Why Sharia?

Sharia law--when the Archbishop of Canterbury proposed using a limited form of it in Britain, the country backlashed.   But millions of Muslims worldwide say they want the legal code to govern their lives, and Islamic parties often win elections with sharia as part of their platforms.  So, the question arises: if it’s so bad, why do people want it? 

Noah Feldman offers his answers in a new book that explores the origins, history and contemporary reality of sharia law. 

Noah Feldman, professor of law at Harvard Law School, author of The Fall and Rise of the Islamic StateRead the full speech on sharia by Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams

 

Deep Prayer for Busy People

Starts at 22:49 

Many of us have been taught that prayer requires silence, a quiet space away from the bustle of daily life.  But, as Rev. Bill Callahan tells us, it doesn’t have to be that way.  He takes contemplative life out of the chapel and into the messiness of our lives, and shares how folks of any religious persuasion can be prayerful amidst stress, conflict and noise.

Rev. Bill Callahan, founder and co-director of the Quixote Center, author of Noisy Contemplation: Deep Prayer for Busy People

 

  Being Transgender in the Methodist Church

Starts at  35:36

Among the many topics on the table at this year's Methodist General Conference is the delicate question of transgender clergy—a topic which until now has been largely off the radar.   At the center of the debate is Rev. Drew Phoenix, a Methodist pastor who in 2002 transitioned from female to male.  He shares what it’s like to feel “homeless” in his own body - and what's at stake at the conference, held this week.

Rev. Drew Phoenix, first transgender clergyperson in the United Methodist Church, pastor of St. John’s United Methodist Church, Baltimore, Md.   Hidden Children of the Holocaust

 Starts at 44:30

 May 2nd is Holocaust Remembrance Day, or Yom HaShoah, a day created in 1959 to reflect on the victims of the Holocaust.  This week, we remember the 1.5 million Jewish children who perished with the story of two survivors, who as children hid their identities to escape the Nazis.

Produced by Vivian Goodman, a reporter/producer at WKSU in Kent, OhioLiving in Shadows, an exhibit and resource on the hidden children of the Holocaust, at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum 

This Week’s Interfaith Calendar

(Did we miss an important day?   E-mail us at: Maureen@interfaithradio.org.)

April 25th--  Holy Friday for Orthodox Christians
This day remembers the crucifixion and death of Jesus.  

April 27th – Easter Sunday (Pascha) for Orthodox Christians
This day, the most solemn day on the Christian calendar, commemorates the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.   Orthodox Christians use a different calendar to calculate the holy day, which is why it’s observed later than in the West.  In fact, Christians celebrate Easter together only once every 3 or 4 years, and the un-sychronised date has divided followers for centuries.


April 30th – St. James the Great Day for Orthodox Christians
This day recognizes the martyrdom of the Apostle James the Great (one of Jesus’ 12 Apostles) in 44 c.e.  He was beheaded by King Agrippa in Jerusalem.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The Journey from Slavery to Freedom, Twice Told

For Rabbi Capers C. Funnye, the Passover story resonates racially as well as spiritually.  As one the few black rabbis in the United States today, he explains that the ancient Exodus story has captured the imagination of many oppressed peoples over the centuries, including African-Americans.

Rabbi Capers C. Funnye, Rabbi of Beth Shalom B’nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation, Chicago

 

 

 

  

  Equal Rites for Catholic Women
Begins at 22:50 For decades, Catholics who wanted women priests wrote theological treatises, lobbied bishops and demonstrated outside cathedrals.  Now, with the help of Roman Catholic Women Priests, about 50 women have figured out a way to become ordained —and a few have even started parishes.

Rev. Andrea Johnson, Annapolis, Md., liturgy presider, homilist Rev. Rose Marie Hudson, St. Louis, Mo., liturgy concelebrant Rev. Elsie McGrath, St. Louis, Mo., liturgy concelebrant Aisha Taylor, Executive Director, Women’s Ordination Conference

 

  The Theology of Polygamy

Begins at 37:31 

It began as a revelation to Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon Church.  In his study of the Old Testament, the Mormon prophet noted that all the great Hebrew Patriarchs had more than one wife.  Smith sought to restore that ancient order—starting with himself.  He was reported to have more than 30 wives, including Emma Hale Smith (pictured.) Though the Mormon Church officially rejected plural marriage in 1890, it continues to be practiced by fundamentalist sects,  not associated with the Church.  This week we explore the theology of the practice with the foremost non-Mormon scholar of the Mormon Church.  Dr. Jan Shipps, professor emerita at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis Oy, the Miracles of Passover CokeBegins at 48:22 Every spring before Passover, Coca-Cola plants in Chicago, New York, Atlanta and other cities whip up a tiny batch of soda that's Kosher for Passover.  The run lasts about two weeks and has been known to sell out in less than 24 hours. But why is this Coke different from all other Cokes?   Last year, Laura Kwerel went down to West Rogers Park, in Chicago, to find out. To find your own bottle of Passover Coke, look for two liter bottles with a yellow cap and the OU-P symbol (pictured.) L'Chaim! More tips
        











 

    Getting to Know Joseph Ratzinger
Pope Benedict XVI, aka Joseph Alois Ratzinger, is the spiritual leader of 64 million American Catholics.  And when he visits the United States on April 15th, in his first trip to this country as Pope, the vast majority of Americans will barely know who he is.  According to one survey, 17 percent of Americans claim to have never even heard of the 80-year-old pontiff.  So today we devote our entire show to getting to know this shy, former theology professor.

David Gibson, author of The Rule of Benedict: Pope Benedict XVI and His Battle with the Modern World

 

  

 

 Jews and the Catholic Church

Begins at 13:44

On April 18, the Pope Benedict will visit a modern Orthodox temple in New York—the first time a pope has ever visited an American synagogue.  The goodwill gesture comes just two months after the Vatican re-issued a Latin Good Friday prayer calling for the conversion of the Jews.  Rabbi James Rudin explains what the visit might accomplish.

Rabbi James Rudin, senior advisor for Interreligious affairs for the American Jewish Committee, regular columnist for Religion News Service     The Changing Face of American Catholics

Begins at 22:49

What will the Pope find in his flock, the American Catholic Church?   According to a recent Pew poll, a growing Latino population, a declining Anglo population, and a body of faithful whose political views - even on hot button social issues - look like most Americans.'

Dr. Luis Lugo, Director of the Pew Forum on Religion in Public Life

 

 

The Pope in the Media
Begins at 35:30 “Pope Is Coming, as Is Clichéd Coverage in the Media.”  When we saw that headline in the New York Times a few weeks ago, we paid attention.   Peter Steinfels, the author of that article, says that, in the Pope’s eight  trips to the US so far, journalists have almost always cast the pontiff in a simple “for or against” framework: for change or against change—end of story.

Peter Steinfels, co-director of the Fordham Center on Religion and Culture, religion columnist for the New York Times
     Singing for the Papal Mass
Begins at 43:06 From African American spirituals to Gregorian Chant, the music at the Papal Mass will reflect the diversity of the modern Catholic Church.  We dropped by a rehearsal at St. Mark's Parish in Maryland for a sneak peek.

Thomas Stehle, Director of music for the Papal Mass, pastoral associate for liturgy and music at Our Lady of Mercy parishMichael McMahon, President of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  One of America's Black Founding Fathers

Born a slave in 1760, Bishop Richard Allen went on to inspire nearly every black leader of the nineteenth century.  As one of America's strongest early advocates for racial equality, he is often considered an intellectual precursor to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

In 1816 Allen founded the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the first African-American-led church denomination in the country.  With 2.5 million members, the AME Church is now the largest black denomination in the country.  

Dr. Richard S. Newman, Associate Professor of History at Rochester Institute of Technology, author of Freedom's Prophet: Bishop Richard Allen, the AME Church and the Black Founding Fathers

 

Women, Faith and Abuse

Begins at 22:59 

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, so this week we take a look at the uneasy intersection between religion and sexual violence.  How does faith exploit women...and how can it be a force to heal them?  We begin with Dr. Joy Schroeder, author of Dinah's Lament: The Biblical Legacy of Sexual Violence in Christian Interpretation. She says as far back as the third century, Christian scholars--most of whom were men--have interpreted Bible stories about rape to blame the victims.

Nicole Sotelo, author of Women Healing From Abuse: Meditations for Finding Peace, explains how scripture, which has so often been used to harm women, might begin to help them.

And Layli Miller-Muro, a Baha'i woman and founder of the Tahirih Justice Center, shares the lessons she's learned from a religion which regards women and men as equals.

Resources:
The National Domestic Violence Hotline The National Sexual Violence Resource CenterThe Faith and Justice Institute What Counts As Sexual Violence?

 

  Catholicism, the Movie Version

Begins at 42:29 

From the demon-child in the Exorcist to the kindly nuns in The Sound of Music, Hollywood has long used Catholicism as a kind of visual shorthand for faith.  Catholicism, well, the movie version at least, has ready-made props: rosary beads, crucifixes and heavy, black and white wardrobes.   Add to that its candlelit rituals and sacred mysteries, and you have all the makings of a big-screen spectacle. 

Colleen McDannell, Professor of History and Religious Studies at the University of Utah, author of Catholics in the Movies

  Why Forgive?

This hour we explore forgiveness, perhaps the most challenging of all religious teachings.

We begin with the story of psychologist Everett Worthington.  He had been studying the therapeutic benefits of forgiveness for 10 years when he faced the ultimate test: in 1995, a burglar broke into his mother’s house and beat her to death with a crowbar.   Everett, against all odds, chose to forgive his mother’s murderer.

We also hear from Martin Doblmeier, director of a new PBS documentary called The Power of Forgiveness, and Kenneth Briggs, author of a companion book by the same name.

Dr. Everett Worthington, Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth UniversityMartin Doblmeier, president and founder of Journey Films, director of The Power of Forgiveness
Kenneth Briggs, a former religion editor for the New York Times, author of The Power of Forgiveness

 

Find out when The Power of Forgiveness is playing on your local PBS station

How forgiving are YOU?  Take the quiz!

McCain's Pastor Problem

Begins at 23:00

Rev. John Hagee, big-name supporter of Sen. John McCain, has called for preemptive war against Iran.  He labeled the Catholic Church "the great whore of Babylon" and blamed Hurricane Katrina on a gay pride parade. So why is Rev. Jeremiah Wright getting all the attention?

Kevin Eckstrom, Editor, Religion News Service, and a regular analyst for Interfaith Voices

 

 

Buddhism and the Tibetan Uprisings

Begins at 33:46

Two weeks ago, Tibet's long-simmering resentment toward China erupted again.  Dr. Donald Lopez explains why Tibetan monks are leading the region's most significant uprising since the late 1980s.  

Dr. Donald Lopez, Professor of Buddhist and Tibetan Studies, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor  

 

The 34th Annual American Atheists Conference

Begins at 39:26

Last weekend, some 600 people gathered in Minneapolis for the 34th annual American Atheist convention, America’s longest-running conference about what it means to not believe in God.   The turnout was the largest in the group's history, and double the number from 10 years ago.   David Silverman, the national spokesperson for American Atheists, fills us in.   And Master Sgt. Kathleen Johnson, founder of the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers, explains why there are, indeed, atheists in fox holes. David Silverman, national spokesperson for American AtheistsMaster Sgt. Kathleen Johnson, founder of the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers   
 
     

 

 

 

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