Margot Adler, Redefining the "Witch Word"
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Date: 11 June 2009
Witches, Goddesses and Public Radio
This week we're revisiting one of our favorite interviews from last year, with Margot Adler. Radio junkies know her as an NPR reporter whose pieces air regularly on Morning Edition and All Things Considered. And pagans consider her a scholar of earth-based religion.
The former Jewish-atheist joins us to talk about the changing perception of the "witch word" and why if you look far enough back, all of us come from a pagan heritage.
Margot Adler, NPR reporter, author of Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-worshippers, and Other Pagans in America
Commentary: Obama's Interfaith Fluency
Begins at 23 min 4 sec
President Obama "speaks Muslim"...and Catholic, and Jewish. Words from the Qu'ran roll off his tongue as easily as words from the Talmud or the New Testament. He can name Mohammed, Moses and Jesus in the same breath, and bless them all with the common Muslim phrase, "peace by upon them." Our own Maureen Fiedler reflects on the subtle messages behind Obama's interfaith fluency.
Maureen Fiedler, host
Catholic and Hispanic
Begins at 28 min 39 sec
Miguel Diaz, a Hispanic Roman Catholic theologian, is Obama's pick for the next U.S. ambassador to the Vatican. That news came the same week Obama nominated another Hispanic Catholic, Judge Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court. Carmen Nanko-Fernandez explains why for many observers, being Catholic is no longer an issue, but being Hispanic is.
Carmen Nanko-Fernandez, former president of the Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States
Postcard: Holy Martyrs of Vietnam
Begins at 35 min 12 sec
This week we visit the oldest Vietnamese Catholic parish in the country, on a tree-lined street in Arlington, Virginia. It's called Holy Martyrs of Vietnam, and this year the congregation celebrates its 30th anniversary. Laura Kwerel brings us this audio postcard from October.
Produced by Laura Kwerel
Matisyahu, From Dreadlocks to Sidelocks
Begins at 41 min 35 sec
Under the yarmulke, curly beard and long side locks, Matisyahu is a lot like Bob Marley... the Orthodox Jewish version. Laura Kwerel caught up with the 29-year-old musician in our Washington, D.C. studio, where he played us a song from his new album, Shattered. Our story originally aired in December.
Matisyahu, Jewish reggae star
Web extra: Full in-studio performance of King Without a Crown and I Will Be Light
This Week's Interfaith Calendar
June 16 - Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev (Sikh)
On this day, Sikhs remember the first person to be martyred for their faith: Guru Arjan Dev (pictured, right). As the 5th Sikh guru, he compiled the Adi Granth, an early collection of hymns and prayers. It literally means "the first book." This later became the core of the Granth Sahib, the sacred text that Sikhs revere as their tenth and final Guru.
In the Sikh tradition, a guru is a spiritual teacher. Gurus are not incarnations of God themselves; they are simply highly gifted mentors who help others reach God. The first Guru and founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak, explained the Guru's role this way:
"The Palace of the Lord God is so beautiful. Within it, there are gems, rubies, pearls and flawless diamonds. A fortress of gold surrounds this Source of Nectar. How can I climb up to the Fortress without a ladder? By meditating on the Lord, through the Guru, I am blessed and exalted. The Guru is the Ladder, the Guru is the Boat, and the Guru is the Raft to take me to the Lord's Name."
