One of the most cited adages of my medical training has been William Osler’s famous quip: “the secret of caring for the patient is in caring for the patient.”

For those not in the medical field, this may seem trivial and quite obvious. I would agree. Perhaps the exalted status of this adage says less about its elegance and more about desperation to grab onto any poetic description of caring and compassion. The value of compassion is not one formally taught in most medical schools.…

In recent years, the criticism on human rights and Islam has increased. This includes two extreme views which surprisingly both have the same claim, namely that Islam and human rights are incompatible. One group working from an 'Western secular vision ‘ which sees Islam as a religion with fossilized medieval laws incompatible with contemporary "Western human rights'. The other group consists of Muslims from an orthodox-dogmatic perspective who 'argues that the phenomenon of' human rights' is…

From 27th to 29th October, 2011, New Era Educational and Charitable Support Foundation, in collaboration with the Voices of Angels Foundation, United Religions Initiative (URI), Jewish-Palestinian Living Room Dialogue Group and the Interfaith Peacebuilding Initiative, will host 100 youth at the 3rd Annual International Conference on Interfaith Dialogue and Non-Violent Communication, in the City of Jos, Nigeria's "Home of Peace and Tourism".

Youth —…

Robert Wuthnow, Professor of Sociology at Princeton and the Director of the Center for the Study of Religion, has been observing and analyzing American approaches to religion for some decades now.  His distinction of “dwelling” and “seeking” is probably the most helpful way of thinking about attitudes to religion and spirituality today.

Wuthnow explains by saying that there are two mentalities, one interested in stability and security and the other which moves towards exploration and…

This column is modified from a piece I wrote that appeared in the San Antonio Express-News.

Last weekend, a 100-year old man finished a marathon in Toronto, Canada.

Thousands gathered to celebrate his record-breaking feat, and he’s quickly become a global icon.

Fauja Singh’s bright yellow turban and flowing white beard made it easy to pick him out in a crowd of 22,000 runners, and he smiled infectiously as he announced he would donate all his earnings…

Back in February, I wrote a rather disillusioned commentary on the passing of the inaugural World Interfaith Harmony Week.  I argued that interfaith issues were heady and difficult, and that we cannot expect people to engage in such dialogue over breakfast, as suggested by the UN, when participants have not yet had a chance for a first cup of coffee.

Well, I am embarrassed to say, that I would like to recant my statement.  I think that interfaith breakfasts – and lunches, and…

According to their own testimony, God has called Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Rick Perry, and Rick Santorum to run for President. God has even, reportedly, called Mike Huckabee to keep his cushy media job and not to run.  There is no shortage of coverage of these divine vocations. Much of the writing on the subject is barely pronounceable due to the tongue's affixation to the cheek.  One writer after another jokingly complains that God needs to figure it out, make a decision and get with…

I like atheists. I don't like the definite assertion of atheism, since as a believer in God I believe it is false.  But I often like atheists.  Atheists challenge me to think more deeply on myriad issues, including my faith.  Many atheists are gracious with a winsome sense of humor, and act as a prophetic and frank voice to religious believers.  Atheists are my colleagues, fellow nurturers of creative spirit, friends (and perhaps family?) who frequently display the effervescent…

I am currently writing a drasha (an oral interpretation of the week’s Torah portion) for my upcoming Bat Mitzvah. My parsha includes what are perhaps two of the most controversial passages in the Hebrew Bible: Leviticus 18:22—"you will not lie with a male as the lyings of a woman, it is an abomination"—and Leviticus 20:13—"If a man lies with a male as the lyings of a woman, the two have done an abominable thing; they will surely be put to death, their blood is upon them."…

As we find ourselves present, gifted by happenstance, how do we measure importance? What adds value and with what metric do we recognize it? It is not an easy question. In the course of a lifetime I think we each create our own metric as we consider our brief exposure as an individual human being. Can and do any of us make a durable difference? Compared to what?

I will guess there is no difference to be made. That things are as they are and it is intended that we recognize that.…

#OccupyWallStreet is a serious movement. I spent some time among the people at Zuccotti Park recently, and it is truly an inspiring thing to witness and be a part of. There is a great amount of organization, mostly to ensure that the people choosing to live there are taken care of and that their safety is ensured. What some people have deemed a lack of cohesion or clarity of purpose, I see as an example of what real community looks like. There have been a lot of voices making fun of the…

In The Gospel of Steve Jobs[1], Andy Crouch discusses Jobs’s influence on contemporary culture as the shepherding of a flock of secular sheep. Crouch wrote the article in January of 2011 when Jobs went on medical leave, and draws out a theme largely unexplored by the media frenzy after his death: what does Jobs’ popularity say (if anything) about secular…

On 7 October, Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, was speaking to reporters outside the Values Voter Summit in Washington, DC, where he had just introduced Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry. Taking aim at Perry’s rival for the nomination, Mitt Romney, Jeffress said that Romney,…

I would love to have feedback on my latest column in The Indianpolis Star:

http://www.indystar.com/article/20111001/LIVING09/110010321/Muslims-endure-double-standard-issue-violence

A derivative of this sermon was delivered at Temple Beth Israel in Steubenville, Ohio on Yom Kippur during Kol Nidre services, at the start of Yom Kippur.

Many of the most dramatic moments in a hospital come when something goes unexpectedly wrong. A surgery gone array, a condition gone undiagnosed, or a patient who just doesn’t seem to be pulling through. The surgeons, doctors, nurses, technicians, and specialists do all that is within their power to help their patients --…

by Bud Heckman

How do we know when we have arrived in the interfaith movement?  When religious pluralism is normative?  When religious differences don’t cause conflict or even concern?

Things have been changing rapidly in the expanding field of interfaith relations. Therefore, it may be worth measuring our progress by some milestones of our achievement…

I was just looking at this website of people who are the 99% of the American people, the ones hurting because of the wanton ways of the 1%. I am part of that 99%. I could make a list of my grievances, as we all could. My list would be legit, and it would be daunting. So is yours, I imagine. Reading this website I suddenly felt very, very bummed.

But then I thought of this Carlos Castaneda quote: 'We either make ourselves…