Religion

I like etymologies, the origin of words. I like to play with words, especially in different languages. I think we often use words without really thinking about what they really mean and what they imply. “Thanks” is one of those words.  In English, the word...

Prayer takes on different forms in different religious expressions. Prayers are chanted, spoken or sung. Prayers are spoken aloud or uttered more silently.  One of the notable expressions of prayer in Christianity is the prayer Jesus taught his disciples when they asked, “Lord, teach us to...

“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...

Did you celebrate Easter last week with the hope that you have victory over the grave? Easter commemorates the most important event in human history! The foundation of the Christian faith is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  Do you believe Jesus lived...

As we approach the darkest time of the year, Jews prepare to celebrate Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights. The ancient story took place in the 2nd century BCE during the reign of Syrian-Greek King Antiochus IV. He imposed harsh decrees upon the Jews forbidding...

All of South County is invited to the annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service, held Nov. 20 at Congregation Emeth, 17835 Monterey Street, Morgan Hill, beginning at 3pm. Clergy and lay leaders in the interfaith community who live in both Morgan Hill and Gilroy will participate....

Before the Fourth of July celebrations are in the rear-view mirror, I offer a religious perspective. The United States of America's Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776 (declared in 1776, achieved in 1783, after an eight-year war), is a date we celebrate with enthusiasm...

This time of year, many of us think about going back to school, for ourselves or for our children or grandchildren. There are all sorts of questions: Who is taking children to school? Do we have the correct supplies? Who is making the lunches?...

With the football season coming to a close, it’s a great time to apply the wise Jewish teaching that everything one encounters can teach us a lesson in how to serve G-d. Here are four lessons I learned: Every Player is Crucial The star quarterbacks, wide...

In this space in the last month, colleagues from different traditions have written about positive actions one may take in these times that are so challenging. They have expressed a moral urgency regarding our nation’s military moves and threats against other nations, and the...