Pope Francis and Climate Change: Some Critical Questions

Last updated on: September 24, 2015 at 7:19 pm By Roger Gottlieb

For the many of us—clergy and laypeople, academics and plain citizens, in the U.S. and throughout the world—who for decades have been saying that the environmental crisis calls for a religious perspective and an activist religious response Pope Francis’ bold words are a wonderfully welcome addition. At least three things give those words special weight: first, as the years pass the reality of both global warming in particular and the other dimensions of the crisis (including the vast scale of... Read more

Fifty Shades of Jihad

Last updated on: February 24, 2015 at 10:13 am By Roger Gottlieb

Fifty Shades of Grey and Jihad. Any similarity? Of course not. One is a phenomenally successful, poorly written, vaguely pornographic novel that follows the tried and true formula of romance novels: powerful, gorgeous, got-it-all man falls for shy, immature, hiddenly attractive, and mildly spunky woman. He dominates her; she reforms him. They (and their assorted whips and handcuffs) live happily ever after. The second is the horror of ISIS beheading and burning and slaughtering innocent victims; a range of killings... Read more

Five Stories You won’t read ANYWHERE ELSE!

Last updated on: January 13, 2015 at 2:39 pm By Roger Gottlieb

Five Stories You Won’t Find Anywhere Else on the Internet Congress of Homosexuals “welcomes” church hierarchy. After days of intense and strident debate, a meeting of LGBT activists and leaders in New York City yesterday issued a dramatic statement that recognized the “gifts and contributions” of the Catholic hierarchy. “Of course we’re not saying that all in all Catholicism is a good thing,” said Sander Peterson, working chair of the group. “We just couldn’t go that far, not as long... Read more

Climate Future Part 2

Last updated on: December 23, 2014 at 9:35 am By Roger Gottlieb

My last post post told it like it probably will be. But there is a chance, just a chance, that we can change. Here’s one way it might happen: SCENARIO TWO Eve I love to go out into the garden before anyone else. The vegetables in their beds are just coming in now. If I push my fingers down just a little I can feel the carrots, and the lettuce just glistens (Oh I love that word) with the dew on... Read more

Climate Future? Take a Look Part I

Last updated on: December 17, 2014 at 11:19 am By Roger Gottlieb

The Bad News? The current U.N. report on climate unequivocally states that global warming is happening, that we are causing it, that it will be much worse than previously projected, and that we need to reduce damaging emissions to near zero. Also, the U.S. has just catapulted into congressional and state leadership a political party committed to rejecting these scientific findings and expanding our use of fossil fuels. The Good News? Actually—right at the moment I can’t think of anything.... Read more