A conversation about the US measles outbreak; parents who refuse to vaccinate their children based on personal beliefs; and an organization called Final Salute that meets the needs of homeless women veterans and their children.
Author Archives: Fred Yi
Vaccination Debate
Watch our conversation with Religion News Service editor-in-chief Kevin Eckstrom about the recent outbreak of measles and the issue of parents refusing to vaccinate their children for personal or religious reasons. In 2014, we looked at the ethics of refusing vaccinations and the rising risk of outbreaks, like the current one in California, that could result.
National Prayer Breakfast
People from many faiths gathered in Washington for the 63rd annual National Prayer Breakfast, including the Dalai Lama. One major theme this year was fighting religious extremism, which President Obama said “is not unique to one group or one religion.”
Science for Seminaries; India’s Slum Dwellers; Thomas Merton
A new program encourages seminaries and divinity schools to teach more science; a community organizer helps improve living conditions for the very poor in India’s sprawling slums and around the world; a famous Trappist monk, poet, activist, contemplative, and prolific writer would have been 100 years old this year.
Science for Seminaries
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is offering two-year grants to ten seminaries that incorporate more science into the teaching of theology and religious studies. The effort raises debate about the age-old tension between science and religion, but the purpose of the project is to educate more effective ministers and religious thinkers.
India’s Slum Dwellers
Jockin Arputham started his campaign to build a network among the urban poor by organizing a critical mass of India’s slum-dwelling population, especially women’s collectives. Today they pressure local governments to be more responsive to their needs, especially toilet and sanitation facilities.
State of the Union and News of the Week; Halki Seminary; Bruce Cockburn
Religious reaction to the State of the Union speech; a historic Eastern Orthodox seminary in Turkey that religious freedom activists want reopened; singer, songwriter, and spiritual seeker Bruce Cockburn
State of the Union and News of the Week
Social justice and civil rights activists had a lot to like in President Obama’s address, but religious conservatives were concerned by the “reframing” of issues such as gay marriage as matters of freedom and justice.
Halki Seminary
Once the world’s leading Eastern Orthodox seminary, Halki was closed by the Turkish government 43 years ago. The US and religious freedom activists want it reopened. But Turkish officials have long said that won’t happen until Greece improves conditions for Turkish minorities living there.
Bruce Cockburn
Over his long career, 69-year-old Canadian singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn says he was continually reaching for God’s presence, a connection he often feels while performing. His spiritual journey has now been chronicled in his book “Rumors of Glory.”
