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The Jewish Jesus, On Cancer and Catholicism, and More
December 04, 2014
Summary: The idea that Jesus triumphed over Judaism, and why it's wrong, according to scholar James Carroll; a Catholic writer wrestles with platitudes about breast cancer, and Soundscapes: the Hindu Om.
Public Domain | Wikimedia Commons
Remembering the Jewish Jesus December 04, 2014
For Catholic writer James Carroll, the often-told story that Jesus triumphed over Judaism is "a bug in the software of Christianity." That error has copied itself again and again, setting the stage for the intolerance we find in Western culture today, pitting black vs. white, rich vs, poor, documented vs. undocumented--the list goes on.

Photo Caption: An artistic juxtaposition of the many historical faces of Jesus. 

James Carroll, author of Christ Actually: The Son of God for the Secular Age
Mary Valle
Mary Valle: Stop with the Pink Cancer Ribbons December 04, 2014
After being diagnosed with a fierce form of breast cancer at the age of 38, Mary Valle found herself in the generically named Meditation Room at the hospital, wrestling with the faith she had left behind as a child. In a new book, she revisits what she learned in Sunday school, pondering her broken body, and her growing distaste for the idea that cancer is a "blessing in disguise."

Mary Valle, author of Cancer Doesn't Give A Sh*t About Your Stupid Attitude: Reflections on Cancer and Catholicism
Public Domain | Wikimedia Commons
Soundscapes: The Hindu 'Om' December 04, 2014
This week we meditate on the sacred syllable that Hindus and Buddhists call ‘the first breath of creation.’ When said in unison with a group, it reverberates through the room, hinting at the reality that encompasses the entire universe. This is part four of our series, The Soundscapes of Faith.
 
Pictured: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva (the Hindu gods of trinity) within the aum symbol, from a Mahabharata manuscript dated to 1795.

Shubha Pathak, associate professor of religion at American University