I think the state should ONLY be in the business of civil unions. No marriages, gay . . . or straight. Leave it all the church, or whatever substitutes for the church people want.

I think marriage is sacred - a spiritual union. Of course the western human history is that marriage was as much a property and legal arrangement, which is why the state is involved. But that's not what is truly important.

Much of the argument of including gays in marriage is based on the legal protections that go along with marriage, things that affect property, visiting rights at hospitals, etc. Only someone really hateful would deny those rights, and civil unions also have the virtue of providing a mechanism for other circumstances that are hard for a one-size-fits-all legal system to take into account - two sisters living together, for instance. They need legal protections too, even though they aren't married, aren't in that category at all.

I've always wondered why one person's marriage would threaten another.   more »

Buried deep in a Daily Kos post about Robo-calls was the following comment by Hannah: It may not be just a McCain thing; his advisers seem equally inept when it comes to timing and cause/effect relationships. But then, neither is the base. It's almost routine for consequence to be confused with effect   more »

I was at Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting and there was this fellow who said he was from North Carolina when visitors were recognized. He was dressed several measures more conservatively than the rest of us and had come for a memorial service. Just before Meeting ended (when there was no time for any response . . . I mean any messages that would go deeper) he stood up and said "Jesus said I am the Truth the Way and the Life. No one comes to the Father but through me." And then he sat down.   more »

Today's scripture is deceptively simple. Love one another. Jesus says we are loved and are to love others as we are loved.

Right here is the essence of Christianity. This is the fulfillment of the Law, as Jesus says. If we get this, we can go home.

Alas we give lip service to love, but abide in a different spirit.

This is today's message: Abide first in God's love! -- we are first loved . . . and for love Be willing to sacrifice -- as Jesus gave his life . . . and remember This is a commandment, so work at it!   more »

Amanda struggles with acceptance and writes about it beautifully.  How well I know the agony of this struggle.

I grew up taught that I could grow up and change the world. How many times have I heard that story about the starfishes getting thrown back into the sea?   more »

Sarah Pullman has been reading the Canadian Globe and Mail about "egocasting", where one selects one's news and friends to agree with oneself, sacrificing diversity of views and a common culture. I've been thinking about this for some years. This is a trend that isn't only happening on the internet. We are filtering our social networks, our activities, hobbies, schools, where we live.   more »

Like many visitors who have found their way to the Weston Priory, Carl Puleo was drawn at first by the music. “One Sunday morning, very early, I headed out on my own to try to find the priory in Weston and I had no idea where it was,” recalls Puleo, who made his first trip from Madison, CT, more than a decade ago.

“The morning vigil was already in process, but I snuck in. It was an immediate connection, very deep.   more »

I�ve been watching from a distance the controversy over the UCC ad which was refused by two TV networks and I've been cheering for the UCC. But Digby, as an outsider, sees it as inter-religious fighting. It looks different from that perspective. This is a good caution.   more »

Ellen Dana Nagler suggests in bopnews that Democrats respond to religious influence on Republicans by fashioning themselves as "The party of the constitution." This is a loosing proposition: It becomes a contest of God, vs. the constitution.   more »

Learn how to talk with them about the 95% we have in common rather than argue and yell at each other about the 5% that divides us.   more »

What are values we share, as citizens and humans?

I am convinced that finding the places we agree is wiser and more productive than focusing on divisive distinctions. I believe that we can lift up common values and   more »

A Statement of faith is commonly a list of beliefs, presented so we can determine if we agree. But humans have a long history of getting it wrong and then fighting about it. I want to present this as a snapshot of what now informs my choices and outlook. I hope that we can give more energy to learning and living in the spirit than in making dividing lines.

My faith is part explanation, part inspiration, part experience, and part trust.   more »