April 21, 2015—The annual TED conference invites some of the world’s most accomplished and eclectic thinkers to share their findings and visions with the world. This year’s lineup in Vancouver, Canada totaled 58 speakers and included one of San Francisco’s own — BJ Miller, the executive director of the Zen Hospice Project. Responding to San Francisco’s HIV epidemic, the Zen Hospice Project got its start back in the late 1980s. Medicine often focuses on bringing patients back to health, but that’s not always helpful if a patient is near the end. Caregivers with… [Read More…]
They say yes to Jesus, but not the church
Across the country, surveys show a sharp rise in a category of people dubbed the “nones” by social scientists. Who are the nones? They check “none” when asked to identify a religious affiliation. The surveys indicate that many of the “nones” were born into a religion, even though now they don’t identify with it. Beyond that, according to Art Farnsley, a professor of religious studies at Indiana Purdue University Indianapolis and associate director of the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture, there’s a lot we don’t know. Especially about regional… [Read More…]
Surprise! Religion unites us
These days a lot of people prefer the word “spirituality” over “religion”. That’s because many people associate religion with rigid institutions that are hopelessly behind the times. Religion also can be a highly divisive topic, one of the subjects you don’t bring up in polite conversation. Spirituality on the other hand, is defined by an individual’s personal belief system. You could say it has more of a warm, fuzzy feeling to it. But David Campbell, professor of political science at Notre Dame University, is less condemning of religion and its place in American… [Read More…]
