Religion

“There is no peace on earth,” I said, “for hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth, good-will to men!” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow penned these words in a poem written during the Civil War in 1863. The poem was later set...

“Follow your dream—you can do it!” That is the encouragement often offered to children, to youth and to adults in our lives. It is an encouragement to be bold, to pursue their dreams and to persist through difficulties. But what is that dream? What is...

P.T. Barnum famously said, “There’s no such thing as bad publicity.” What he meant by that was that it doesn’t matter as much what people are saying about you as long as they’re talking about you. The worst feeling is not when someone speaks...

In a recent article in the New York Times (Dec. 12, 2025), the columnist Thomas L. Friedman said this: “If you ask me what’s the most dangerous statistic in the world today …the Gallup Poll that said fewer people than ever are going to church. Because…...

Every year, on the full moon day of the sixth lunar month, Buddhists worldwide come together to honor Vesak, which commemorates the birth, enlightenment and passing of the Buddha. More than a religious observance, Vesak signifies humanity’s collective journey toward wisdom, compassion and inner...

A few of you may have noticed the curious-looking structure that popped up outside my home recently. No, we did not embark on an overnight house expansion project. What you saw is our sukkah—a temporary structure that is the highlight of the weeklong holiday...

The meaning of a name is more important in some cultures than others. In Scripture, the meaning of a name can tell you a lot about a person’s character over their story.  Yahweh (or Jehovah) is the personal name of God in Judaism, derived from...

In the San Francisco Bay Area, we seem to be in a bubble of more open-minded thinking and inclusion. There are other places, regions and states that seem to be filled with fear of the outsider and suspicion of neighbors of different ethnicity, national...

When I was just out of high school, serving a mission for my church, a man once told me that he couldn’t believe that Christ’s death and suffering was all that special. He was a veteran who had witnessed the horrors of war.  He had...

P.T. Barnum famously said, “There’s no such thing as bad publicity.” What he meant by that was that it doesn’t matter as much what people are saying about you as long as they’re talking about you. The worst feeling is not when someone speaks...