Parenthood Involves Massive Sacrifice: Money, Attention, Time

In Thinking About Religion And Society In The 21st Century, We Should Broaden The Conversation About Faith From Doctrinal Debates To The Larger Question Of How It Might Inspire Us To Strengthen The Bonds Of Belonging That Redeem Us From Our Solitude, Helping Us To Construct Together A Gracious And Generous Social Order.

The Market Economy Is Deeply Congruent With The Values Set Out In The Hebrew Bible. Material Prosperity Is A Divine Blessing. Poverty Crushes The Spirit As Well As The Body, And Its Alleviation Is A Sacred Task. Work Is A Noble Calling.

When You've Got Jews And Christians, Muslims, Sikhs And Hindus Removing Graffiti From Buildings, Or Getting Drug Dealers Off The Street, That's Side By Side. When You Do That, You Take It From The Very Elevated Level Of Interfaith Dialogue To The Street Level Of Neighbors. You Get Them Working Side By Side, And They Become Friends. Friendship Sometimes Counts For More Than Interfaith Agreement Or Understanding. Friendship Is Deeply Human.

A Survey Carried Out Across The U.s. Between 2004 And 2006 Showed That Frequent Church- Or Synagogue-goers Are More Likely To Give Money To Charity.

We Believe That What We Possess We Don't Ultimately Own. God Is Merely Entrusting It To Us. And One Of The Conditions Of That Trust Is That We Share What We Have With Those Who Have Less. So, If You Don't Give To People In Need, You Can Hardly Call Yourself A Jew. Even The Most Unbelieving Jew Knows That.