Grappling with God on Glee

This article was written by Christina Ferrari, a sophomore Creative Writing Major at DePaul University. She serves as an Interfaith Scholar and is an active member of  Catholic Campus Ministry.

I admit, I am a Gleek. (Alright, maybe I wasn’t quite as dramatic or annoying in high school and fortunately I never suffered the humiliation of being “slushied”) but like the members of New Directions, I loved performing and found a deep appreciation for the profound power of music.

For those of you who aren’t as acquainted with the show as I am, let me briefly explain.  Glee is a TV show that follows a high school glee club, New Directions, and every week they sing and dance to various musical theater ballads, pop songs, and other musical sensations. But the show is about more than awkward teenagers belting their little hearts out, it also deals with teen issues of sexual orientation, teen pregnancy, the desire to fit in, and many other pressures from parents, teachers, and peers. Continue reading

Tackling the God Gap

This blog post was submitted by Nicholas R. Lang, a senior at DePaul University. Nick serves as Media Intern for the Interfaith Youth Core and is a resident of the Vincent and Louise House on campus. He is also a co-founder and co-president of DePaul A.V. Club.

How much do you know about your own religion?  What about the beliefs of other faiths?  According to a recent Pew Research Study, the answer may be not much.  Although atheists and agnostics scored slightly higher than other faith traditions, polled Americans averaged a score of 50% on questions about a number of faith traditions.  Less than 40% of Americans were able to correctly recognize Vishnu and Shiva as Hindu figures.  Not even half could correctly identify the religion of the Dalai Lama.

Interestingly, Catholics fared the worst of any faith tradition on questions pertaining to the Bible and Christianity, and Christians scored only slightly better than the average.  In the report, Pew goes further: 43% of Jews were unaware “that Maimonides, one of the most venerated Rabbis in history, was Jewish.”  Only half of Protestants recognized Martin Luther as the thinker whose writings inspired the Protestant Reformation. Continue reading

Interfaith Dialogue Must Include Atheists

Chris Stedman

This article was written by Chris Stedman, a prominent figure in the national interfaith movement. He is the Managing Director, ‘State of Formation,’ The Journal of Inter-Religious Dialogue. Follow his blog NonProphetStatus and keep up with him on Twitter.

In my work as an interfaith activist, I’ve fought to bring an end to religious division. Lately this has increasingly meant speaking out against the rise in anti-Muslim rhetoric and violence sweeping America. As a member of the Common Ground Campaign, I’m actively working to oppose those who wish to disenfranchise the American Muslim community. Continue reading