane, the plane of inspiration." The Big Book of Alcohlics Anonymous
Fear Prayer: "God, thank you for helping me be honest enough to see this truth about myself and now that you have shown me the truth about my fears, please remove these fears from me. Please help me outgrow my fears and direct my attention to what you would have me be. Lord, demonstrate through me and help me become that which you would have me be. Help me do thy will always." The Big Book of Alcohlics Anonymous
Social Media links for Brendan: Brendan Killian website – https://www.brendankillianfineart.com Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/brendan.killian/
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Jewish Roots, Zen Practice & Improv – Maxine Shapiro
00:37:10
Episode 7. Maxine grew up in a Jewish home, including keeping kosher. She has left that strict observance but retains the core identity and some observance. Zen practice and meditation have been added, something she states proudly. Improv has also been a part of her life, creatively and professionally.
In her work with corporations, she combines business savvy, improv and humor in her Collaborcate® method to empower employers to improve the customer-employee relationship.
Highlights: · Collaboration begins with yes/and. · Creativity comes from listening to the voice inside, and meditation helps you to hear it. · Judaism, Zen and improv all support her, and she finds connection and community readily. · She stretches herself to relate to people who are different, no matter how small the connection. · Being one means being present and open to the joy and suffering. · Be present, listen and lead with curiosity.
Quotes: “I welcome anyone to go to any Buddhist temple whether they’re chanting or Zen, whatever they're practicing, and hear a chant and not feel the depth of it. And that's the magic of religion.”
“I love rituals. To me they just keep it so clean.”
“I think it's important wherever I go, to show up. I'm ‘gonna be present.”
“We don't have anything in the past. We have nothing in the future. It is about now. Are you allowing yourself to just be so present, either as the customer, [or] the representative of the service product?”
“Listening is one of the deepest gifts we can give to people.”
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Episode 8. Shabiha’s American upbringing by her Pakistani father and Guyanese mother and the multi-sect Islamic school her father organized built a strong base of knowledge about Islam. She then committed to be a Muslim more seriously at Rutgers University, where her Islamic studies intensified and she began to veil, wearing a hijab.
Her Islamic identity and practice are foundational and inform her positive outlook. She is an experienced and diligent pharmacist, committed to delivering excellent health care to her customers. She is also a mother of two teenagers and an adventurous active woman. In addition to supporting her mosque community, volunteerism includes being a co-leader of a local chapter of the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom®.
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Episode 9. Shane's path in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often called LDS or the Mormon Church) has had its share of change. After his troubled teenage years, he got straightened out, grew during his Mission experience. Family changes have prompted some adjustments in his beliefs and experience. Despite the challenges, he remains committed to his Christian faith and the church's values, while honoring the complexities in his family, including opening his heart to the LGBTQ community. Faith and family are supports for him, and he feels blessed to be a therapist providing family counseling, where he helps to strengthen loving relationships.
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Open-hearted Conservative Christian – Deana Thayer
00:38:26
Episode 10. Being a committed Evangelical Christian means living by example every day, not just on Sunday morning at her non-denominational church. Deana seeks to live the biblical precepts and inspire curiosity through example. As a life-long Christian with beliefs on the conservative side, having word and deed be shaped by scripture is what she’s always known.
Her surety of belief provides a basis for interaction with people following other paths. She welcomes the conversation and questions, as they either confirm her beliefs or prompt re-evaluation.
Thoughtful guidance shows up in her podcast and her work with blended families, where the ‘inside’ blood relatives and ‘outside’ step people gradually find their places and become one family. This takes time and dedication, but the parts do blend into one family.
Highlights of episode: · What it means to her to be a non-denominational evangelical Christian.
· Living by example every day, not just on Sunday morning.
· Challenges of parenting a blended family. It takes time and effort.
· Moving towards marriage intentionally, guided by biblical precepts.
· The value, and challenge, of taking time to listen, be quiet and be present.
· How faith is woven into her professional life – comfort in Christian settings and growth through sensitivity in mixed settings.
· How to have civil dialogue across difference – listen and learn.
· Having steadfast faith yet being open to others. Confidence allows for questions.
Quotes: “There's a cliché that you're the only sermon that some people will ever hear, or you're the only Bible some people will ever read. And so I really want to convey that with my life more, and then be invited into the conversation.”
“I really like to let my life do the talking whenever possible.”
“It's been great living out my faith in a capacity where it's super comfortable and I'm surrounded by it, but also living it out in a place where I do have to be more careful and gentle.”
“So what I'm hearing Deana, is that what supports openness and connection with people who are different is a willingness to listen and learn.”
Reference: See episode #5. Cathy Sirvatka – Faith in Jesus, for the alternate description of being evangelical that is referenced in this episode.
Social Media links for Deana: Future Focused Parenting website – https://futurefocusedparenting.com Facebook and Instagram – @futurefocusedparenting
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Episode 11. Raised in an observant home, Susan has been a Jewish professional, educator, and artist throughout her adult life. Being married to a rabbi has reinforced, though not formed, this public engagement in the community. Now that her husband has retired, and her own engagement has mostly ended, they are in a post-retirement transition. In addition to hearing about Susan’s background and current transition, we talk about the challenges facing interfaith families.
Highlights: · Her family switched from an Orthodox to a Reform synagogue for her confirmation. · Art, education and Jewish identity are deeply entwined for Susan. · Action precedes faith. Observing the Mitzvot (Commandments) are critical steps in Judaism. · She and her husband are in a post-retirement transition and the schedule is open.
Quotes: · “I suppose I'm a person of faith, but I don't believe that my prayers to God will necessarily be answered.” · “In Judaism, actions are more important than faith. It's not enough to believe in God. You really have to live a Jewish lifestyle.” · “If you don't have anything grounding, how will you ever be grounded?”
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Episode 12. Azra embodies a commitment to living her Islamic faith – she models the lives of prophets as best she can, all the while being a strong entrepreneurial woman in the 21st century. Part of her approach is to follow the Qur’anic saying regarding the diversity of humans and learning from others, not despising them.
Highlights: · Azra identifies as a Muslim and demurs on the question of sect affiliation, following her father’s advice to respect all sects and stress the commonalities. · As a Muslim woman who veils, she is a visible representative of the faith. · Cultural education is a valuable way to increase awareness and acceptance of other cultures. · Everyone faces challenges. The question is one of response. · Family, community and faith sustain her in times of difficulty. · She trusts God but also fights for justice.
Quotes: “I was raised always to represent myself as a Muslim. I find it's important to respect all sects. There's many sects within the Muslim religion and we've always been proud to identify ourselves as Muslims.”
“When it comes to women, we're easily identified because of our coverage, so we we're kind of like the flag bearers of Islam, if you're observing the Muslim headdress.”
“I think through education, people become more aware and accepting of different cultures.”
“I can give credit to my dad, because from a very young age, he always always told us about a verse from the Qur’an, which is verse number 49:13: ‘O mankind we have created you from a single male and female, into nations and tribes so that you may learn from one another, and not that you may despise each other’.”
“The lessons that I've learned throughout my life, and learning about these stories of prophets, has taught me the importance of having that faith and trust in God.”
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Episode 13. Miriam is a life-long Jew, but has practiced in different ways. Being mindful about food is one of many ways she lives the tradition. For Miriam, being a Conservative Jew fits perfectly, as it retains the liturgy and ritual, while being egalitarian, whereby men and women sit together in the sanctuary and women can lead services. The many lay-offs her husband went through were stressful. One day she realized that things had always worked out. Since then, she’s been able to apply that view to other life situations.
Highlights: · Conservative Judaism conserves the practice while being egalitarian. · Her non-Jewish husband has supported raising the children Jewish and eating ‘kosher-style’, a blend that fits their interfaith family. · The children, all young adults, are free to make their own decisions now. · Her husband’s many layoffs were very stressful for Miriam, due to financial concerns. · An epiphany after the fifth layoff changed her attitude. She became confident they would weather any situation. · God is a day-to-day support for her.
Quotes: “[Keeping kosher is] a great way to have a mindfulness about Judaism and your religious identity in an ordinary moment.”
“These layoffs I particularly found very, very scary, and they really tested my trust in God.”
“Gratitude is a way that I celebrate God both in small ways and and large ways depending on the amount of gratitude.”
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Episode 14. Exploration and learning mark Anberin’s journey. Raised in Bangalore India by her mother, a Sufi Muslim who also found inspiration in Buddhism, Anberin was inquisitive and could explore, seeking her spiritual and creative home. The expressive place was filmmaking from an early age, though her spiritual home took longer to find. Eventually, she found it in Eastern Orthodoxy, while filming in Serbia. Anchored by Christ and enveloped by the sounds, scents, the repeated chants pull her deeper each time. Having begun documentary film studies with a passion for activism, her discovery of the ancient Eastern Orthodox tradition and Christ, shifted her focus to love, which remains the driver to this day.
Highlights: · She explored faith traditions, seeking something holistic. · Love changes us gradually. · The Bible is not enough, the Holy Spirit needs to be involved. · Violence stems from unexamined trauma. · Hatred is an expression of twisted pain.
Quotes: “The way I see it is that each faith was teaching me something and it was leading me on. I felt like they were all signs along the way. In retrospect, I realize what I was really and truly seeking was that element of love.”
“How Christ was moving through the world and how he was healing and all of that is powerful. All of it comes from a place of love, and only love can change us.”
“I needed a model and Christ was and is my model for how I live my life.”
“[Eastern Orthodox Christianity is] like a well that has no bottom.”
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Bonus – Muslim Chaplaincy Meets Spiritual Needs (Nora Zaki)
00:31:30
Episode 15. In this first Bonus episode, Nora speaks extensively about being a Muslim Chaplain on college campuses and elsewhere. Chaplains must wear many hats – supporter, advocate, program developer, and interfaith colleague. While chaplains work in many settings – colleges, hospitals, prisons, and even companies, Nora felt called to the college environment. As a passionate and knowledgeable Muslim, she approached that work with sensitivity, responding to the various needs of Muslim students. In addition to the normal challenges they face as young adults, Muslim students sometimes struggle with inter-religious relationships, learning more about Islamic practice and adjusting to life in the US.
Highlights · Chaplains support and advocate, ensuring people’s religious and spiritual needs are met. · There are 4,000 college and only 150 have a Muslim chaplains in the US – a growing and unmet need for Islamic spiritual guidance. · College campuses are not bubbles. Students and staff are affected by current events. · Muslim students sometimes have unique needs around mental health, dating, cultural expression and being an immigrant.
Quotes: “A chaplain is someone who is an advocate, a promoter, a support for spiritual and religious needs.”
“People should strive to be ethical, but especially in the field of chaplaincy, when people often share their vulnerable stories with you, they put a lot of trust in you as a, as a spiritual, religious figure.”
“Unfortunately, a statistic just came out recently that Muslims are, I believe, one of the highest faith communities to commit suicide, and that includes young Muslim students.”
“It's not often that you see a Muslim woman chaplain. Thankfully, more and more Muslim women are becoming chaplains.”
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
The Spirit-led Christian Life – Rayne & Callie Simons
00:40:31
Episode 16. Rayne and Callie Simons, Pentecostal Christians living in California. The Pentecostal way of life focuses on the emotional connection with God and the Holy Spirit. Through coaching football and nursing, they are ‘sowers of seed’, living by example. Family, friends and foes alike are treated with care and respect. Rayne and Callie see the core of the person, letting theological differences fall by the wayside. This Pentecostal way of life suits them, as it keeps the focus on the emotional connection with God and the Holy Spirit.
Highlights: · Pentecostalism is based on evangelical Christianity, and following what God tells them to do through the Holy Spirit is the central idea. · Their faith expression is emotional, not rule-based. · Rayne sees visions and "speaks them out" to the person. He’s channeling a message from God. · Rayne mentors young men, showing by example how to be a man and live a good life. · God led Callie into nursing, and she’s grateful to do work that comes from the heart. · Treating everyone with respect, care and love is a central premise of their interfaith patchwork family.
Quotes: “We live our lives trying to listen to what God would like us to do and be responsive to that.” Rayne
“[Rayne] just is obedient to God's voice and he speaks it out and because it's so exactly what God wanted that person to hear, then it's just always accepted. So it's really a beautiful thing.” Callie
“There are lots of people with lots of different beliefs out there, and caring for people, it's not my responsibility to correct or change a belief of someone. It's more important that I just respect and honor the person that they are.” Callie
“It's who God created us to be. We're on the end of sowing those seeds and planting those seeds of kindness, and generosity and love and, and laughter and so forth.” Rayne
“All of our children have a pretty deep-held belief in God, even if it looks different in every relationship.” Callie
“Part of the prophetic bent that I have in my life, is seeing what God sees in a person, not what the world sees in them.” Rayne
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Episode 17. Sue clarified her identity as an evangelical Christian during her PhD program (UK), understanding that faith was more important than leadership. When you live ‘in spirit’, you are an influencer and a leader. While living a life in Christ and according to the Seven Fruits of the Holy Spirit are key, she is sensitive to the context. Speech and behavior need to fit the situation, especially in a diverse work setting. Evangelicalism values discernment, being aware of who might be open to deepening their relationship with God and responding to that inquiry with love and care.
Highlights: · For Christians, faith is both a gift from God and something one can develop. · Loving others despite differences is part of the journey of transformation. We are all broken. · Evangelicals see a tension between wanting others to be blessed, to have a relationship with God, and people's resistance to that idea. · When you live a God-centric life, you are constantly re-fueled by the love and inspiration from God.
Quotes: “You can actively seek God, and God asks us to seek for Him.”
“We're all on a journey of transformation. We're all in a process of sanctification. We're all sinners, and we're all saints.”
“There’s a hole in each person that’s God-shaped.”
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Comments? Questions? Email Méli at – info@talkingwithgodproject.org
Christian Worship from the Heart – Sostheng Kituyi
00:36:07
Episode 18. Born in Uganda and raised in Kenya, Sos has lived in the U.S. for ten years, learning about the system and how he can build a new life. Despite the challenges, he remains positive and focused on the opportunities and bringing joy through stories. He is a published author, and his children's book was inspired by his interactions with African Americans. As a Black African, he brings a unique perspective to the Black experience and opportunities in America. Sos has retained his Anglican Christian faith, although he has not yet found a comfortable Anglican community in Boston. His work in two conservative Jewish synagogues feeds his soul and has opened his heart to better ways of building community.
Highlights: · His father had three wives with different religions – Catholic, Muslim and Anglican. Living together was happy and peaceful. · Anglican churches in Boston have a similar service to those in Kenya but worshipping in a mostly white congregation is more restrained. · Working in the Jewish community soothes his soul. Seeing how the synagogues keep the community together and supporting the service inspires him. · African Americans can succeed in America and have opportunities worth pursuing. · It is better for African Americans to focus on the children’s future, rather than the pain of slavery’s history.
Quotes: “A Black Kenyan in America is not the easiest because African American will identify you as an African. And a white person will not tell if you're an American or you are African unless you speak.”
“I actually just healed my soul being in those places because you get that spirit of love working there [in the synagogue].”
“I'm going through a certain transition from the different system to another system, and I haven't found my system in this place, so Moses is taking me up.”
Social Media links for Sos: Children’s Book – Zikununu (Available soon.) Radio program – Citizen Radio in Kenya, Capital Radio in Uganda Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/sostheng_k/?hl=en LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sostheng-kituyi-4a144731/
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Episode 19. Kelly has overcome a difficult childhood and built a successful career as a marketing strategist, coach, mentor to entrepreneurs, speaker and published author. Accepting Christ in her 20s and developing a relationship with God has fueled her Christ-centered work with other Christians.
Highlights: · She lives a Christian lifestyle as an Evangelical. · Religion is the rules and structure. · God’s message is an impression on her heart · Studying the Bible attunes her ear to God’s ‘voice’ and message. · Studying the Bible and prayer teaches her to recognize God’s voice.
Quotes: “Christianity is based on love, is based on God's love for us. And that's what I meant that I don't have a religion, but I have a lifestyle as a Christian.”
“I'm called to help those people just like me. ... My job is to help them to able to articulate the value they can provide and to market that so they can serve a whole lot more people and create that ripple effect that we are looking for.”
“Faith is that force to pull forward, say: ‘I will believe a positive outcome come out’. That doesn't mean you will not go through tribulations. But you've put your brainpower, intentionality, focus on the desired result come out.”
“There is not a decision that no matter small or big in my life that I don't ask God’s idea or proof.”
“God will always give us confirmation.”
“You need to have the Holy Spirit live inside of you, so when the voice come, you then will be able to tell whether that voice is from others or is from [your] own Father.”
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
A Christian Focusing on the Problems – Luis Menéndez-Antuña
00:48:40
Episode 20. Luis, Professor at Boston University, spoke of several big topics, including Liberation Theology, religion as a complex entity, LGBTQ identity, and the importance of focusing on problems rather than identity. Luis unpacks complex theological ideas and connects them to everyday life. In addition to Christian theology and elements of the New Testament, we drew lines to Jewish concepts.
Highlights: · Luis is comfortable with the various elements of his identity – Catholic, gay, Spanish immigrant in America, scholar – and how they fit together.
· Being part of a religious tradition does not require us to agree with every aspect of it. We don’t demand that in other relationships, so why make that exception?
· Liberation Theology, and other contextual theologies, start from the place of analyzing the immediate reality.
· The Hebrew Bible and New Testament talk about the real implications of God a lot, not about the nature of God in the abstract.
· Religion is a way of living, not a doctrine. It is a complex entity you can be in relationship with.
Quotes: “To be faithful is not to believe in something. When you are faithful to someone, you don't believe what they believe. When you're faithful to someone, you have an ethical orientation to that person. You have a commitment, a practical commitment to that person.”
“The current mainstream association [in America] of Christianity with the nuclear family is nowhere to be found in the New Testament and is nowhere to be found in the first two-three centuries of Christianity.”
“When I was primarily an activist, my activism and was very informed by my intellectual work, and now that I'm in academia, much of the stuff that I teach and I write, issues from my activism.”
“The way we talk about the past is deeply informed by our ideas about the present.”
“Liberation theology never talked about personal identities. Never did, and it still doesn't. It talks about the problem of colonization. It talks about our problem of oppression and it talks about ways communities organized against that.”
Social Media links for Luis: Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/luis.menendez.antuna Academia – https://luismenendezantuna.academia.edu Boston University – https://www.bu.edu/sth/profile/luis-menendez-antuna/
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Episode 21. Emi spoke with heart about his complex background – growing up Roman Catholic by Dominican immigrants, converting to Islam at Boston University, speaking Spanish as a first language, and his racial and cultural identity as both Hispanic and Black. All of this makes Emi the unique human he is. Having explored various religions and lived in different places, he is able to understand what it is like to be in another place. Moreover, he is guided by the Qur’anic verse: “I made you different so that you may get to know one another”. Each person’s complexity, uniqueness, the religion, culture and experiences is what we present to the world.
Highlights: · His religious and cultural identity is complex and not an easy question to answer.
· Being raised in Roman Catholicism remains in him, it’s values and iconography. · Speaking Spanish, English and some Arabic allows him to see the commonalities and differences across religions and cultures.
· Observing is not about praying five times a day for him. It is being kind, generous, grateful,
· How different communities can know each other is an important question for him.
Quotes: “We're all meant to be something, but we're all finding out what that something is, and it doesn't just stop at your faith.”
“I think that something I still bring with me [from Roman Catholicism] is a lot of strength, a lot of courage, compassion, kindness and empathy.”
“I've been a Catholic and I've been a Muslim and I haven't been either of those things as well.”
“My current practice is that when I wake up, I I'm just thankful that I wake up.”
“Beyond just talking with God or praying, I think your daily life is your practice. I think what you do. Every moment that you live is how you embody what it is that you believe in.”
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Bonus – Tahara, a Jewish Tradition (Barbara Neustadt)
00:38:10
Episode 22. In this Bonus episode, Barbara Neustadt talks about Tahara, the sacred Jewish tradition of washing and preparing a body for burial. As co-President of the Community Hevra Kadisha of Greater Boston, and a member since its founding in 2013, Barbara has a wealth of knowledge and personal experience. She generously and clearly explains the structure and process of Tahara, as well as who participates. Barbara also describes the broader community aspects, some challenges that have come up over the years and the spiritual richness involved.
Perhaps because most of us do not think much about death and what happens to a body afterwards, this episode is a rare opportunity to learn about the Jewish tradition – what it is, how it works and the value of participating as a volunteer.
Highlights: · The liturgy for tahara is based on minhag (tradition) not halakha (law) and each hevra kadisha has a slightly different liturgy.
· Hevre Kadisha are historically synagogue based. Each synagogue would have its own.
· Performing tahara is the ultimate act of kindness (chesed shel emet), because the person cannot return the favor.
· Team members find the work spiritually moving, and helps them think a bit more about death.
· Tahara is available to all Jews – Conservative, Reform, Reconstruction and unaffiliated – not just the orthodox.
Quotes: “Anyone and everyone with the proper training can be part of a hevra kadisha.”
“What I experience is a profound sense of connecting to death, in a way that normally we don't connect.”
“It's hard to find words to express it. It's quite moving, sometimes very emotional, and to be sharing that with other women is a profound experience.”
“In terms of the Jewish piece of it, it feels for me that I'm carrying on an ancient ritual, albeit we've tweaked the liturgy and changed certain things. But it's inherently an ancient ritual of our people and that feels very, very moving to me.”
“Sometimes weeks later I'll get a call or an e-mail from somebody: ‘I need to talk. That was a tahara that was difficult for me’.”
Social Media link for the Hevra Kadisha of Greater Boston: Website – https://www.hevrakadisha.org
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
The Lord Will Provide, A Christian View – Allyson Hilliard
00:42:09
Episode 23. A practicing Baptist Christian, Allyson brings her faith into all that she does. As a physician, co-founder of the apparel company Be Bougie, Deacon at her church and active volunteer in her sorority, not to mention time with family and friends, her sense of purpose derived from God guides her. Even in bad times, she retains her faith that God has a plan, knows what is best and is by her side. Experience has taught her that things will work out, even if she doesn’t know how or why. In this touching conversation, Allyson speaks from the heart, with tears and laughter, about her beliefs and how they support her each day.
Highlights: · Growing spiritually is a top priority.
· Believing in God, in something bigger is critical, and helps her even in bad times.
· The development and safe birth of a baby is a miracle, and she thanks God each time.
· God has a plan and purpose for each person.
· Faith is present in all that Allyson does – her work, volunteering, and social time.
Quotes: “We have a tagline that says: ‘Higher standards and unapologetic’, and the premise in the mission of Be Bougie is to uplift women to be who they are.”
“My faith is intertwined in my business in the sense that I believe God formed us all here for a reason and a purpose, and who you are is tied up into that purpose.”
“It is crucial that I have this grounding in my faith and in my spirituality, 'cause a lot of the things that I see and do as a physician, I can’t explain [by] being just me.”
“I've chosen to believe. That's my choice. And I've chosen to accept God's plan and purpose for my life. That's where my free will comes in.”
“I pray for comfort. I pray for understanding, I pray for strength, I pray for peace to get me through. And I believe that even in the midst of the dark place, God’s still with me.”
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Episode 24. Halim’s faith is grounded in the Qur’an and its message of God’s existence and as guide for living. His research into Mohammed’s covenants, including those in the Qur’an, show their authenticity, predominantly accepted by people doing interfaith work. This conversation is a fascinating exploration of the diverse Australian community, Halim’s research and teaching about Islam, Islam-West relations, the Qur’an, and Mohammed’s covenants with non-Muslim groups.
Highlights: · As a professor, Halim studies the perception of covenants and their impact in interfaith work, pluralism and treatment of non-Muslims. · The core message of Islam is in the Qur’an – a manual for life and living with others. · Mohammed had covenants – pledges of protection – with non-Muslim groups. · As the Muslim population grows, increasing understanding between Muslims and others is critical.
Quotes: “The idea of the covenant is that every human being has the right to live on earth, because every human being has been given the gift of life from God. ”
“It wasn't Mohammed's obligation to compel people to believe a certain way. People are free to believe or disbelieve.”
“[Mohammed] had covenants with non-Muslims, with Christians, Jews with Polytheists as well.”
“Muslim political authorities, and you know rulers and so forth, did acknowledge the right to life and right to property and the protection of places of worship.”
“The covenants of the Prophet Muhammad, whether they were issued to Jews or Christians or Zoroastrians, all of them include a statement along the lines of: ‘This is not just for today, this is for all time’.”
References: · Rane, Halim. 2022. "Interfaith Actor Reception of Islamic Covenants: How ‘New’ Religious Knowledge Influences Views on Interreligious Relations in Islam" Religions 13, no. 9: 873. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13090873
· Rane, Halim, Adis Duderija, Riyad H. Rahimullah, Paul Mitchell, Jessica Mamone, and Shane Satterley. 2020. "Islam in Australia: A National Survey of Muslim Australian Citizens and Permanent Residents" Religions 11, no. 8: 419. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11080419
Social Media links for Halim: LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/halim-rane-12721946/ Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/halim.rane
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Episode 25. The meaningless Judaism of his childhood Conservative synagogue, and the depressing results of chasing pop music fame, prompted a search for the ‘truth’ of Judaism. Since studying Talmud in Jerusalem in his 20s, David has felt a deep connection to the land of Israel and a spiritual home in the Orthodox community. Inspired by the Tanya, David has authored the Real You Project. In this conversation, we exchange differing experiences and views, without the need to agree.
Highlights: · Despite growing up Jewish in the USA, David has found a spiritual home in the Orthodox community in Israel.
· David sees the exploration of the self and soul as universal journeys and finds understanding from followers of other religions.
· Pictures of Your Soul brings the intangible soul down to a concrete level. Each chapter asks and answers questions about the soul based on the Tanya, written by the first Lubavitcher Rebbe of Chabad.
· David has used Torah and Tanya to help people deal with problems such as loneliness and low self-esteem.
· As an Orthodox Jew, David takes Torah literally, and lives by the understandable and mysterious commandments each day.
Quotes: “I feel so much more of who I am, regardless of my religious affiliation. I feel connected to my soul and connected to the land of Israel.”
“The soul is always rising, wanting to reconnect with God. But there's a mission to achieve in this world, and He wants us to be able to keep that soul within the physical body so that we can achieve something with the physical world.”
“I'm not trying to create a new religion I'm trying to help people connect to who they are and utilize the practice if they want to.”
“I went through that process of searching and I think that that's a very healthy thing for other people to do as well. And wherever they land, that's their choice.”
“God knows what's best for me and I will do what He tells me to do.”
“The Torah is the manual. It's the instruction manual of life.”
“In Judaism we that we believe that no two souls are the same and no two souls have the same purpose in this world.”
Social Media links for David: Real You Project – https://www.realyouproject.com/home
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Episode 26. Nayma speaks from the heart in describing the ups and downs of her journey – growing up in Bangladesh and moving to America with her family after university. Despite the challenges of immigrating, she has persevered. Internalizing the belief that it was God’s plan to continue her path in a new country, she set about building a new life. Graduate school and work, along with teaching children at local mosques and taking in the natural beauty of her adopted country have given her joy. She is grateful for all the opportunities.
Highlights: · Despite the difficulties of life in the USA, she believes that it was God’s plan to bring her to America. Things became easier once she internalized that belief. · Nayma’s skills and interests combine logic and creativity. · Nayma is uplifted by the dedication and joy of the children she teaches at the mosque. · There are many names of God, and she feels most connected to ‘the one who decrees’ and ‘trusted friend’. · Mohammed’s life experiences, such as being an immigrant, provide guidance for her. · Life is like a marathon, with stretches of varying difficulty – from easy to almost impossible. · The invisible hand of God helps pull her through difficult times.
Quotes: “Like every first-generation immigrant, the question that went along is where do I belong?”
“This understanding [that God is behind the decree for me to move to the US] made me see those relationships more, and actually I should say this is what is helping me to becoming a local, more a local, and it's an ongoing process.”
“The locals [in Medina] said, when [Mohammed] came, the city was lit up with the light, and when he was gone, [it was] as if that light was gone.”
“For me, God's will, this is what He decreed. How do I act upon it is my part.”
“I look at hijab as an honor.”
“We are in Massachusetts. It's a very welcoming community. But many parts of USA it's not. And to some parts, it's not just unwelcoming, it's alarmingly unwelcoming.”
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
A Mormon Following in God's Footsteps – Margaret Agard
00:42:43
Episode 27. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as LDS and the Mormon church, Margaret lives her faith deeply. In this lively conversation, she speaks openly about learning to hear the voice of God and some of the instructions she has been given. Sometimes they are prosaic directives to invite families to dinner or bring soup to a neighbor. Writing the In His Footsteps series about these conversations and her marriage are also seen as something God wants her to do. Besides describing her own faith path, she explains some important theological views of the LDS church, a valuable service to us all.
Highlights: · In morning quiet ‘me time’ she reads scripture, writes in her journal and asks questions of God.
· Evening quite meditation is His time. She meditates and leaves herself open to whatever God wants to say to her.
· The LDS Church believes that every religion has some truth, but none have it all.
· There are three levels of lightness and glory we reach after death, but we must accept Jesus to reach the highest level.
· Missionaries tell people to ask God if what they are saying is true.
Quotes: “From the time I was a child, I was taught that I had both the right and the responsibility to learn to hear that still small, quiet voice within us, that is God. And to take my questions to Him, to get direction from Him.”
“I have done enough Scripture study to feel as if I know when I'm in the presence of the Holy Spirit.”
“The gift we have to accept is that we can be forgiven of our sins and washed clean and go to live in heaven with the Father.”
“People often hear God, but they ignore Him. They don't want, they don't want to hear what He has to say.”
“People love purple. Like, blue skies and red painful things are what give you the purple. And so that's how I saw it, that he can turn anything to our good.”
“A standard Christian teaching [is] – all things work together for good for those who love God. But we have to turn to Him. We can either get stuck or we can take that healing.”
Social Media links for Margaret: Website – https://inhisfootsteps.com LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretagard/
Transcript: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1851013/episodes/11821245-27-margaret-agard-following-in-god-s-footsteps/edit Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Episode 28. Moishe Dov is a life-long and dedicated member of the Chabad-Lubavitch Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn, New York. He speaks from the heart of his journey through addiction and subsequent sobriety. With regained health, taking up a daily practice of Jewish study has re-trained his definition of discipline into a positive and reliable force.
IMPORTANT: This episode includes discussion of addiction and suicide. Listener discretion advised.
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction or suicidal ideation, seek help – Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (USA) – dial 988 AA – https://www.aa.org
Highlights: · Doing his best to follow the biblical commandments is fundamental to being part of Chabad-Lubavitch Judaism. · Connecting to God and fulfilling one’s purpose is paramount. · Believing and living in the way that God loves him, was the path to health. · Undoing harmful beliefs and creating healthy ones is a long and ongoing process.
Quotes: “Do acts of goodness and kindness and try to make the world a better place every day, in every way.”
“I can't afford to believe that God is unforgiving.”
“Physical health. Mental health. Spiritual health. In that order. Addiction is a deadly disease. It is a progressive and deadly disease.”
“No matter what state you're in if you're inspired to take action, great, take action. But if you're judging yourself, please consider the path of forgiveness.”
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Bonus – Authenticity in Spirituality (with Orneita Burton)
00:46:11
Episode 29. Orneita Burton, a professor at Abilene Christian University in Abilene Texas, speaks about Authenticity in Spirituality. This intention to be genuine in our relationship with God involves reflection, reading scripture, and serving others. Authenticity is a challenge, as it calls for understanding ourselves and others. Part of the difficulty is from the spiritual warfare between God and the dark forces which can misdirect us. For Orneita, her authentic spirituality is through Christ, but any relationship with God can be authentic. Being open to people and experiences and removing preconceptions that limit learning and growth help us to improve the lives of others.
Highlights: · Authentic Spirituality is being real, being a vehicle for good in the world.
· Preconceptions limit your understanding and openness to a person and an experience.
· Spirituality is not defined by a religion or denomination.
· Spiritual warfare is between God and the dark forces, which may draw us off the path that God intended for us.
· We learn our purpose through reading scripture, reflection and seeking a relationship with God.
Quotes: “Being able to be the true person that that God intended for us to be, it takes effort, it takes time, takes quiet reflection and also being in communication with God enough so that He can speak life into us.”
“We truly need to consider how we walk spiritually on a day-to-day basis.”
“We are part of a spiritual warfare, and so we are created to be instrumental in creating a spiritual, a positively spiritual outcome for each and every one of us.”
“Am I here to serve self or am I here to serve the purpose for which I was made?”
“Basically, a person who lives authentically understands their need for Christ, and without that relationship it's a hopeless existence because we live in a fallen world.”
“We are here to serve and there are so many opportunities that occur on a regular basis that are not defined. They're not official, but they have to do with making other people’s lives better for today. It's defined as stewardship sometimes.”
Social Media links for Orneita Burton: LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/orneitaburton/
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Episode 30. Coming from a multi-cultural and inter-religious home, finding his way into Jewish expression has been a process. This flowered after moving to Germany, soon after the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, and coinciding with a great hunger for German Jewish history there. Oliver has since found a home in traditional services. His individual prayer experience is the important element and the path towards being a better person.
Highlights: · There are many ways of being Jewish. Each person needs to find their own way.
· For Oliver, services provide either beauty with singing together or a personal connection to God, where the focus is individual. He prefers the latter.
· He likes traditional liturgy but doesn’t feel the rigid separation of genders in Orthodox synagogues is necessary, or that women always need to be in the back.
Quotes: “My real, let's say, coming out as a Jew was in Germany, and I think it had a lot to do with being in a country where my Jewish heritage has many generations of history.”
“I would say for me I'm Jewish by birth, I'm Jewish by choice, and I would say I'm also Jewish by my love of Jewish traditions and my love to live Jewish traditions.”
“If we're talking about our conversations with God, I'm finding that my best conversations with God are in those spaces where nobody really cares how you're speaking to God.”
“I do not know of any female rabbi in the Orthodox sphere who's going to conduct a service where men are present, but there are women who are conducting orthodox services for women.”
References: Jeffrey Herf, Divided Memory: The Nazi Past in the Two Germanys Tefillot (Hebrew) – prayers, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_prayer Kashrut – the Jewish dietary laws. https://www.britannica.com/topic/kashruth Haskalah, the Jewish Enlightenment (ca. 1770s-1880s) – https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-haskalah Yiddishe shul – a Yiddish (German-Hebrew) synagogue.
Social Media links for Oliver: Twitter – #oqbradley Twitter – #oliverbradley Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/PeriodicPeriodical.OQB European Jewish Association (EJA) – https://ejassociation.eu Twitter – #ejassociation
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Episode 31. Saiyyidah brings her experience of Practical Theology to life in this engaging conversation. Landing in the field by accident, then choosing to remain, she views the staunchly white Christian British arena with an outsider’s eyes, while valuing the bridging of the Academy and religious leaders. Her perspective as a Muslim woman of color, prompted a deep exploration of her identity, for which she is grateful. Since completing her Doctorate in Practical Theology, Saiyyidah has combined that theory and use of conversation in her coaching and training on belonging.
Highlights: · Conversations are available to everyone, and when we are confident in our identity and curious about the other, a deep and rich conversation is possible. · We can affect each other in a brief exchange, without knowing it, and it doesn’t cost us anything. · Stephen Pattison’s term ‘wayfaring without a map’, describes a conversation as a journey. · Curiosity, acknowledgement and respect can be learned, but we need to work hard, be vulnerable, and be ready to shed some ideas.
Quotes: “Acknowledging and recognizing difference is important, but when we focus too much energy, time, attention on the difference, we forget our similarities.”
“Some people haven't outed themselves as non-Christian, but because I am so obviously not Christian and remain in that space [of Practical Theology], that gives them confidence and permission to do so as well.”
“What I'm trying to do, ... is keep one foot in research and one foot in practice, because I think that will make my approach in both areas a little bit more rounded.”
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Episode 32. William brings heart, head and soul together in his work as a pastoral therapist. The combination means being attuned to the spiritual values, history and trauma, along with where therapeutic techniques should be used. While he is Christian and works mostly with other Christians, he is open to helping anyone.
Highlights: · We have more in common than we think. · Praying together as a couple is a part of your communication. · Listen to understand not to respond. · LEARN: Listen, Empathize, Act, Resist, and Never quit. · Conflicting views of the Bible and how to live those precepts create challenges to be sorted out in pastoral therapy. · Understanding the pain, trauma and source of a value are important steps in therapy.
Quotes: “With my theological training, I can also listen to your story of faith and see how we can blend that in therapeutically to help you or to help bring healing.”
“Whatever it is, a lot of times there's pain that drives us. And so one of the things I like to say about therapeutic work is helping people understand the pain that's going on with them.”
“How do we treat people who are different from us, whatever that difference may be?”
“A lot of my work is also helping people be intentional about their decisions.”
“I believe that God designed us with a choice.”
“Some of the work I have sometimes is helping people to calm their triggers down, some so they can listen clearly and listen to understand.”
Social Media links for William: Website – https://www.faithandfamilyempowerment.com Book – Praying with Your Spouse: A Secret to Building Intimacy in Your Marriage (Amazon)
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Episode 33, Hamzah has traveled an unexpected path from his Episcopalian childhood. Befriending an Indian Muslim classmate in 10th grade, he became enamored of Islam and accepted the faith after months of study. It has remained his true path and he has spent most of his career in Islamic education. Despite the unusual conversion, Hamzah has not rejected his upbringing religiously or educationally, continuing to hold the values of learning and faith. He lives a model of steady progress towards big dreams, even if the path remains unclear.
Highlights: · Converting to Islam did not mean rejecting the Christianity of his childhood.
· Islam is the newest and final ‘operating system’ of the Abrahamic faiths, after Judaism and Christianity.
· Investing in the stock market is permitted, as there is risk involved, but the investor must avoid in forbidden products such as alcohol that counter Islamic principles.
· Dual enrollment programs allow students in high school to take college courses, helping students to grow beyond the high school’s curriculum.
· Islamic schools in New England are young but there is community interest in growth.
· Hamzah has a passion for teaching literature and poetry.
Quotes: “It's long been a dream of mine to have a Muslim boarding school similar to the ones that I was fortunate enough to attend.”
“Many of our students sort of sail through and actually change their college environments. They're very proud of their Muslim faith and heritage, and they practice it openly.”
“There are enormous resources within the Muslim community, so some of the challenges on the school side is to prove their product is great.”
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Jewish Values of Do Good. Be Good. Bring Goodness – Elissa Felder
00:53:42
Episode 34. As a traditional Jew attending an Orthodox synagogue, Elissa believes that the Torah provides a blueprint for living. God is an ever-present force in her life and she has an ongoing relationship with God. After the death of her first child, Elissa studied the Jewish beliefs of death and the afterlife. In addition to the studies, becoming involved in tahara, the Jewish practice of preparing a Jew for burial, has been meaningful. Elissa described several metaphors including the messy back of a tapestry as the details of life and the fetus in utero as creation unaware of the mother providing all its needs.
Highlights: · God informs her life, a pervasive force she is in relationship with daily.
· With the death of her first child, intense love became intense grief, and then a drive to understand the Jewish tradition’s view of death and the afterlife.
· Her child’s death was not in vain. Many lessons have come from the loss, and she feels blessed.
· Being present with someone’s grief and pain is a huge gift to the bereaved.
· To care for the dead is partnering with God. It is an honor to do this work.
· Life is a little bridge and is a finite span away from the world of souls.
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Episode 35. Julie Kinscheck, singer-songwriter, teacher, and group leader extraordinaire, is a woman of many musical talents. Whether singing sacred or secular music – hymns, Christmas carols, jazz, or folk music – she brings passion and a desire to share her God-given abilities with the audience. After years of performing and teaching, the Covid lock-down created time to produce a book, Vocal Training for Praise Singers. Intended mainly for Christian praise singers, it is a robust teaching tool replete with exercises, explanations of physiology, tips for worship team leaders and devotionals. Julie’s passion for the Lord and singing, combined with her life-time of experience singing and teaching, come through in this conversation.
Coming Soon! Julie Kinscheck and students present the “Berklee Worships” concert Wednesday, March 29th, 7pm. Berklee College of Music, 1140 Boylston St, Boston (Recital Hall 1A, Alma Berk Hall). The concert is free and open to the public.
Highlights: · Julie was baptized in her 20s after much wandering and disillusionment with Christianity.
· Performing and writing songs since her teens, she has produced four albums across several musical genres.
· Teaching at the renowned Berklee College of Music in Boston, she guides a wide range of students.
· The musical selection at the various Boston Church of Christ congregations cater to the social make-up of their communities – Hispanic, Vietnamese and Blacks.
· It’s important to strike a balance between familiar hymns and newer material.
· Vocal Training for Praise Singers provides lessons on vocal technique with a Christian perspective, mainly for worship leaders, as well as seminary libraries and vocal programs.
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Episode 36. Jill Sarkozi, founder of the Safekeeping Stories program, talks about the mission and system of the work. Inspired by helping her father-in-law, a Holocaust survivor, write his story, Jill went on to develop the Storykeeping® method. Since founding the program in 2012, Jill and her team have helped many Jewish families capture their own family stories. The workshop provides a safe environment for these family members to explore the family’s Holocaust story, understand how it has been part of their own story, and then add their generational layer to the family story as they write observations about life with their survivor-family member.
Using a structured system of one-two page ‘slices’, children and grandchildren of survivors build up a 15-20 page history which they can use in many ways – in a slide show, as impetus for a heritage trip, and more. Helping people recover their family story and watch the reactions has often been a beautiful and moving experience.
Highlights: · Workshops are groups of ten – for personal attention and guidance. · The focus has mainly been Holocaust stories preserved by family members of survivors, and will remain so. · Besides workshops, Safekeeping Stories offers speakers, programs, and a self-paced method. · Learning one: People retain the family story from the child perspective and watching the shift to the adult view is surprising. · Learning two: A person’s response to incredible loss, and the impact on subsequent generations positively and negatively, takes many forms. · Learning three: A small kindness can place a tenderness in someone’s heart. It can stay with them for life and is important to honor.
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Comments? Questions? Email Méli at info@talkingwithgodproject.org
Episode 37. Prianka Alam has retained the dedication to helping her family and Muslim community in Maryland that she learned as a young immigrant child. The financial uncertainty growing up has prompted a craving for stability and security as an adult, in short a boring life. These desires drove Prianka to focus on her education, career path and a husband who would be Muslim and a good partner for future children. She has found all of that and more, though it brings the expected stress and demand to wear many hats – DEI professional, wife, mother, daughter, student of Islam and volunteer as a board member of Penny Appeal USA. COVID increased the need to juggle competing demands, while Ramadan offers her ease, more open time for studying the Qur’an, and guiding her children.
Highlights: · It is difficult to be a Muslim in the US, but she’s grateful for the struggle.
· Government policies and social attitudes affect how she lives as a Muslim. The family’s safety is always considered.
· She’s rarely seen colleagues who are also Muslim, a woman of color, or South Asian.
· Islam inspires her to work with purpose and help those in need.
· Ramadan is an opportunity to study the Qur’an and celebrate with her family and community.
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Interfaith Dialogue is the Foundation – Janet Penn
00:34:10
Episode 38. Like many people of her generation, Janet was raised with little religious instruction, due to her parents’ desire to be American. After some exploration into other faiths, she decided in her 20s to learn about the Judaism of her roots. It has been a long journey. She considers herself a JewBu – incorporating elements of both Judaism and Buddhism, generally the ritual and holidays of the former and philosophy of the latter, along with some meditation practice when faced with a challenging situation. Besides her personal journey, Janet spent years developing and leading programs and dialogues bridging religious and other differences. Youth LEAD and the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom are two she speaks of.
Highlights: · The three Cs of dialogue: Curiosity, Courage, and Compassion.
· Even after years of training and experience, we make mistakes and react instinctively.
· Speaking with people who are different is challenging. Using a structure all agree to is critical.
· Dialogue is the foundation, letting us see each other’s humanity, but action is then necessary to improve the world.
· Jewish values of tikkun olam, repairing the world, and tzedakah, charity, inform her social justice work.
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Comments or questions? Email Méli - info@talkingwithgodproject.org
A Christian Coaching Leaders for Success – Sarah Vaughan Smith
00:36:43
Episode 39. Sarah draws on her innate passion for helping others in her work as a coach, trainer, and speaker. Whether helping individuals or organizations, her drive to unlock potential and encourage people to achieve their dreams comes through. After years in leadership training for faith-based organizations, particularly within the Black community in Boston, Sarah launched Unlimited Success Services LLC, a leadership development company. The Christian principle that each person has unique skills and talents has led her during years of coaching on leadership. This is particularly relevant for the many clients who lack confidence that they can lead. Indeed, one of her favorite quotes is “Actually, I can!”
Highlights: · Helping others is central to her purpose.
· Continuous growth and serving others are foundational to the John Maxwell Leadership program.
· We can accomplish anything through Christ.
· Leadership involves being a team player, listening, empowering someone else, and connecting with people.
· The COVID pandemic provided a challenge that forced her to learn, grow and do new things.
· Sarah developed her new business, Unlimited Success Services LLC, while her mother received treatment at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. They grew stronger together.
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Episode 40. As a British coach, consultant, and public speaker, Sobiya helps people in different ways. The coaching is one:one support mostly around confidence and mindset to help the client reach her potential. As a consultant, she works with companies wanting to improve their diversity, equity and inclusion, and as a public speaker, Sobiya draws on both her personal experience as a Muslim woman-of-color in the UK, as well as her professional expertise. She believes that, as a public figure, her authenticity is paired with healthy boundaries. This balance allows her to handle difficult situations and continue to support her clients. Her faith in Sunni Islam and the Sufi teachings support her every day.
Highlights: · Being authentic is central to her sense of self and her work.
· Searching for answers led Sobiya to deepen her Islamic faith as a young adult.
· She has experienced discrimination as a visible Muslim woman-of-color, so she empathizes with clients struggling with that challenge.
· Coaching, consulting, and training are each valuable offerings and accomplish different things.
· You can be authentic and have boundaries. They are not at odds with each other.
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Episode 41. An award-winning reporter at WBZ/CBS Boston, the first Muslim Miss Massachusetts (2022), volunteer for the Special Olympics, convert (or revert) to Islam from Catholicism and a Black American – Katrina holds a complex identity. She channels her complexity and desire to be authentic into her passion for community, diversity, and equality. Impressively, she does so with grace, humor, and commitment.
Highlights: · Her religious journey – Catholic childhood, atheism, then Islam. · Islam brought Katrina peace. · Miss America Pageants – scholarship money, a platform for community service, and a sisterhood. · Volunteering at the Special Olympics and ‘Embracing Diversity’ platform as Miss Massachusetts. · Black Lives Matter protests prompted more interest in DEI training and employee diversity. · Katrina wears a hijab as a news reporter sometimes, and reports on underrepresented communities.
Social Media links for Katrina: LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/katrinakincade/ Instagram – @katrinakincade (https://instagram.com/katrinakincade) Twitter – @katrinaknews (https://twitter.com/katrinaknews?lang=en) TikTok – @katrinatheereporter (https://www.tiktok.com/@katrinatheereporter)
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Surviving a Christian Religious Cult – Peter Young
00:50:51
Episode 42 Peter, author of Stop the Tall Man, Save the Tiger, describes his journey through a small Christian religious cult. Getting drawn in was not his intention, and he believes that no one knows they’re in a cult, just that they were in a cult. For Peter, the group was an unavoidable aspect of marrying the love of his life. Neither the cult nor his experience in the cult is what you would expect. The particularities of his faith story open the mysterious world of a cult, the common characteristics of the leader – narcissistic, charismatic, and manipulative – and the journey of survival. As Peter describes his long process regaining sanity and custody of his children, there is redemption in surviving, for which he is grateful.
Highlights: · Peter Young’s life, work, and faith · The danger of the leader’s slow deceit and twisting of biblical text · Understanding that salvation stories are unique to each individual · The leader, Uncle Robert, influenced Peter’s marriage and family · Distinguishing a cult from a strong culture · Importance of faith in getting through tough times and not putting identity solely in a profession
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Bonus. Religion in the Public Sphere, a Christian View (Zachary Davis)
00:30:07
Episode 43. Zachary Davis, a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (or Mormons), has been deeply involved in producing podcasts and other media about religion. In this Bonus episode, we discuss the role of religion in the public sphere. He talks about the importance of bringing your whole self into the community, and makes the distinction between scholarly work and devotional practice. Part of his own public expression of his faith is through the various podcasts and publications he produces and manages, including the Ministry of Ideas podcast and Faith Matters magazine.
Highlights: · Zach’s first HarvardX work with professors at Harvard Divinity School led to years of ‘swimming in religion’ and thinking more deeply about the role of faith.
· The Ministry of Ideas podcast and Faith Matters magazine are both vehicles for discussing religion in the public sphere.
· The separation of church and state really means not establishing a state religion.
· Scholarship on religion and religious devotional practice are two different things, and not at odds.
· The US is a unique country, given the diversity of religions. Living together peaceably and respectfully is important.
· Attending services and reading the holy scriptures of other religions are ways we can each learn about other paths.
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Embodying the Christian Faith: Healing the Whole Person – Mookie Manalili
00:47:08
Episode 44. As a psychotherapist, professor and researcher, Mookie believes in attending to the whole person. For him, this care includes his Catholic practice. For his clients, faith or root beliefs might also be included. Mookie has arrived at his philosophy of therapy and groundedness in Catholicism through a circuitous route. Born in the Philippines, raised in California, followed by graduate studies and work over a multi-stage eastward journey across the US, he has landed at Boston College, a Jesuit institution where he has found a home. Each place has had its own Catholicism, from the pink-habited nuns in the Philippines to the Chicano inflection in California and the more stoic version in Boston, while remaining part of the same Church. Despite traversing many communities, he still lives by the values of his childhood – caring for the whole person, with special attention to those at the margins and those who have suffered injustices.
Highlights: 00:05:01 Catholicism shaped and challenged Mookie’s faith journey. 00:06:31 Catholicism's different expressions, faith, and justice. 00:10:43 Mookie’s journey of darkness and light. 00:24:31 Integration of culture, faith, and therapy in practice. 00:37:31 Embodied, sacramental nature of things: Catholic faith.
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Embodying the Christian Faith: Tattoos and Pilgrimage – Mookie Manalili
00:42:09
Episode 45. In this second conversation with Mookie, we expanded the discussion of diversity and the ways he embodies his Catholic faith. The two main areas are his tattoos that manage to marry his Filipino and Catholic identities, and his pilgrimage in August 2022 on the Camino de Santiago.
Highlights: 00:04:39 Diversity and race in the US.
00:13:34 The guest’s tattoo and its symbolism, including references to his Christian faith and Filipino heritage. The tattoo represents creation, crucifixion, and the concept of redemption and healing.
00:21:53 Camino de Santiago: A meaningful, diverse pilgrimage.
00:36:48 The Camino reminded him of lost hopes and dreams and brought back a sense of purpose.
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Try My Jesus, a Christian Workbook – Carlton E. Smith
00:45:12
Episode 46. Having traversed the spectrum of Christian denominations – from the middle (United Methodist) to the conservative (Pentecostal) then all the way to the liberal (Unitarian Universalist) – Carlton has derived a rich and appreciative perspective on living according to Jesus’ teachings. As he notes in the Introduction of Try My Jesus: “Anyone who invites you to try Jesus is inviting you to try their Jesus.” Structured as a year’s worth of daily reflections, Carlton quotes from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – the four Evangelists who were contemporaries of Jesus. He then includes his own reflections and a prompt for the reader. These various parts for each day offer opportunities to reflect on Jesus’ teachings and how you are applying them as you take responsibility for your spiritual life. Guiding messages are to lead a life centered in love and compassion, and that you can be fully yourself and follow the teachings of Jesus. This is especially relevant to those on the margins of society and subject to discrimination and hate.
Highlights: 00:08:51 Unitarian Universalism accepts diverse beliefs, including atheism. 00:10:46 Jesus is a child of God, like us. 00:15:48 Love, civil rights, and justice shape beliefs. 00:20:24 Summary: Four gospels highlight Jesus' teachings, audience includes marginalized and those seeking love. 00:26:08 Gospels ordered, structure carefully maintained, consistent reading. 00:30:36 Relying on myself, not religious leaders. 00:40:42 Seek within, find integrity, embrace love.
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Episode 47. David has traveled far, religiously speaking, from his upbringing in a largely secular Jewish home. Other than attending services at a Reform synagogue on Boston’s North Shore, there was minimal observance. Since then, he has gone through many phases, including flirting with atheism and participating in his college Hillel services, all the while maintaining the Jewish identity inherited from his parents. Over the past few years, he has found a mélange of communities. Participating in the local Chabad House and online learning with the Torah Studio satisfy his intellectual, service attendance and spiritual needs. While combining Orthodox and liberal communities is unusual, it suits David well. Besides his religious life, he is a practicing attorney in a non-profit firm and finds a meaningful connection between the law and Talmudic study, whereby both majority and minority opinions are preserved and honored. Additionally, he and his family spend as much time as possible in his wife’s native home of Mallorca, Spain, where he revels in the vibrant collection of Jews attending the one synagogue.
Highlights: 00:03:41 Rediscovering Jewish identity through college and beyond. 00:08:20 Comfortably exploring Jewish identity, politically liberal. Found fitting communities through happenstance. 00:13:22 "The bathroom thing: Strange but practical prayer" 00:23:21 Unexpected encounter leads to involvement with Chabad. 00:33:51 Supportive spouse from Spain integrates into Jewish life. 00:39:13 Judaism and law practice share connections.
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Bonus. Religion in Our Modern World, a Muslim View (Wajahat Ali)
00:54:55
Episode 48. As a columnist (The New York Times, the Daily Beast and elsewhere), speaker, published author, recovering attorney and practicing Muslim, Wajahat Ali brings a sharp eye and thoughtful commentary to the issue of religion in our modern world, especially the USA. The current political dissension and aggressive efforts by the right wing and Christian nationalists to impose their values regarding education and health care on all Americans, as well as the ceding of religion by liberals, raises critical issues. In this lively discussion we address a few of the related challenges, including religious liberty and illiteracy, religion as a cocoon against modernity, how to bridge the divides, and the role of fear in driving antagonism and protectionism. Discussing these issue and how religion plays a role is timely.
Highlights: 00:04:00 Post-9/11, Muslims face discrimination and fear. 00:17:30 White Supremacy fuels bigotry against Jews, Muslims. 00:23:36 Traditions and identities shaping multicultural society. 00:28:28 Living in fear activates stress, impairs judgment, and turns people inward, selfish, and ignorant. Privileged individuals fear the gays and trans community, forgetting they face the same hate. Religion can act as a cocoon, but also as a sword against perceived enemies. 00:35:33 Take control of your actions and intentions. 00:41:06 Religious weakness of liberals and Democrats explained. 00:48:33 Intentionality in Islam leads to selfless love.
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Episode 49. Mona grew up in Texas in the 1980s, the only veiled Muslim girl throughout her school years. Her faith and immigrant family was seen as strange and unknown, yet she was dedicated to her faith, even starting to veil by seven years old, which is earlier than required. Despite or perhaps because of this extreme minority experience, Mona has dedicated her life to education, most passionate about teaching youth about Islam, and helping them to develop good characters grounded in Islam. She takes pride in the long list of courses and books she has created, while acknowledging that future generations will approach life differently than her generation has, due to the increased social diversity, among other things.
Highlights: 00:06:26 Identity struggles as a young Muslim in Texas. 00:11:29 Courses for adolescents in Southeast Houston, including religious and secular subjects, taught for 20 years. 00:23:16 Youth work challenges and solutions during COVID. 00:30:02 Multicultural center helps refugee kids access programming. 00:34:46 Religion not welcome in public schools, diversity encouraged. 00:40:32 Young people navigate future with right decisions. 00:42:43 Focus on common ground, appreciate differences.
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Woman of Valor, an Orthodox Jewish tale – Lynne Golodner
00:39:18
Episode 50. Woman of Valor is Lynne Golodner’s first published novel after six non-fiction books and two poetry collections. This engaging story lets us into the rewarding and complex life of Sally, who took on the Orthodox Judaism of her grandparents. Happily married to Barry and a mother to three young children, she leads a full and contented life, but trouble arrives unexpectedly. In this episode, Lynne talks about Woman of Valor, how the story draws on her own life experiences, authors that inspire her, and her writing in general.
Highlights: 00:05:15 Grew up as a Reform Jew, then became Orthodox, and now affiliates as a Conservative Jew. 00:07:16 Religion structures, spirituality personalizes; community versus individual. 00:10:14 Believe in yourself, accept criticism, revise. 00:20:15 Religious experiences and cooking shaped her life. 00:27:31 Normalize conversation about sexuality; remove stigma 00:32:23 Inspiring authors build series, endure and evolve.
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Comments? Questions? Email Méli at – info@talkingwithgodproject.org
A Jewish American Flips the Script – Méli Solomon (with Beatriz Nour)
00:38:20
Episode 51. My friend and fellow podcaster, Beatriz Nour, takes the helm for this special episode. Beatriz normally hosts her In-betweenish podcast, a wonderful show all about people, like herself, who inhabit multiple cultures. For this episode, we have switched roles, and talk about my personal faith path, sorting out my sexuality, choosing Judaism and deepening my practice. It was fascinating to be a guest on my own show and be asked questions I had never considered.
Highlights: 00:06:12 Didn't connect with Christianity, explored Jewish faith. 00:09:17 Multiple major life changes caused turmoil. 00:13:33 Parents saw lesbianism as hard but acceptable. 00:23:34 Religious freedom is important; misuse is common. 00:26:31 Talking with God Project started in Berlin, 2014. 00:30:12 Unique experience being part of German synagogue. 00:31:28 Active member of an egalitarian conservative synagogue with female rabbi; anchor for social life, learning, and Jewish practice.
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Comments? Questions? Email Méli at – info@talkingwithgodproject.org
Episode 52. Rabbi Molly Karp was raised with both the message she could do anything, and the Orthodox Jewish day school's many restrictions for girls. Added to this was time in nature, on Israeli kibbutzim, and in Judaic Studies courses. Her passion and skills with Jewish education were apparent early on and she has dedicated most of her professional life to that work. She has also acquired rabbinic ordination and been a congregational rabbi. Doing things in her own way and not according to a denominational “party platform” is important to her. Teaching in her own program – SAJE: Senior Adult Jewish Education – allows for that. In her experience, adults know what they want to learn and her job is to teach them in the best way she can.
Highlights: 00:11:45 Historical realization, Jewish diversity, childcare on kibbutz 00:19:06 Reform religious school --> raising kids --> therapy --> Jewish mindfulness program --> embracing role as a rabbi. 00:21:20 Formed SAJE after the Jewish Federation ended WAJE. Jewish adult education, Montessori-inspired. 00:30:48 Diversity in Jewish beliefs and practices continues. 00:35:23 Center of Torah: Love others as yourself. 00:37:57 "Embrace Jewish roots, be the change." 00:40:29 Common reactions to my identity as a rabbi are the person's self-criticism and their grievances against Judaism.
Social Media links for Rabbi Molly Karp: Website – www.rabbimollykarp.com Email – rabbimollykarp@gmail.com
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Comments? Questions? Email Méli at – info@talkingwithgodproject.org
Episode 53. Abdur-Rahman, a Muslim raised in Karachi Pakistan, he currently lives in three countries, carrying the richness of his interreligious extended family and early experience of adjusting to various cultural environments. Fortified by these formative years and his years in marketing, Abdur-Rahman is creating a book called Prophetic Persuasion. Using words of four prophets from the Abrahamic faiths, he stresses the value of common messages through which people can influence others and establish a moral compass. In conversation, we explore the challenges of bringing such sources into the workplace and how to balance uniqueness of vision and need to find common ground among other things.
A note from my guest, Abdur-Rahman: “Meli and I approached our conversation with caution given the backdrop of the escalating Israel-Palestinewar. I fear I was too cautious in distancing myself from the conflict. While some things are complex, others are simple. We must continue to seek dialogue while also speaking for justice and for peace.”
Highlights:
· Prophetic Persuasion elements derived from biblical and Quranic prophets: Moses, Jesus, Joseph, and Mohammed
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Comments? Questions? Email Méli at – info@talkingwithgodproject.org
Reinterpreting Jewish Liturgy – Daniel Stein Kokin
00:41:59
Episode 54. Since his childhood in Los Angeles, Daniel has lived in various parts of the U.S. as well as in Israel, Italy, and Germany. In each place, Daniel has enriched his Jewish practice by familiarizing himself with the local language and traditions, including trope (the melodies used to chant the Torah and other parts of the Bible in synagogue services). Another expression of his curiosity about histories and cultures is through writing liturgical texts and prayers. Daniel also taps into his lifelong fascination with the weather in order to get to know, and respond to, a place. For instance, upon moving to Arizona, he found a connection between that desert climate and Israel, inspiring him to write a new prayer for the Southwest’s summer rainy season, which he linked directly to a Torah portion read each year in June or July. In these and other ways, different aspects of his identity – including being an Ashkenazi Jew and American – reinforce one another.
Highlights: - For Daniel, Jewish identity is grounded through food, sounds, texts, and melodies, not a particular denomination. - Daniel values the use of different languages and melodies in synagogue services. - He writes liturgy and enjoys exploring new elements of holidays and other aspects of Jewish tradition. - Living in various countries has facilitated exposure to different forms of Jewish practice. - Learning about the weather in a new home prompted the composition of new Jewish liturgy, such as Daniel’s prayer for the Southwest Monsoon after moving to Arizona. - Exposure to different Jewish narratives in Berlin expanded Daniel’s knowledge of German-Jewish history beyond the Holocaust.
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise.
Comments? Questions? Email Méli at – info@talkingwithgodproject.org
Bonus. Jewish and Palestinian Peacebuilding in Israel (Rabbi Tara Feldman)
00:48:01
Episode 55. The Friends of Sia'h Shalom seeks to strengthen ties between Jerusalem-based Sia’h Shalom and the North American Jewish community. Sia’h Shalom Circles in North American cities bring together diverse and highly divided groups of Jews, both lay leaders and rabbis, creating spaces for listening and spiritual growth in the increasingly polarized North. American Jewish landscape.
As co-director of the Friends of Sia'h Shalom Rabbi Tara Feldman speaks from the heart and head about the vital importance of “conversing across polarities” in Israel. Though recorded prior to the current Israel/Hamas war, her message and that of Sia'h Shalom are always relevant and timely messages. Tara and her husband and co-director Meir believe that speaking and listening in peace is the root, the soil and sun, the water the light and air, that has the power to help solve even our most intractable challenges.
Highlights: · Sia’h Shalom fosters dialogue and healing through listening, encouraging dialogue and unity. · Diverse views within Jewish communities need understanding. · Dialogues empower leaders, raise issues, and build unity despite painful interactions and brokenness. · Tara would feel despair over inability to bridge political divides without the conversation circles “conversing across polarities”. · The program explores modalities, similarities, and cross-border dialogue.
Social Media links for Sia’h Shalom: Website – https://talkingpeace.org.il
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Comments? Questions? Email Méli at – info@talkingwithgodproject.org
The Scrolls of Deborah, a Jewish Biblical novel – Esther Goldenberg
00:41:35
Episode 56. Ever since Esther picked up the Torah in high school, she has been curious about the missing bits of scripture which bridge decades of many men’s lives and most women altogether. Her love for stories led her to imagine possible stories to fill those gaps in Torah. With scripture as inspiration, Esther’s historical fiction writing is a process of wonder and discovery. Figures and narrative turns appear seemingly unbidden in her mind. Her newest novel, The Scrolls of Deborah, is the life-story of Deborah, the nurse maid of Rebekah. A large family network surrounds those two central figures, expanding our sense of Rebekah’s family and life. By filling in the narrative gaps, Esther brings these distant biblical figures alive, giving the contemporary reader an opportunity to imagine life in biblical times.
The Scrolls of Deborah is the first of a trilogy, and will be released in February 2024, though it is currently available for pre-order anywhere you buy your books.
Highlights: - Raised Conservative and now follows Traditional Jewish practices her own way.
- Imagination and creation of stories
- Connection between breath and faith
- Calls the Divine Ya, a shortened form of the Name – YHVH – normally pronounced Adonai
- Incorporates belief into daily life through breath practice
- The moon is an important celestial connection to divinity
- Daily life influenced by the Torah
References: Anita Diamond – The Red Tent
Sue Monk Kidd – The Book of Longings
Did Jesus Have a Baby Sister? – Dory Previn song covered by Sweet Honey in the Rock and others
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Comments? Questions? Email Méli at – info@talkingwithgodproject.org
Episode 57. As an American Reform Rabbi who made Aliyah (moved to Israel) about a year ago with her family, she has found herself in an all-too-real Israel. Her lifelong liberal leaning into the Ruach (spirit) and not the war of the prayer she grew up with, has been shattered. Discovering that both spirit and war is necessary has been humbling. That said, joining the ranks of volunteers, in her case doing agricultural work near the Gaza border, has reconnected her with the original vision of Israel. Moreover, being swept up in the national spirit has been like nothing she’s ever experienced. On a spiritual level, she has found both yoga and the ancient words of the Shabbat service to be grounding.
Highlights: · Amidah prayer evokes unity and solidarity.
· Individual spirituality, synagogue community, and national spirit.
· National spirit and sense of togetherness and resilience.
· Finding light and hope in times of trauma.
· Intensified Jewishness and Israeliness since October 7th.
Social Media links for Tara: Website – https://talkingpeace.org.il
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Comments? Questions? Email Méli at – info@talkingwithgodproject.org
A Christian on Dismantling Racism – Rev. Dr. Terrlyn Curry Avery
00:44:34
Episode 58. Rev. Dr. Terrlyn Curry Avery, a pastologist (ordained minister and licensed psychologist), TEDx speaker, and author, joins me to talk about her second book Dismantling Racism: Healing Separation from the Inside Out. Packed with stories of anti-racism and ways to increase one’s sacred intelligence, Dismantling Racism proved a rich and engaging topic for our conversation. Terrlyn shares her ideas on the intersection of sacred motive, self-ish mindset and shared movement. We can each contribute something to this critical personal and communal work. Quoting the bible’s Scroll of Esther, she notes that “You were born for such a time as this.” Tune in for inspiration!
Highlights: · Sacred Motive, Self-ish Mindset and Shared Movement · Tear down harmful systems and increase racial equity · Focus on continual growth, incorporate small actions into your life. · BREATHE: Breathe, Reflect, Engage, Adjust, Heal · Breath as a connection to the Divine, to the sacred. · Acknowledge and use the anger of injustice and connect with others in a loving way. · Learn, ask questions, and listen for the wisdom.
References: Robin Diangelo – White Fragility: Why it’s so Hard for White People to Talk About Racism
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Comments? Questions? Email Méli at – info@talkingwithgodproject.org
The Interfaith Green Sabbath Project – Jonathan Schorsch
00:47:16
Episode 59. The Green Sabbath Project, founded by Jonathan Schorsch in 2019, promotes the concept and ritual of a weekly earth day. Taking a day of rest for yourself and the environment is eminently reflective of the sabbath. Although Jonathan draws from his Jewish heritage, the Green Sabbath Project intentionally avoids promoting any particular religious beliefs or language. Jonathan sees potential learning between religious and non-religious people in connecting the values of a weekly day of rest and reducing the impact on the environment. Taking on this practice is both a simple action and a very flexible practice with deep benefits.
Highlights: · The Green Sabbath Project aims to promote sustainable living through practices inspired by the principles of Shabbat. · The project avoids religious language to appeal to a wider audience and promote ecological consciousness. · People need guidance, incentives to act sustainably and step off the hamster wheel. · The project has three parts: education, gatherings, and encouraging people to observe Green Sabbaths. · Promoting sustainable living and ecological thinking as complementary to religious and spiritual approaches. · We need to re-think how we eat, shop, work, and relate to the environment.
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Comments? Questions? Email Méli at – info@talkingwithgodproject.org
Jewish Torah Scribe and Potter – Rabbi Bec Richman
00:40:41
Episode 60. Bec’s many strands of deep Jewish beliefs and practice in Reconstructionist Judaism are woven through her creative expressions. Inspired during her rabbinic school years, she has since become a soferet (Torah scribe) and potter. She has also become a mother. Contrary to many people’s complaints about stress and conflicts between differing aspects of their lives, for Bec her scribal arts, pottery, and parenting feed each other, adding much richness and creative outlets to her life. Tune in to learn about the inspiration and experience, and how that creativity is inherently accessible, healing, and liberatory.
Highlights: · Steeped in the Reconstructionist community since childhood. · Repairing Torah scrolls involves energy and intention. · Bringing Torah to life through hands-on experiences. · Living a life that is sacred, creative, connected to nature, and intertwined with others. · The impact of gender on Bec's work as a female scribe. · Integration of pottery, rabbinical studies, being a soferet, and motherhood. · Reconstructionist Judaism values tradition but welcomes evolution.
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Comments? Questions? Email Méli at – info@talkingwithgodproject.org
Three Jews Explore Psalm 105 – R. Sally Shore-Wittenberg, Anastasia Solberg, Meli Solomon
00:41:01
Episode 61. Rabba Sally Shore-Wittenberg and Anastasia Solberg join me for a compelling discussion about Psalm 105, one of Rabbi Nachman’s ten Psalms for General Remedy. Using different translations, we delve into its connection to the Passover story and the roles of Joseph and Moses. Themes include seeking divine intervention, the power of individuals in the face of challenges, and the symbolic implications of seeking God's presence.
Highlights: · Plagues struck Egypt, leading to Israel's exodus. · Role of key figures Joseph and Moses. · Desperate cry from the pit of despair. · Personal agency and divine intervention. · Meaning of "seeking God's face".
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. Hearing about how Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, offer new ideas and questions: Is your way similar or different? Is there a practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Bonus. Understanding the American Muslim Experience (Dr. Amir Hussain)
00:45:28
Episode 62. Esteemed scholar Dr. Amir Hussain, Professor of Theological Studies at Loyola Marymount University (Los Angeles), author of five books, and immediate past President of the American Academy of Religion (AAR) joins me for a lively discussion of the contemporary Muslim experience in North America. Despite the presence of Muslims arrived in the US in the first slave ships, the long history of participation in American society has gone unnoticed and unappreciated. Certainly, since the September 11 terrorist attack and now again with the war in Gaza, Muslims have been subject to harassment and Islamophobia. Many such acts of hate are motivated by inaccurate and misguided assumptions about Muslims, who they are and what they believe. The day-to-day life is not all bad nor is it the same in every place. Amir and I cover these and other topic in this engaging conversation.
Highlights: · Diversity within American Islam, including ethnic and sectarian differences · Cooperation and understanding between different religious groups in the U.S. · Stereotypes within the Muslim and Jewish communities · Coexistence, integration, and blending into society for minority communities · Misperceptions about Islam and Muslims · Importance of education in changing perceptions and the need for diverse Muslim representation
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Comments? Questions? Email Méli at – info@talkingwithgodproject.org
Episode 63. Audrey Reich is an artist and art teacher in New York and is also involved in Holocaust education. Audrey is a speaker and board member of the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center. Daughter of two Holocaust survivors, she credits her parents with modeling awe and appreciation, openness and curiosity. Despite their trauma, deportations, and long paths to the U.S. they each managed to heal some and focus on building a new future. They neither dwelt in the past nor forgot it. Audrey has much to share, so I have made it into two parts. In this first part, we talk about her family, childhood, Poland, and begin exploring her teaching.
Highlights: · The evolution of Audrey's engagement with the Jewish community, from a conservative synagogue to an open modern orthodox community · Audrey’s parents are Holocaust survivors. The impact of their resilience and curiosity about life, is evident in their openness to different backgrounds and stories. · The importance of active remembrance of the past, coupled with a focus on reconciliation and moving forward rather than living in anger and resentment. · Audrey's exploration of Poland and China to document her family's story and her role as the family's storyteller. · Audrey's efforts to bridge cultural differences, particularly in relation to the Jewish community in Poland. · Audrey's approach to educating students about the Holocaust, emphasizing the role of active witnesses and the impact of carrying on the victims' stories. · Lessons learned from art history and Judaism, and how they intersect in the appreciation of nature, craftsmanship, and the ability to create something from nothing.
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Comments? Questions? Email Méli at – info@talkingwithgodproject.org
Ramadan is a Capsule of Light for a Muslim – Nayma Tasnim Islam
00:38:41
Episode 64. Since Muslims are currently celebrating Ramadan, Nayma has graciously returned to the podcast to share her experience of the annual holiday, what she does and why it is important to her. For Nayma, Ramadan is a capsule of light, a pause button releasing her from the hamster wheel of daily life. She takes us on a journey through the traditions of iftar, the unique aspects of Ramadan in Bangladesh and the U.S., as well as the profound impact of fasting on the mind, body, and spirit. She reveals the spiritual significance and explains the critical elements of the annual month-long holiday: fasting, breaking the fast in community, prayer, reading the Qur’an, and giving charity.
Highlights: · A celebration of strength and mindfulness. · Connection with God and engagement with the community. · Mindful practices and self-restraint. · Amplification of prayers and attention to God. · Detox for mind, body, and soul. · Variety of iftar meals in the US compared to Bangladesh.
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. Learning about how Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith can prompt questions and exploration. Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Comments? Questions? Email Méli at – info@talkingwithgodproject.org
Art, Judaism, and Cultural Understanding – Audrey Reich
00:25:06
Episode 65. This is the second part of my conversation with Audrey Reich. In this second part, Audrey talks about how she incorporates her Jewish teachings and values into her art classes, creating a diverse and open environment for her students. Whether teaching in a Jewish school or a secular school in New York City, Audrey's experiences with students from various cultural, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds have inspired her to foster open dialogue and appreciation for different perspectives. She also reflects on her personal art, and how her artworks have been influenced by her visits to Tarnów, Poland where her father’s family comes from.
Highlights:
· Teaching art in Jewish and secular K-12 schools with diverse student populations.
· Engaging discussions about international events like the funeral of Queen Elizabeth.
· Managing open discussions and differing opinions in the classroom.
· Personal experiences and connections related to Jewish history and heritage.
· Discovering personal connections and roots in Tarnów relating to her family history.
· Audrey's personal art and how it reflects her experiences.
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Comments? Questions? Email Méli at – info@talkingwithgodproject.org
Honoring and Challenging Jewish Orthodoxy – Dr. Lindsay Simmonds
00:45:54
Episode 66. Lindsay shares her experiences as an Orthodox Jewish woman, discussing her deep engagement with Orthodox Judaism, the challenges and frustrations she faces within her community, and her efforts in advocating for women's inclusion and agency in religious practices. This is a fitting conversation during the Jewish holiday of Passover, with its themes of journeys, change, and relationship with God. Also, one of the key elements of the Passover Seder just held around the world, is asking questions. Lindsey, in her ongoing Jewish study, teaching, and earlier doctoral work, is dedicated to asking questions and seeking the answers from within her British Orthodox perspective. Her lifelong passion for studying the Jewish sacred texts, as well as decades spent on increasing Orthodox women’s engagement with that material testify to the richness of these texts, and the value of using your knowledge to effect change, however long it takes.
Highlights: · Lindsay's diverse roles and influences · Women's agency in Orthodox Jewish communities · Fulfillment and commitment to faith through Torah study · Teaching and leading study groups · Evolution of Social Norms and Halakhic Decisions · Engagement with Orthodox learning, feminism, and at the London School of Jewish Studies · Struggles and frustrations faced by women in the Orthodox community
Social Media links for Lindsay: London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE), Religion & Global Society Unit (RGS) – https://www.lse.ac.uk/rgs
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Comments? Questions? Email Méli at – info@talkingwithgodproject.org
Auschwitz, Berlin, and Catholicism – Luis Ferreiro
00:45:38
Episode 67. Luis Ferreiro is the CEO of the Spanish family museum exhibition company Musealia, which creates and manages traveling exhibits that educate and inspire us about major world events. The exhibit currently in Boston Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away, which he produced in conjunction with the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum addresses this historical site and environs through more than 700 objects. In this upcoming podcast episode, Luis talks about the inspiration for and core message of the Auschwitz exhibit. He also talks about another exhibit, currently showing in Madrid, The Berlin Wall: A World Divided. Interwoven through these topics is the role his Catholic upbringing plays in his life and exhibition work.
Highlights: · Influence of Luis’s Catholic upbringing
· Development of exhibition Auschwitz.Not long ago. Not far away
· Influence of Viktor Frankl's book "Man’s Search of Meaning" after the loss of Luis's brother
· Inspiration for The Berlin Wall: A World Divided exhibition
· Church of Reconciliation and Bernauer Strasse
· Redemption and its connection to Christian and Jewish perspectives
· Significance of religious traditions and international museum work
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Comments? Questions? Email Méli at – info@talkingwithgodproject.org
A Contemporary Jewish David and Bathsheba Story – Jeanne Blasberg
00:50:47
Episode 68. Jeanne is an award-winning and bestselling author and essayist. Her most recent novel, Daughter of a Promise, was published recently. The third novel of a trilogy, it follows Eden, published in 2017 and The Nine, published in 2019. While not originally planned as a trilogy, the three novels weave stories of family privilege or struggle, love, desire, and social expectations especially of women. In today’s episode, Jeanne talks about the key issues in Daughter of a Promise a coming-of-age story set in contemporary America, and how it echoes the biblical story of David and Bathsheba. Jeanne also shares her personal faith path of conversion to Reform Judaism and how her engagement with Judaism informs her writing.
In addition to her writing, Jeanne helps lead the Boston Book Festival and GrubStreet, one of the country’s preeminent creative writing centers.
Highlights: · Jeanne's personal faith path and conversion to Reform Judaism.
· Themes in "Daughter of a Promise", a coming-of-age story.
· Accidental development of the trilogy and connections between the three books.
· How "Daughter of a Promise" echoes the biblical story of David and Bathsheba.
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Comments? Questions? Email Méli at – info@talkingwithgodproject.org
Bonus. Race, Christian Faith, and Social Action (Rev. Dr. Terrlyn Curry Avery)
00:47:14
Episode 69. Terrlyn was already my guest on the first episode of the year, number 58, and has returned for this Bonus episode. As such, we will focus on a topic rather than her personal faith path. In this case, we will talk more deeply about her work on dismantling racism, how that relates to DEIB – diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging – as well as the relationship between social justice action and awareness of difference. If you have not already listened to her earlier episode, I encourage you to do so, though today’s discussion stands on its own. A link to that earlier episode is in the show notes. To learn more about Terrlyn’s work and her two books, Dismantling Racism: Healing Separation from the Inside Out and Sacred Intelligence: The Essence of Sacred, Selfish & Shared Relationships, check out her social media links, which are listed below.
Highlights: · DEIB and her focus on racism. · Intersectionality and acknowledging uniqueness. · Race (and religion) as proxies for bridging differences. · Systems of oppression and regional differences. · Using gender-inclusive language in worship. · Questioning the assumptions of privilege and the importance of languaging. · Being a follower of the radical Jesus and advocacy for the marginalized.
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Comments? Questions? Email Méli at – info@talkingwithgodproject.org
The Enneagram Adds a Different Angle to a Muslim's Beliefs – Najiba Akbar
00:41:53
Episode 70. Najiba is the Muslim chaplain at Tufts University and a life coach. She holds a B.A. in Peace and Justice Studies from Wellesley College and a Masters in Social Work from Boston College. Her passion is to facilitate pathways for people to discover and develop their whole selves - spiritually, psychologically, emotionally, intuitively and more. She believes that we each have our own unique path to forge when it comes to our journey to know ourselves and ultimately to know God. In this episode, we explore the Enneagram system and the connection Najiba sees between the ancient system and Islam.
Highlights: 03:36 Balancing religious beliefs and traditions, seeking guidance. 06:51 Enneagram examines human behavior through 9 patterns. 11:35 Enneagram deepened self-awareness and challenged spiritual persona. 18:41 Authenticity and diversity in behavior and communication. 34:15 Enneagram types have vices and virtues. 37:37 Act with a pure intention, strive toward it. 39:05 Balancing personal intentions and serving others and God.
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Comments? Questions? Email Méli at – info@talkingwithgodproject.org
Embracing Interfaith Dialogue from a Catholic Perspective – Kyle Desrosiers
00:46:34
Episode 71. Kyle is a Master of Theological Studies student at The Gloria L. and Charles I. Clough School of Theology and Ministry of Boston College. He also works at the Betty Ann Greenbaum Miller Center for Interreligious Learning and Leadership at Hebrew College. Originally from Texas, Kyle has long been involved with interfaith engagement. He has also worked as a freelance journalist, in college campus ministry, and in higher education.
In this conversation we talk about the joys and challenges of his interfaith work, which began in high school, as well as his experience in Israel while on a Fulbright scholarship. Kyle’s dedication and passion for his Catholic faith and engaging with people of other faiths comes through loud and clear.
Highlights: · Studies, interfaith work, faith, and Israel.
· Fulbright program in Israel supported conflict resolution degree.
· Changed worldview after studying in Israel.
· Vatican's theological papers and his beliefs as a Roman Catholic
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Comments? Questions? Email Méli at – info@talkingwithgodproject.org
Episode 72. After two-and-a-half years of consistent podcast production, I am taking a short break. To ensure you have something to listen to, I am re-releasing episodes. You are also welcome to look through the back catalogue and listen to other episodes you might have missed. Thanks as always for your interest and support.
Today’s re-release is episode 53, featuring Abdur-Rahman Syed. Abdur-Rahman, a Muslim raised in Karachi Pakistan, he currently lives in three countries, carrying the richness of his interreligious extended family and early experience of adjusting to various cultural environments. Fortified by these formative years and his years in marketing, Abdur-Rahman is creating a book called Prophetic Persuasion. Using words of four prophets from the Abrahamic faiths, he stresses the value of common messages through which people can influence others and establish a moral compass. In conversation, we explore the challenges of bringing such sources into the workplace and how to balance uniqueness of vision and need to find common ground among other things.
A note from my guest, Abdur-Rahman: “Meli and I approached our conversation with caution given the backdrop of the escalating Israel-Palestinewar. I fear I was too cautious in distancing myself from the conflict. While some things are complex, others are simple. We must continue to seek dialogue while also speaking for justice and for peace.”
Highlights:
· Prophetic Persuasion elements derived from biblical and Quranic prophets: Moses, Jesus, Joseph, and Mohammed
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Comments? Questions? Email Méli at – info@talkingwithgodproject.org
A Muslim Woman in Corporate America – Prianka Alam (rerelease)
00:40:26
Episode 73. Prianka Alam has retained the dedication to helping her family and Muslim community in Maryland that she learned as a young immigrant child. The financial uncertainty growing up has prompted a craving for stability and security as an adult, in short a boring life. These desires drove Prianka to focus on her education, career path and a husband who would be Muslim and a good partner for future children. She has found all of that and more, though it brings the expected stress and demand to wear many hats – DEI professional, wife, mother, daughter, student of Islam and volunteer as a board member of Penny Appeal USA. COVID increased the need to juggle competing demands, while Ramadan offers her ease, more open time for studying the Qur’an, and guiding her children.
Highlights: · It is difficult to be a Muslim in the US, but she’s grateful for the struggle.
· Government policies and social attitudes affect how she lives as a Muslim. The family’s safety is always considered.
· She’s rarely seen colleagues who are also Muslim, a woman of color, or South Asian.
· Islam inspires her to work with purpose and help those in need.
· Ramadan is an opportunity to study the Qur’an and celebrate with her family and community.
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Comments? Questions? Email Méli at – info@talkingwithgodproject.org
Jewish Coaching with Text Study – David Levin-Kruss
00:38:35
Episode 74. Rabbi David Levin-Kruss is a Jerusalem-based life coach, educator, and community organizer. David sees himself as a bridge between Jewish wisdom and those who want to utilize this wisdom to live more meaningful lives. In this conversation, we talk about his coaching practice often using a text to explore issues in the client’s life.
David has held educational and leadership positions at the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, Melitz Centers for Jewish Zionist Education and at Stanmore Synagogue in north-west London.
Highlights: · Basics of coaching: forward-looking, strength-based, and problem-solving approach
· Coaching as a mechanism and the client already having the answers within them
· Rabbi Jonathan Sacks’ view on coaching and contemporary problems
· Technique of reframing negative texts or songs into positive messages
· Emphasis on peace over absolute truth or justice in a Jewish law court
· Differences between education and coaching, emphasizing the role of the teacher in drawing out understanding within the student
· Value of interreligious dialogue and listening to people teach their own faith's texts
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Comments? Questions? Email Méli at – info@talkingwithgodproject.org
Are Ancient Religions Relevant Today? – Meli Solomon, Sue Howard and Katrina Kincade
00:25:43
Episode 75. In celebration of my 75th podcast episode, I am highlighting three different ways that people live their ancient religion today. I talk about keeping Kosher (Jewish dietary laws), Sue Howard shares her evangelical Christian tenet of the Nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit, and Katrina Kincade explains her conversion or reversion to Islam and starting to wear a hijab (Muslim veil) at work.
Highlights: · Daily practice makes abstract concepts real.
· We live into our religion over time. It evolves as we learn and change.
· Meli – Kashrut (Jewish dietary laws) infuses daily life with holiness.
· Sue – Nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit gifts.
· Sue – Pursuing spiritual life leads to bring peace and joy, blessing and love.
· Katrina – Finding balance and peace in Islam during tumultuous times.
· Katrina – Starting to wear a hijab at work.
References: Nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit [Galatians 5:22-23] – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” NIV
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Comments? Questions? Email Méli at – info@talkingwithgodproject.org
A Jewish Feminist Finds Modern Orthodoxy at College – Aviva Stein
01:07:33
Episode 76. In part one, we talk about her Jewish practice at UMass Amherst, where she is now a senior. Part two will cover her engagement on campus in support of Israel and the need for bridge building. Given the tensions on many campuses last year around the Israel/Palestine situation, talking to some college students is timely. I am eager to also speak with a Muslim student who can share their experience, so if you or someone you know is interested, please get in touch. You can reach me through my website – www.talkingwithgodproject.org. Bio: Aviva graduated from Gann Academy, the Jewish day school in Waltham MA, in 2021, and is now a senior at UMass Amherst, majoring in Food Science. At UMass, Aviva is involved in both the Food Science Department and in Hillel, the campus organization supporting Jewish students.
Aviva serves on various executive boards and committees related to both Food Science and Jewish life, and has earned numerous awards for her work. Most recently she received the 2023-2024 StandWithUs Movement Builder Award for Creativity and Impact, an award based on her deep understanding of the campus climate.
Highlights: 00:00 Modern Orthodox students need place to observe Shabbat.
05:53 Balancing Shabbat observance with secular relationships.
08:52 Disconnecting from phones fosters real-life community interactions.
10:25 Hillel supports Jewish college students' diverse needs.
14:28 Gender roles provide clear, valued community participation.
20:15 Finding other ways to feel valued, contributing
22:29 Valuing everyone fosters belonging across all identities.
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Comments? Questions? Email Méli at – info@talkingwithgodproject.org
Episode 77. This is the second of a two-part series with my guest is Aviva Stein. In part one, we talked about her Jewish practice at UMass Amherst, where she is now a senior. Part two covers her engagement on campus in support of Israel and the dynamic on campus last year around the Israel/Palestine issue. She describes several conversations where she gained new perspectives and understanding.
These kinds of conversations have been difficult both on and off campus, especially this past year. That said, I for one remain committed to interreligious dialogue, and learning from each other. So, if you or someone you know is a Muslim student who might be willing share their experience, please get in touch. You can reach me through my website – www.talkingwithgodproject.org.
Bio: Aviva graduated from Gann Academy, the Jewish day school in Waltham MA, in 2021, and is now a senior at UMass Amherst, majoring in Food Science. At UMass, Aviva is involved in both the Food Science Department and in Hillel, the campus organization supporting Jewish students.
Aviva serves on various executive boards and committees related to both Food Science and Jewish life, and has earned numerous awards for her work. Most recently she received the 2023-2024 StandWithUs Movement Builder Award for Creativity and Impact, an award based on her deep understanding of the campus climate.
Highlights: · Aviva's campus involvement and the Israel-Palestine issue
· Finding common ground and the importance of active listening.
· Increasing understanding and the ability to connect amid disagreements
· Understanding pro-Palestinian students' pain and perspective
· Disruptions and activities led by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP)
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Comments? Questions? Email Méli at – info@talkingwithgodproject.org
Discipline as a Necessary Struggle – Aaron Solberg
00:32:49
Episode 78. Father Aaron Solberg joined me to talk about his personal experience converting from the Orthodox Judaism of his childhood and his current practice of Christianity in a remote Canadian village. These are experiences few of us have, so it's wonderful to hear his stories. Although Aaron is a priest, he is not speaking here as a representative of his Anglican church.
Highlights: · Jewish practice seen as "legalistic," leading to feelings of obligation and guilt.
· Importance of structure and discipline.
· Appreciation for communal aspects of both Jewish and Christian services.
· Shift from fear-based obedience to love-driven practices in Christianity.
· Human struggle with discipline and imperfection.
Bio: Father Aaron Solberg is an Anglican priest, composer, husband, and father living in the Canadian North. A convert from Judaism, he originally worked as a conductor and cellist in Germany before feeling a calling to ministry. After studying theology, he served in Baker Lake, Nunavut, (in the Canadian Arctic) and now leads St. John's Anglican Church in Fort Smith, Northwest Territories. He is the father of two young boys and writes about family life and faith, fostering a deeper understanding of spirituality within his community. In his free time, he focuses on writing and composing new music for various ensembles.
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Queering Contemplation and Finding a Home in Christianity – Cassidy Hall
00:37:35
Episode 79. In this conversation, Cassidy and I talk about her evolving, contemplative spiritual expression and identity as a queer Christian. We also touch on her view of scripture and incorporating various theologies and poetry as she finds comfort in paradoxes. Thanks go to the Elevate Podcasting Summit recently hosted by BYU Radio, where we met and recorded this conversation.
Highlights: · Cassidy Hall's Spiritual Journey and queer Christian spirituality.
· Exploration of Faith: Embracing spiritual paradox; seeking expansive belonging.
· Acceptance of uncertainty and communal prayer river.
References: Audrey Lorde – Uses of the Erotic (essay) Bio: Rev. Cassidy Hall (she/her), MA, MDiv, MTS, is an author, award-winning filmmaker, podcaster, ordained in the United Church of Christ, and author of Queering Contemplation: Finding Queerness in the Roots and Future of Contemplative Spirituality. She is the cohost of the Encountering Silence podcast and the creator of the Contemplating Now and Queering Contemplation podcasts. Her films include In Pursuit of Silence and Day of a Stranger. Cassidy is widely published and currently resides in Indianapolis, where she is studying for her doctorate degree. You can learn more about her at cassidyhall.com
Episode 80. Bonus. Wedding ceremonies are universal and central to many religious and cultural groups. But they vary widely. In this conversation with four guests from different religious traditions – Judaism, Mormonism, Islam and the Baha'i faith – we explore the role of the officiant, who that is, the role of the Divine, contracts and other things. This conversation grew out of the Elevate Podcasting summit hosted by BYU Broadcasting. Steve Perry, host of their In Good Faith podcast, has joined me in co-hosting this discussion.
Highlights: · Is a religious leader required?
· Role of the Divine in wedding ceremonies
· Marriage contracts
· Cultural and religious
· Till death do us part or for eternity
References: Islamic marriage contract – Khutbah Nikah Jewish marriage contract – Ketubah Jewish Ketubah examples – Ketubah.com Sharon Brous – The Amen Effect
Is a Loving God in the Brokenness and Darkness? – Will Berry
00:25:16
Episode 81. When you are swamped by tragedy and darkness, when all you are seeing is broken and the worst that society has to offer, what does your faith offer you? For Will Berry, a paramedic for 14 years, his Christian faith provides a loving God, and the presence of light in the situation, perhaps his own God-given skills and ability are the light in the darkness.
This is the first half of my conversation with Will. The second half will be released in two weeks.
Highlights: · Will Berry's religious background – core beliefs and changing denominations
· The tension between the theoretical understanding of faith and real-world challenges.
· God is all-powerful; faith bridges the mysterious gaps.
· Being compassionate and attentive in emergencies.
· Handling chaotic situations involving crime, addiction, and mental health.
· The role of faith in providing light in dark situations – being an instrument of light and hope
Bio: Will Berry has been in EMS for 14 years. He currently works as a flight paramedic in North Carolina, but has spent the majority of his career as a paramedic on an ambulance responding to 911 calls in a busy city. He has been a Christian since a young age and is heavily influenced by his faith and spiritual journey. He is married and is the father to two young girls. In addition to working in EMS he has been a whitewater rafting guide, ski patroller, and wilderness guide in the rocky mountains.
Social Media links for Will: Instagram – @emscast EMSCast podcast (co-hosted with Ross Orpet)
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Comments? Questions? Email Méli at – info@talkingwithgodproject.org
Ancient Prayers: Meaningless or Comforting? – Will Berry
00:23:46
Episode 82. 'Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name'. These opening words of the Lord’s Prayer from the Christian tradition, provide a salve for Will Berry when times are hard, and he doesn’t have words. As a paramedic for 14 years, these moments are not infrequent.
Today’s episode is the second half of our conversation, where we talk about God, prayer, and the power of using ancient words.
Highlights: 00:00 God's vastness complements intimate personal presence.
04:56 The profound impact of the Church community and teachings.
08:53 Pragmatic preaching that blends scripture and life.
10:02 Ancient traditions need modern practical relevance.
15:34 Kneeling in prayer brings powerful surrender.
18:02 Reflecting on humanity prevents emotional detachment.
21:01 Bring heavenly beauty and power to earth.
Bio: Will Berry has been in EMS for 14 years. He currently works as a flight paramedic in North Carolina, but has spent the majority of his career as a paramedic on an ambulance responding to 911 calls in a busy city. He has been a Christian since a young age and is heavily influenced by his faith and spiritual journey. He is married and is the father to two young girls. In addition to working in EMS he has been a whitewater rafting guide, ski patroller, and wilderness guide in the rocky mountains.
Social Media links for Will: Instagram – @emscast EMSCast podcast (co-hosted with Ross Orpet)
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Comments? Questions? Email Méli at – info@talkingwithgodproject.org
How to be Visibly Muslim in the US Government – Fatima Pashaei
00:41:30
Episode 83. Is someone in your family an immigrant? Or are you yourself an immigrant? Are you visibly a member of a race or religion? And how do these markers of identity affect your work life and general sense of belonging?
In this conversation we explore the complexities of her life experience – being part of an extended family of mixed cultures and religions, being visibly Muslim at work, the 9/11 terrorist attack, and a bit about Christmas, perfect in the run up to that holiday.
Bio: Fatima Pashaei, an American-born Muslim woman, has worked for the Federal government for the last 25 years. She is currently President of Mosaic - Muslim Federal Employee Association, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, which supports Muslims serving in the executive branch of government. Fatima is passionate about creating inclusive workplaces for people of all faith backgrounds. Fatima grew up in Washington, DC. with her six siblings, the daughter of an Iranian immigrant father and American mother, who instilled in her the value of service to others. Fatima lives in Northern Virginia with her husband, two sons, hairless cat, and rescue dog.
Highlights: · Shia, a minority Islamic sect globally, but the majority in Iran.
· Mother's conversion to Islam and integration of mixed cultural practices.
· Focus on broad Muslim identity rather than sectarian differences.
· Witnessed 9/11 attacks; felt impact on the Pentagon.
· Uncomfortable incidents with derogatory comments about Middle Eastern and Iraqi backgrounds.
· The challenge of being a woman in a male-dominated workforce and a Muslim in a non-Muslim area.
· Positive work experiences and cultural understanding moments.
· Christmas celebration – family time and cookies
· Jesus (Isa in Arabic) as prophet in Islam who performs miracles.
Mikveh: Reclaiming an Ancient Jewish Ritual – Haviva Ner-David
00:37:53
Episode 84. This week is the Jewish holiday of Chanukah which celebrates light in the dark days of winter. It is a time of contrasts and turning. Our candles add light in the darkness as we appreciate the slow turning towards longer days. In that spirit, this conversation explores another kind of opposites and turning – immersing in the mikveh as a way for a Jew to mark a transition.
Haviva Ner-David, an American Jew who has lived in Israel more than half her life. She is the founding rabbi of Shmaya: A Mikveh for Mind, Body, and Soul. Located in northern Israel, it is the only mikveh in Israel that allows people to immerse as they choose. Haviva talks about the biblical sources of the mikveh, her long standing passion for this ritual, and the many uses of the mikveh, reaching far beyond the monthly practice for Orthodox women after their menstrual periods. Each reason for immersing in the living waters of the mikveh marks a transition or celebrates a milestone in life.
Bio: Rabbi Dr. Haviva Ner-David is a rabbi, author, spiritual companion, and activist. She is the founding rabbi of Shmaya: A Mikveh for Mind, Body, and Soul, the only mikveh in Israel open to all humans to immerse as they choose. Her books include three memoirs, two novels, and a children’s book. As a spiritual companion, she works with people of all faiths. Haviva was ordained privately by an Orthodox rabbi and institutionally by the One Spirit Interfaith-Interspiritual Seminary. Haviva lives with FSHD, a form of muscular dystrophy, which has been her greatest life challenge and teacher. She and her life partner, Jacob, have seven children. Her activism takes various forms, including building Arab-Jewish partnership in the Galilee, where she lives.
Highlights: · Biblical sources for Mikvah · Shmaya, a unique Mikvah in Israel · Immersion as spiritual practice and ritual process · Practical elements of the process · Intentionality and Kavannah
Religious Pluralism v. White Supremacy in America Today – Wajahat Ali
00:37:42
Episode 85. As the new secular year begins, along with the incoming presidential administration, it’s a good time to hear a shortened version of my conversation with the esteemed journalist and speaker Wajahat Ali. Given the dominance of White Christian Nationalism and the debate about immigration, Wajahat’s Sunni Muslim American identity and his family’s Pakistani immigrant history, make him an ideal partner to talk about religious pluralism in America today. In this conversation we explore the challenges minorities face as well as the fears, hate and discomfort that drive the antagonism and protectionism of White Supremacy. But our conversation is not completely dark. Wajahat raises reasons for hope and steps we can each take towards a brighter future of dignity and freedom. Highlights: · White Christian Nationalism. · Balancing group identity and assimilation; history and modernity; religion and secularism. · Suburban communities' fear despite material abundance. · Progressives ceded spirituality to the right. · Stand for dignity, freedom; reject hate-driven leadership. · Steps of awareness, intention, and action for individual contributions.
Bio: Wajahat is a New York Times contributing op-ed writer and Daily Beast columnist, public speaker, and recovering attorney. He also regularly appears on cable news and radio to discuss politics, religion, foreign policy and culture. Wajahat often speaks on the multifaceted American experience, covering our growing need for cultural unity, racial diversity, and inclusion. Additionally, he has published his first book Go Back To Where You Came From: And, Other Helpful Recommendations on Becoming American.
Wajahat grew up in the Bay Area, California to Pakistani immigrant parents. He graduated from UC Berkeley with an English major and became a licensed attorney. He knows what it feels like to be the token minority in the classroom and the darkest person in a boardroom. He is married and the father of three kids.
The Long Journey from Believer to Evangelical Critic – Dan Miller
00:42:51
Episode 86. Several big international changes have occurred since the last episode was released on the 9th of January. America witnessed another peaceful transfer of power, though it was immediately followed by some executive orders that are anything but peaceful, and Israeli hostages were exchanged for Palestinian prisoners as part of a ceasefire. These small steps are part of much longer national journeys that will affect many people for years to come.
Today’s guest, Dan Miller––professor, co-host of the Straight White American Jesus podcast, and former evangelical pastor––has stepped out of his usual discussion of White Christian Nationalism in America to talk with me about his own personal faith journey. Over the years of observance and theological training, Dan has shifted from believer to critic, though he is back in a church community. You’ll hear many reminders of why thinking deeply and critically is so valuable.
Highlights: · Complex Identity and Faith Transformation
· Evangelicalism: Biblical Authority and Social Conservatism
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Comments? Questions? Email Méli at – info@talkingwithgodproject.org
Bonus. The Mormon Church is More Than You Think (Rick Bennett)
00:42:28
Episode 87. The timing of this Bonus episode is auspicious given the recent debate regarding learning about the history of race in America, the book bans, and the current administration’s aim to eliminate the federal department of education. While each of these issues are complex and engage different issues, they share the matter of understanding our history – all of it. And our history leads into what we do today. As part of my ongoing encouragement to know each other’s faith and religion, Rick Bennett, host of the Gospel Tangents, a Mormon History podcast, has joined me to talk about the many splinter groups within the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-Day Saints, otherwise known as the LDS church or the Mormons. Whatever you might think or know about this church, I encourage you to listen with an open mind and heart. Rick is a passionate researcher and brings humor and curiosity to his work.
Highlights: · Mormon splinter groups.
· Joseph Smith: synchronizing the Old Testament and New Testament
· Religions are seen as cults at their beginning.
· Common miracles today.
· Studies on faith healings and the placebo effect.
· Succession, polygamy and theological disagreements.
· The LDS church as the “One True Church”.
Bio: Rick Bennett is the host of the Gospel Tangents, a Mormon History podcast. He is an expert on various Mormon schismatic groups, presenting at the Mormon History Association, and other Mormon history groups. He is an academic authenticity advisor at Western Governors University and teaches math and statistics at Utah Valley University. Rick holds a Master of Statistics Degree from the University of Utah. He has worked as a research biostatistician in the fields of Dermatology and Traumatic Brian Injuries and works in the network television/cable T.V. industries as a sports statistician.
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Reflection. Want to Increase Curiosity and Understanding? (Meli Solomon)
00:06:43
Episode 88.
This episode is in memory of the passengers and crew of the DC and Philadelphia plane crashes and my friend Karen Hirschfeld. May their memories be for a blessing.
This is the first of a new Reflection series. They will be short monthly episodes, opportunities to share my thoughts about recent episodes, things I’ve written or read and whatever else seems relevant.
Highlights:
· Explanation of the new reflection series format.
· Criticism of Project 2025 and current administration’s dismantling of the federal government.
· Comments on White Christian Nationalism and White Supremacy concerns.
· Focus on spheres of influence and readiness to act.
· Four practical suggestions for increasing understanding of others.
Bio
I am a public scholar and interreligious leader with a keen interest in understanding the nature of similarities and differences––especially religious and cultural. The Talking with God Project is currently my main focus, and I am actively expanding its reach through workshops, articles, panels, talks and a podcast.
Raised in the Boston area, I have lived in Seattle, WA and Berlin, Germany, before returning to Boston in 2017. Carving out a varied educational and professional path, I hold a B.A. in Fine Art from Oberlin College (1984), an M.B.A. from Northeastern University (1997), a Certificate in Coaching from the International Coach Academy (2015), and a Master of Jewish Liberal Studies (MJLS) from Hebrew College with a focus on Global Interreligious Studies (2019). Professionally, I have worked as a business manager, an art dealer and founder of Solomon Fine Art gallery, language trainer, text editor, business coach and now public scholar and podcaster.
Though raised in an interfaith non-observant home. my Conservative Jewish practice and wide range of personal and professional experiences inform my research and life.
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Let's Eat Halal: Food By Muslims for Everyone – Shahed Amanullah
00:37:17
Episode 89.
Every culture has its food, and in America, each immigrant group has contributed to the bounty of culinary options––from Italian pizza to Jewish delis and much more. Muslims are no different. What this group has brought, however, is a wide array of foods, since Muslims hail from many countries. My guest today, Shahed Amanullah, a renowned entrepreneur, created a short list of restaurants that offered halal food in 1998. What began as a simple list for himself and his Muslim friends, has grown into a juggernaut. Now an app called Zabihah, it is the world’s first global halal restaurant discovery and delivery platform, including 14,000 locations in the U.S. and 50,000 worldwide. In this conversation, Shahed and I cover many aspects of the halal food scene, and the parallels with Jewish kosher laws among other things.
Highlights:
Halal food as a symbol of Muslim presence in America.
Defining Halal and Zabiha.
Variations in halal observance among Muslims.
Halal as both a spiritual and communal expression.
Evolving Halal standards debate.
Shared principles and practice between halal and kosher traditions.
Eco-Kosher and organic principles in halal practices.
Spirituality of Food in Islam.
Bio: Shahed Amanullah is an accomplished entrepreneur, product developer, and investor/mentor for early-stage startups. He is the founder of Zabihah, the world’s first global halal restaurant discovery and delivery platform, and serves as Managing Director of Elian Capital, a private equity fund manager and investment advisor based in San Antonio. Shahed holds a BS in Engineering from UC Berkeley and an MBA from Georgetown University.
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Exploring Religious Freedom in America – Chris Stevenson
00:39:07
Episode 90.
Are you a museum goer? Are you interested in the history of religion in America? Is religious freedom in America important to you? If you answered yes to any of those questions, today’s episode will speak to you. Chris Stevenson has been developing the National Museum of American Religion for 15 years. Currently a digital-first project, Chris and his team began the Religion in the American Experience podcast as a stepping-stone to exhibits. They are also talking about a traveling exhibit. The key questions are: What has America done to religion and what has religion done to America?
Highlights:
· Religious freedom in America
· the National Museum of American Religion project
· Religion in the American Experience podcast
· Smithsonian vs. private structure
· Mobile museum: religion's pandemic journey
· Exploring positive lived religion
Bio:
Chris has worked as a teacher, systems engineer, and consultant. He has a B.S. in applied physics and Masters degrees in education and agricultural engineering. His passion is buttressing civil society, and in 2000 he founded the non-profit Community Levee Association. After that he founded America’s Quilt of Faith, Faith2SelfGovern, then the National Museum of American Religion project.
Reflection. Risks and Rewards of Declaring Your Religion (Meli Solomon)
00:09:23
Episode 91.
In this episode, I delve into the complex intersection of personal faith and public roles. I reflect on my recent conversation with Chris Stevenson, founder of the National Museum of American Religion, who chooses to leave his Mormon faith outside the museum to maintain an inclusive environment. I also explore the balance between personal religious identity, intention, and situational appropriateness, sharing my experience of being Jewish in Germany and interacting with diverse cultures and traditions. I highlight the importance of respectful dialogue and awareness, drawing connections to the observance of Ramadan and the values it emphasizes, such as mindfulness and community.
Bio:
I am a public scholar and interreligious leader with a keen interest in understanding the nature of similarities and differences––especially religious and cultural. The Talking with God Project is currently my main focus, and I am actively expanding its reach through workshops, articles, panels, talks and a podcast.
Raised in the Boston area, I have lived in Seattle, WA and Berlin, Germany, before returning to Boston in 2017. Carving out a varied educational and professional path, I hold a B.A. in Fine Art from Oberlin College (1984), an M.B.A. from Northeastern University (1997), a Certificate in Coaching from the International Coach Academy (2015), and a Master of Jewish Liberal Studies (MJLS) from Hebrew College with a focus on Global Interreligious Studies (2019). Professionally, I have worked as a business manager, an art dealer and founder of Solomon Fine Art gallery, language trainer, text editor, business coach and now public scholar and podcaster.
Though raised in an interfaith non-observant home. my Conservative Jewish practice and wide range of personal and professional experiences inform my research and life.
Building Peace Through Interfaith Dialogue – Raphael Luzon
00:39:27
Episode 92.
Jews had lived in Libya since the third century BCE, but 1967 marked their final expulsion from the majority Muslim country. Raphael Luzon was a child at the time and fled with his family. Like many, they went to Italy. Overnight, his environment changed. Gone were his Jewish, Muslim and Catholic classmates. Gone was the exchange of holiday greetings with Muslim neighbors. But all was not lost. Those relationships had planted a seed, and that seed grew. Over the decades since university, Raphael has used his religious and cultural knowledge, along with his Arabic, Italian and English, to work in journalism, management, and interfaith dialogue. Within this latter sphere, he has brought high-level religious leaders like the Dalai Llama and Catholic cardinals together for constructive interfaith discussions. In this conversation, you’ll hear stories of success, disappointment and perseverance. Especially in these trying times, it's good to be reminded that connection is possible and what it takes to reach that goal.
Highlights:
Upbringing as an Orthodox Jew in Libya.
Instances of "gentleman hypocrisy" and the challenges of integrity in public.
Overcoming challenges and finding common ground through religious literacy, sacred texts and mutual respect.
The importance of timing and recognizing when constructive dialogue can occur.
Participants must be a believer and open-minded, not seeing their religion as the ‘right’ way.
Ongoing initiatives like MENA 2050.
Libyan unity and justice effort.
Bio:
Raphael was born in Bengasi, Libya. Thrown out of Libya after a bloody pogrom during the “Six Day War”, in 1967 he moved to Rome, Italy, where he lived for 27 years. He then lived in Israel for 6 years, and for the last 24 years, he's lived in the UK.
He completed a degree in Political Science at University of Rome, then worked for 16 years in diplomacy dealing with Organization, Press and Information, Commercial and Economics, and Administration. He was also a press correspondent in Italy, for Israeli newspapers and media, including Maariv and Hadashot and the Israeli Radio Galei Zahal. In Israel Raphael was active in journalism & management. He has also worked for some years as aproducer of RAI, Italian TV and I managed to build up the Jerusalem office.
Raphael was as Manager of a company dealing with Judaica items, books, crafts and silver gifts. He is currently a freelance journalist and analyst regarding the Middle East and Arab world.
Raphael’s major interests include politics, movies, reading, opera, oriental music, travelling, computers and interfaith dialogue.
Forging a more Resilient Faith After Doubt – Aubrey Chaves
00:37:51
Episode 93.
Did you grow up in a highly observant home and religious community where surety of belief was the norm? Aubrey Chaves did, and much as she felt embraced by the family’s deep engagement within their Mormon congregation, or ward, when she encountered differing lifestyles that were loving and not harmful to anyone, the rightness she had always believed about the church fathers and doctrine shifted from a solid foundation to something brittle. In short, it prompted a crisis of faith. Over the many years since then, she’s spent a lot time learning and struggling with her faith, emerging with a stronger and more forgiving approach to living her beliefs. These days, her spiritual views are more complex and open, for which she is grateful.
Highlights:
Pioneer stock of Mormons on both sides of the family.
Church provided an anchor and cadence for life.
Crisis of faith and realizing the church had flaws and ugly history.
The role of LGBTQ issues in faith reassessment.
James Fowler's Stages of Faith.
Missionary service as a transformative journey.
Orthodoxy v. Orthodoxy.
Faith redefined as love and trust.
Bio:
As a lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Aubrey Chaves finds deep meaning in faith, community, and the continual pursuit of spiritual growth. She serves on the executive board of the Faith Matters Foundation and co-hosts its weekly podcast with her husband, Tim. Together, they explore big questions and hope to foster expansive, thoughtful conversations that inspire curiosity, connection, and deeper engagement with faith. They live in Midway, Utah, where they are raising their four children under the beautiful snowy peaks of the Wasatch Mountains.
Reflection. Exploring the Intersection of Ramadan, Lent, and Passover (Meli Solomon)
00:12:47
Episode 94.
Are you a Jew, Christian, or Muslim? Do you wonder about how your holiday this spring intersects with other holidays occurring at or near the same time? What do you make of that? And what does your holiday mean to you? How do you celebrate it?
In this month's reflection, I address how Ramadan, Lent, and Passover connect thematically, and in the calendar. In these tense times when so many of us are feeling anxious and distressed, we can either give into that or strive to remember what connects us to be civil and caring and, that we can learn from each other. I personally choose the latter and I'm guessing you do as well. I thought taking a few moments to look at the main themes of these holidays and the calendar of these holidays that we can, get a little relief from the exhaustion and expand, enrich our own spiritual experience.
Highlights:
Ramadan, Lent and Passover coinciding this year.
Ramadan and Lent: Repentance and gratitude.
Lent and Passover: Redemption and transformation.
Fasting or restriction brings time and reflection.
Exodus story as the foundation for both Lent and Passover.
Importance of processes over time for renewal and spiritual cleansing.
Bio:
I am a public scholar and interreligious leader with a keen interest in understanding the nature of similarities and differences––especially religious and cultural. The Talking with God Project is currently my main focus, and I am actively expanding its reach through workshops, articles, panels, talks and a podcast.
Raised in the Boston area, I have lived in Seattle, WA and Berlin, Germany, before returning to Boston in 2017. Carving out a varied educational and professional path, I hold a B.A. in Fine Art from Oberlin College (1984), an M.B.A. from Northeastern University (1997), a Certificate in Coaching from the International Coach Academy (2015), and a Master of Jewish Liberal Studies (MJLS) from Hebrew College with a focus on Global Interreligious Studies (2019). Professionally, I have worked as a business manager, an art dealer and founder of Solomon Fine Art gallery, language trainer, text editor, business coach and now public scholar and podcaster.
Though raised in an interfaith non-observant home. my Conservative Jewish practice and wide range of personal and professional experiences inform my research and life.
Embracing Oneness: Jewish Mysticism in Practice – Lex Rofeberg
00:49:30
Episode 95.
What comes to mind when you hear the term mysticism? Perhaps you imagine a yogi sitting cross legged in meditation, or people sitting in a circle chanting. Several religions have mystical practices, Sufism in Islam, and Zen Buddhism, for instance. Whatever the particulars, they generally share a desire to become one with the Divine and valueing of spiritual rather than intellectual understanding. Today, my guest, Lex Rofeberg, has joined me to talk about Jewish mysticism, its history, core books, challenging concepts and risks to followers. As a rabbi ordained in the Jewish Renewal movement, he is both a practitioner and critic of Jewish mysticism. Lex is co-host of the Judaism Unbound podcast and the Un-Yeshiva – a link is in the show notes. He is also an active proponent of learning from other faith traditions. In this, he shares my philosophy that learning about other paths is beneficial and does not pose a risk to your beliefs or practice.
Bio:
Lex Rofeberg (he/him) serves as senior Jewish educator for Judaism Unbound, a digital-first Jewish organization. He co-hosts and produces its weekly podcast, facilitates many of its digital rituals and events, and oversees the UnYeshiva: a digital center for Jewish learning and unlearning. He graduated from Brown University with a degree in Judaic Studies, and was ordained as a rabbi by ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal. A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Lex lived for two years in Jackson, Mississippi -- working for the Institute of Southern Jewish Life -- and he currently lives in Providence, Rhode Island with his wife.
Highlights:
Embracing Jewish pop culture.
Pantheism, panentheism and monotheism.
Embodied worship and pantheism.
Oneness and separation of the sacred and the profane.
Trailer. Living Our Beliefs explores how observant Christian, Jews and Muslims live their religion and faith. We will explore how we are supported by our practice or where it lets us down.
Reclaiming and Expanding Catholic Belief – Nathan Bakkan
00:38:34
Episode 2. Nathan and I talk about how they celebrate and integrate all the messy complicated parts of their religious, personal and professional life. From a Roman Catholic family to a Master of Divinity from Boston University, to Spiritual Director at Still Harbor, and that's just part of the story. Combining his trans and queer identity to providing spiritual accompaniment as a witch, elements of his Christian upbringing remain, an acknowledgement that you can leave the church but it never leaves you completely.
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Episode 3. Yusef and I explore the deep integration of his practice as a Sufi Muslim in an interfaith life. He also explains the importance of the relationship with his Master/Sheikh and the path of Islamic mysticism.
Highlights: · While Yusef identifies as a Sufi Muslim, part of the Sunni tradition, he has much respect for Shia Islam and sees himself as a universalist. · Yusef is incredibly grateful that he found a teacher and that his father converted to Islam. · The relationship of Disciple and Master/teacher is a central aspect of practicing Sufism. · His Order – International Sufi School Khidmatul Khadim – is broadly geographically dispersed, but mostly in Senegal. · Prayer, service, work and God are all entwined for Yusef. It’s very hard to disentangle these elements that are so integral to his life and sense of self. · Familiarity with and respect for the partner’s religion, along with commitment to their own practice, has facilitated a successful interfaith family with his wife, a practicing Catholic. · Co-author of Shalom, Peace. Salaam.
Quotes: “I feel just tremendously lucky and blessed to be on this path. I feel like a drunk who stumbled into the wedding feast and was asked to stay and given some nice food, and some you know a nice shawl to put on his shoulders.”
“In my particular Sufi Order there is a tremendous emphasis on being of service in the time and the place that you find yourself in, with the people that you find yourself. You know, we have a saying ‘work is worship’.”
“I'm kind of struggling too with the question about faith, because it just seems like integrated, an integrated part of my life in the same way as like eating or drinking or or breathing I guess would be.”
“It feels like I wake up in the morning. And you know, along with the desire for caffeine, there's a desire for prayer. And in the desire to you know, do my best for my family. So it's all kind of kind of wound up together. And I think it's kind of integrated into the fabric of who I am.”
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
Episode 4. Yasminah is many things – a wife, mother, writer and passionate Jewish educator. She is a Jew of Color and as such is part of an increasingly visible minority within a minority. Additionally, she is an Orthodox Jew with deeply held beliefs and practice. The daughter of educators, she has been steeped in Jewish education since childhood.
Quotes: “We are Jews through and through.” “I guess in most crowds, I say I'm a Jew of color, even though I truly believe I am a Jew, even though I am darker skin.” “I think each of us as individuals can do our part to be welcoming and inclusive.” “In Judaism, we don't believe that everyone has to be Jewish. Everyone has their purpose, their path. Yes, we ought to embrace that more and understand that. We’re supposed to learn from everyone. And yes, we need to be more of accepting of each other and other people.” “I guess human nature, sometimes we tend to be scared of the other, instead of recognizing that God Hashem created us all different and Hashem loves us.” “Every little bit that we can be the light to other people is such a Brachah, is such a blessing. And I feel like Hashem gives us the tools necessary to be able to do that.”
Highlights: · Yasminah is dedicated to her Jewish path, which has evolved over the years, from a Conservative upbringing to an Orthodox practice.
· Raising their children within Orthodox Judaism is important to Yasminah and her husband. They are continuing the heritage reaching back to our ancestors in the Bible.
· As a Jew of color, Yasminah is a minority within a minority, and the experience has strengthened her identity, but she sees herself as a Jew.
· God/Hashem made us different, and we would be better off if we accepted those differences.
· Each person has their path, and each way and level is good. Observing the Mitzvot/Commandments are our connection to God/Hashem.
Follow the podcast! The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise: Is your way similar or different? Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore? Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.
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