From the moment a man walks into a church, says David Murrow, he gets the message that he doesn’t belong. There’s the feminine décor, which Murrow calls “Victorian parlor motif”: quilted banners, flowers, lace doilies, boxes of tissues.
Then there are the sermons, which often ask men to take on the role of damsel in distress – the lost, broken soul who needs to be saved. And don’t forget the music, which can describe Jesus as a love object, with lyrics like “I’m desperate for you,” and “I am so in love with you.” This female focus makes a difference, and Murrow says it’s the reason why most churches are 60 percent female, 40 percent male.
David Murrow, author of the newly revised edition of "Why Men Hate Going to Church"
Translating for the Dalai Lama
Begins at 28 min 15 sec
For more than 25 years, Thupten Jinpa has been by the Dalai Lama’s side, working as his primary English translator. He knows the leader of Tibetan Buddhism in a way few people do, and says he’s truly the way you imagine him to be - kind, compassionate, funny, humble. And also extremely smart. Jinpa joins us to reflect back on his years of translating, and to talk about the Dalai Lama’s new book, “Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World.”
Pictured: Thupten Jinpa with the Dalai Lama, Sept. 2006. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Geshe Thupten Jinpa, lead English translator for His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet
