‘On November 15, 2019, two of the foremost representatives of Christianity and Islam, Pope Francis and Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb of Al Azhar—the latter was once named the “most influential Muslim in the world”—met and embraced each other again as brothers.

“During the[ir] cordial discussions,” the Vatican announced in a press release, the two religious leaders discussed “the goals of the Document on Human Fraternity.” Moreover, “discussions were mainly focused on promoting interreligious...

So when I was young and first read the bible, the driving ideas that I took away were about human nature. It declared that you human, are proud, guilty, shameful, sinful, selfish murderers of the son of god and prophets. Starting wars and turning away from god, always due for contrition. Looking back at it, I see myself as starting from a stark and narrow vision of the human role here

What if we start instead, from the idea that we are innately good. That our worldly interactions are good,...

In today's terms, where do you think Jesus would sit on the 'political spectrum' (if transferred into our secular thought) and how would you define his politics?

Here's my take on it (please provide your own with justifications!)

Scholarly reconstructions of the biblical data may assist us here:
"...Jesus' message was controversial and threatening to the established institutions of religious and political power in his society: the message carried with it a fundamental transvaluation of...

In your view, what was/is the core theme of the Old Testament?

Definition of Theme
Theme is defined as a main idea or an underlying meaning of a literary work, which may be stated directly or indirectly.

Definition of Theme
In contemporary literary studies, a theme is a central topic a text treats.[1] Themes can be divided into two categories: a work's thematic concept is what readers "think the work is about" and its thematic statement being "what the work says about the subject".[2]...

The name Y*H*A* appeared about 7,000 times in the Hebrew Bible. Some people have removed this name in the course of time, can't we therefore say that the the Tanakh has been falsfied?

And how do we know if this is the only forgery? If it was possible for them to remove the name of God about 7,000 times. Then how can we be sure that something else has not been removed, changed or added?

I was exploring with another member recently the different theological concepts when comparing Judaism and Islam. We compiled a preliminary list. I would be very interested to hear from adherents of Judaism or anyone with knowledge in this area to provide constructive feedback on the list. What do you see as the most important attributes of Hashem and why? Any thoughts about key similarities or differences with Islam? Remember this thread is for respectful discussion and not for debate....

I've seen the argument often made that the Theory of Evolution (ToE) is a topic restricted to the change in biological organisms over time and that it should only be discussed in that context. However, this seems to me to be increasing short-sighted and insular.

There are a growing number of scientific disciplines that incorporate evolutionary mechanisms in other realms. Evolutionary psychology comes to mind. Historians clearly see how cultures and groups come and go due to...

I have no idea where to put this question but here goes....

I've been praying for years without any answers that I as a human being would recognize.

My question is simply, if only God knows the logic about how prayer and answering prayer works, how can we begin to position ourselves in this life?

I always get a response like "He is answering your prayers but in mysterious ways".

But what good is that if only God knows the mystery?

No matter what I question there is always an answer...

What are some songs which escape the boundaries people put upon them? They go where they are not allowed. Maybe you don't like country but there is one country song that you always like. Maybe you left a religion, but there is a song that still hangs on. Maybe one day you went into a prison and found everybody was singing Mr. Rogers Neighborhood? What are some transcendant songs?

A great example of the Mystic Way of Knowing:

An Instagram 'healer' is promoting 'perineum sunning,' and it turns out she's not the only fan. Here's what medical professionals think about it.

How sad that doctors keep promoting "scientism" with their demands for strong, verifiable evidence. They just don't know what they're missing!

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A post from an Instagram "healer" who goes by "Metaphysical Meagan" has gone viral because she...