Category: Culture
What Religion Looks Like
From the Opinion column of Religion Dispatches. This demonstrates what can make religion relevant again in a consumer culture.
What Religion Looks Like, Wisconsin Edition
by Kim Bobo | Religion Dispatches | Feb. 23, 2011“Tell me what religion looks like.”
“This is what religion looks like!”
So chanted the 75 religious leaders who marched into Wisconsin’s Capitol in Madison on Tuesday, February 22, in support of the state workers who are opposing Governor Walker’s proposal to strip public sector workers of collective bargaining rights under the guise of balancing the budget. The workers have already agreed to many of the proposed salary and benefit reductions—they’re fighting to retain a voice in decisions through their unions and the collective bargaining process.
The proposals are so draconian and such clear violations of religious teachings in support of workers’ rights to organize and engage in collective bargaining that Wisconsin religious leaders across faith traditions have issued public statements, sent letters to the Governor and legislators, and are participating in rallies and public events.
Turn Off, Slow Down
During my daily review of RSS feeds I found this article on Religion Dispatches. As one who utilizes technology I found this article an interesting challenge, but I have a meeting on Friday and Saturday that requires technology.
Turn Off, Slow Down, Drop In: The Digital Generation Reinvents the Sabbath
by Elizabeth Drescher | Feb. 24, 2011 | Religion DispatchesMy face-to-face connection to Sarah and Adam Walker Cleaveland is thin. Nonetheless, Sarah and I were “friends” on Facebook, which, in turn, linked me to Adam’s robust social media presence. So I was privy to the deep joy that surrounded the couple last fall as they celebrated the halfway mark of Sarah’s pregnancy with twin boys. I also learned almost immediately, it seemed, when the pregnancy came to a wrenching, premature end on October 25, 2010, and the couple lost their 19-week-old sons, Micah and Judah.
Adam and Sarah have been on my mind a great deal this week as I reflect on a very different social media experience: next weekend’s National Day of Unplugging, from sunset on March 4 to sunset on March 5—a day when “people across the nation will reclaim time, slow down their lives and reconnect with friends, family, the community, and themselves.” Reboot, the nonprofit sponsoring the event as part of their Sabbath Manifesto project, includes “Ten Principles” to guide participation: 1) Avoid technology; 2) Connect with loved ones; 3) Nurture your health; 4) Get outside; 5) Avoid commerce; 6) Light candles; 7) Drink wine; 8) Eat bread; 9) Find silence; 10) Give back. But, according the group’s website, the key principle of focus for the day is theavoidance of technology.