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Common Threads: An Interfaith Dialogue

Fred Stella, Kaufman Interfaith Institute, WGVU-FM, Interfaith Dialogue Association, Grand Valley State University

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Rated as the #1 podcast on all matters interfaith by Feedspot (https://blog.feedspot.com/interfaith_podcasts/), this is a weekly program that airs on Michigan NPR affiliates WGVU and WGVK. These 2 stations cover the entire western portion of the state. The show is hosted by Fred Stella, President of Interfaith Dialogue Association, an affiliate of Kaufman Interfaith Institute, which operates out of Grand Valley State University, the license holder of both stations. Each week Fred invites cle ...
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I liken this new book entitled "Boond" to the classic "Little Prince." That is, while it may have a certain childlike charm, it is not really a children's book. This is a tale of the Divine Quest. Boond is Sanskrit for "drop," as in a drop of water. And that is exactly what the star of our story is: an anthropomorphic drop of water. We rarely featu…
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Growing up in an Italian-American family, I was introduced to Malocchio (the Evil Eye) at a young age. I loved having this eccentric idea as part of my heritage. For centuries, some cultures have been able to accommodate both their Christian traditions along with various elements of folk magic, esoteric healing and what has come to be known as "wit…
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A groundbreaking, expansive new account of Reconstruction that fundamentally alters our view of this formative period in American history. We are told that the present moment bears a strong resemblance to Reconstruction, when freedpeople and the federal government attempted to create an interracial democracy in the south after the Civil War. That e…
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It is hard to imagine anyone living in the USA today who does not either have someone close to them dealing with severe mental health challenges or suffering themselves from the same. An educated guess is that not only are we experiencing a rise in such maladies, but thankfully, the stigma of admitting to having them is much less than in the past. …
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Not long ago Convicted Felon D. Trump began shamelessly hawking "Greenwood" Bibles that include not only all 66 Protestant canonical books but The Constitution and Bill of Rights as well. A serious problem we have in the USA is that a number of American citizens believe that our founding documents are quasi-scriptural. In their minds, the Founding …
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Places of pilgrimage tend to be held as sacred spaces by particular religions. But it's not universally true. Sometimes there are holy sites that are venerated by 2 or more faiths. Adam's Peak in Sri Lanka is one of them. It is climbed constantly by Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and secularists. I suspect it would be climbed by Jews if the…
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Ever run into one of those people whose resumes are so bloody full of awesome accomplishments that you wonder why they even let you take up precious space on earth? Well this is one of those guys. James Thornton is a world-renowned environmental lawyer, author, poet, and Zen Buddhist priest. The New Statesman named him as one of 10 people who could…
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For centuries theologians, clergy and laity within the Abrahamic traditions have made great attempts to define where the concepts of love and justice fall within their faiths.Many Christians are quick to acknowledge that Christianity is indeed a religion founded on the principle of love, but look upon the Hebrew scriptures as being little more than…
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One of the most important aspects of the interfaith movement is raising the bar from mere tolerance (Hey, I'll let you live!) to pluralism, which encourages actual engagement with those of different theologies while still maintaining one's own personal beliefs. For years now, Harvard has measured this movement in the US and occasionally helps those…
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Fred Stella welcomes MSU historian Emily Conroy-Krutz to Common Threads to discuss her book, Missionary DiplomacyThe American Christian church has historically been at the forefront of the missionary movement abroad. This is not news. But what many people are not aware of is that for much of the 19th century, Church and State engaged in a serious e…
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Over the years we've had many discussions on human sexuality and spirituality, including religion's response to homosexuality. As of late, Pope Francis has been making headlines and encouraging controversy with his recent declaration that gives permission to priests to bless gay couples.While many have accused the pontiff of opening the door to a f…
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For centuries, Judeo-Christian culture has held a place for the more esoteric elements of spirituality. These would include alchemy, magic, astrology, mysticism and more. Most western religions reject them now as superstitious, or even dangerous.But several millennia ago, the practitioners of these arts (as they were classified then) were members i…
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Rabbi David Krishef & I have been friends & colleagues for years. We've had him on before to discuss a fascinating event in his life several years ago. We're having him on again, this time to discuss a remarkable new book of his. If you are a fan of the poetry of the Psalms, I think you'll find this compelling.…
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A cynic might chalk this up to a bit of nepotism, but I would protest. Tom Stella, my cousin, has made more appearances on Common Threads than any other guest. But aside from the sharing of DNA, Tom continues to explore the deeper parts of spirituality in which so many find resonance. In these 2 episodes we discuss his latest book "Meditation for M…
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Even though it's been over 40 years, the memory of Jonestown and the massacre that ended it still haunts the American psyche. Few realize that the number of Americans killed on that fateful day is the highest right under the Twin Tower attacks of 9/11. Since the initial reporting of the event, little attention has been paid to any Michigan connecti…
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One of the most contentious issues of 19th Century Christian America revolved around the veracity of the story of Joseph Smith and his discovery of golden plates that became the foundation of the Book of Mormon. In these episodes we speak with Prof. Richard Bushman, whose book on this subject is perhaps the most detailed on the subject you'd want t…
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In these episodes we converse with 4 writers of religion who contributed to the now best selling book Sitting In the Shade of Another Tree. And yeah, I'm in it as well, but please don't hold that against the book and these fine minds. We were all tasked with writing an essay on a religion not our own that we hold in high estimation for one reason o…
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Armin Langer is a DAAD Visiting Assistant Professor at the Center for European Studies. Prior to joining CES, he was a Visiting Research Scholar at Brandeis University's Schusterman Center for Israel Studies in Waltham, MA, a Transatlantic Partnership on Memory & Democracy Fellow at the Center for German Studies at the University of Virginia in Cha…
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Eschatology (the study of end times predictions) has always fascinated me. I'm pleased that these 2023 episodes explain a great deal that I'm sure many of us did not know. Prof. Donald Akenson provides great details on how fundamentalist theology made its way from Britain and Ireland to these shores. This scriptural interpretation has been the caus…
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If you are a devotee of mythologist Joseph Campbell you know his mantra for years was "follow your bliss." In the proper context, this can be a wonderful aspiration. However, some may take it at face value and end up living a rather selfish, vapid existence. Fr. Adam Bucko turned this saying on its head by titling his book "Follow Your Heartbreak."…
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Common Threads is both honored and humbled to be named as the #1 podcast in the arena of interfaith. We are indebted to all of you who download, listen or otherwise support our efforts. You can see the list that includes other fine programs as well here:https://blog.feedspot.com/interfaith_podcasts/Di Martin Doblmeier
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I am so pleased to have found yet another cassette tape in my basement from way back when that I'm thrilled to share. All signs point to these episodes being recorded in 2002. Fr.Richard Neuhaus, who died in 2009, was a force to be reckoned with in the conservative Catholic movement. He was the editor of 1st Things Magazine, a journal of social and…
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There are many people of faith who, upon maturing in their spiritual growth, become willing to view the stories that surround the origins of their religions as more allegorical than historical. Admittedly, it's perhaps more challenging to find Muslims who are open to this understanding about their tradition than Jews or Christians. My understanding…
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Every once in a while there will be episodes about projects that I've been personally involved in. This is that. These 2023 conversations are with Dr. Frank Tedesco of True Dharma International. He produced and directed a documentary that is intended to advise caregivers and medical personnel on providing comfort to those adherents in the Dharmic r…
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In the Hindu tradition there is the stage of life called Vanaprastha. It is when one retires from many family and professional responsibilities to dedicate more time to spiritual advancement. Our guest on these 2023 episodes is not Hindu, but Unitarian Universalist. Rev. W. Fred Wooden, and he is expressing this epoch in his life by pilgrimage. He …
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I suspect that no one who listens to Common Threads would support the oppressing of someone due to their social status or caste. So when we hear of colleges, towns, states, etc., passing legislation or resolutions that claim to protect those born in "low caste" families our initial response might be a positive one. But as our guests on these 2023 e…
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We hear and read about how this country is so deeply polarized. The problem is that there is clearly one side that has made a cottage industry out of demonizing the "other side." While there are crazy makers on the left side of the spectrum, it is clearly those who subscribe to a Trumpian philosophy that are doing the most damage. In these episodes…
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Years ago the US Government was anxious to resettle Iraqi citizens temporarily in the USA whom they thought had significant leadership qualities. Their purpose was to begin their nation building in a post-Saddam society with returning these men and women in time for a turn toward an American friendly democratic republic. Josh Sobey's family, who ar…
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In the late 1800s, a group of German-speaking Mennonites left southern Russia and journeyed into Central Asia following the end-time prophecies of a charismatic preacher. But while the story of these Mennonites’ perilous journey into Uzbekistan is riveting, for Sofia Samatar, the real story begins after the end of the world failed to arrive. In the…
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On an evening not too long ago, Bay Area high school student Ritu Balani hosted an event that allowed fellow students and community members to share with an audience their most intimate spiritual and religious stories. These 2023 episodes contain a conversation with Ritu, as well as excerpts from the night itself.…
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For the past couple of decades conservatives have been planning and executing a takeover of our court systems. For some odd reason, Democrats have not paid as much attention to this. Thus we are experiencing a significant sea change in American juris prudence. What does this mean to how religion is expressed in this country? A great deal. The term …
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It is so painful to know of the brilliant legacy of Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and other paths in China that flourished, and see how religion is so under siege today. And along with these indigenous traditions we can see how Islam and Christianity are also under attack.Dr. Kelly Clark has done extensive research in China over the the years. He'…
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As I mention in my introduction, I've got a soft spot in my heart for heretics. They tend to be colorful characters with a story to tell. Well, Jacob Frank was no exception. These episodes explore this visionary/cult leader/misbegotten messiah/iconoclast.Seriously. Listen to these conversations with brilliant theologian Jay Michaelson. You'll thank…
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Remember back in the day when almost from birth a girl was groomed to become a wife? If so, I'm impressed that you're still alive, because I'm pretty old myself, and I have only the vaguest memories of that world. But in certain cultures this still stands. In these episodes with author Rachel Rueckert, we discuss the challenges of growing up in the…
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Sociologists tell us that marriages tend to be more successful when certain commonalities are present. Religion is one of them. But we all know that marrying outside of one's faith is much more commonplace than in the days of yore. So how do we navigate such unions? One way is to have honest conversations about the challenges that might erupt betwe…
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There is something special about having access to the private correspondence between thoughtful, literate and spiritually evolved individuals. Mark Taylor and Jack Miles are 2 such people. During the Covid lockdown they wrote to one another regularly. Their insights into religion, politics, life, death and everything in between are compelling and t…
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Once again, I find an ancient cassette tape of 2 episodes we broadcasted back in the early days. I have no idea of when we did these, but surely sometime between 2000-2006. And keep in mind that our guest is local, and discusses meditation sanghas here in West Michigan. Any phone numbers or websites shared are not current. But the insights Robert W…
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Longtime listeners will recall how I have been posting hundreds of episodes from the past 20+ years that were on cassette tapes stored in my basement. I thought I was done, but have stumbled across a few more. These are a couple of those. I'm thrilled to have found them, as this conversation with Dr. Dwight Hopkins, who does such a great job of exp…
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Some people just walk away from their faiths of birth with no hard feelings. They just...stop. No issues, no problems. But some religions or denominations do make it a challenge. And leaving can have significant challenges. In the past we've exposed the hard work that many who have left Jewish Hasidim communities have had to do as they attempt to r…
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Carl Plantinga is a professor of film and media at Calvin University, where he has taught since 2000.Carl's books include ‘Screen Stories: Emotion and the Ethics of Engagement;’ ‘Moving Viewers: American Film and the Spectator’s Experience; and Rhetoric and Representation in Nonfiction Film.’ He also co-edited ‘The Routledge Companion to Philosophy…
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Most of us have never heard of the ancient people known as the Yazidis. It has been only in recent times since the invasion of ISIS that resulted an unmerciful slaughter of so many. Houman Oliaei is a scholar at Kalamazoo College who has lived in Yazidi communities both in the USA and the Middle East. He provides an excellent history, including the…
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There are several forces at work to break up India into separate ethno-religious states. The odd thing here is that the vast majority of Sikhs in the Punjab really enjoy being Indian. Yet, there is a small minority that want to create Khalistan, a Sikh theocracy. However, the real problem is that a large number of Sikhs in North America are strong …
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As I say in the beginning of Part 1, I met Lisa at the Council on Foreign Relations conference on Religion & Foreign Policy in 2016. We reconnected at the same event in 2022. Our conversations are expansive, covering everything from her forebears' experience with slavery and indentured servitude, the race issues of today and both the positive and n…
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You don't have to 'be religious' to believe there may be a life after death. The Medium and the Minister explores psychical and religious approaches to the possibility of an afterlife. The tensions and conflicts between these two approaches and the heated controversies they have generated are illustrated by a number of case studies. These focus on …
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Close to the top of Culture War issues is the concept of Wokeism. It's such a loaded word. And the thing is, it not only riles those on the right, but can be a pain for more progressive people as well. I admit to cringing when I hear people refer to "menstruating people" when referring to those liable to get pregnant. I find "women" is much more pl…
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At 1st glance, it would seem that Jews and Hindus have very little in common. Judaism is known as one of "the great monotheistic religions of the world." How can there be much to talk about with a religion that purportedly has 330,000,000 gods & goddesses? Well, it seems that besides the fact that some of the most devout Hindus have been Jews, ther…
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When we think about the religious communities that offered assistance to the civil rights struggles of the past and present, we don't usually think of Hindus. There is a good reason for that. Nonetheless, there is a connection. In these March 2022 episodes we examine the bridges between the 2 cultures with educator Murali Balaji. Most important is …
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