Isis and Genocide: What Does A Label Mean?
This week Secretary of State John Kerry officially labelled as genocide the acts being perpetrated against Christians, Shiite Muslims and Yazidis by ISIS. This is a historic statement, says Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, president of Clal and co-founder and executive editor of TheWisdomDaily.com, but “what does it mean to call something something if it doesn’t move us to action?”
Read moreIn this Election Season, Words Matter
In this week’s Faith On the Record, Rabbi Brad Hirschfield highlights the verbal inflation that has occurred in the media, where the Black Lives Matters movement has been held up as equal to the Ku Klux Klan and Erin Andrews’s stalker has been labeled a Terrorist. “Words matter” he reminds us, “according to Scripture, the world is called into...
Read moreRuth Bader Ginsburg and Her “Best Buddy” Antonin Scalia
After the death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, Rabbi Brad Hirschfield reflects on the close friendship of Scalia and his fellow Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. They sat at different ends of the ideological spectrum, but their friendship shows how important it is to able to “see the rich potential in at least some things about which we...
Read moreDo Muslims, Jews and Christians Worship the Same God?
This week Dr. Larycia Hawkins and her employer, Wheaton College, announced that they would “part ways” after Hawkins wore a hijab in solidarity with Muslims who were facing backlash after the terrorist attacks in Paris, stating on her Facebook page, “we all worship the same God.” But do we?, asks Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, president of Clal and co-founder and...
Read moreReligion and Candidates
According to a Pew Research Center survey about 50% of Americans say its important to have a president who shares their religious perspective. Rabbi Brad Hirschfield says that Americans know what the presidential hopefuls’ believe, in terms of doctrine or church affiliation, but “are willing to support a candidate who aren’t tied to a church or tradition” like theirs...
Read moreAccepting Other Beliefs Within Your Tradition
According to reports, the latest English language directive from ISIS is for Muslims to attack more Muslims. Rabbi Brad Hirschfield warns that this is not just a problem for the Islamic community but represents the idea that fanaticism can be present in any religion. and encourages us all to be “on the lookout for any fanatical totalitarian understandings, not...
Read moreIn God We Trust?
As another lawsuit is launched in Ohio to remove the words “In God We Trust” from the U.S. currency, Rabbi Bradley Hirschfield considers the issue. With 85% of the population believing in some form of higher power, is the reference to faith on the currency a “Fundamental violation of separation of church and state with the government imposing its...
Read moreThe Standoff in Oregon and Textual Totalitarianism
As armed protesters led by Ammon Bundy continue to occupy a federal building in Oregon’s Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, president of Clal and co-founder and executive editor of TheWisdomDaily.com, likens the theory behind their actions to groups like ISIS, which rely “the idea that a small select group can fully own a sacred document”, in this...
Read moreRabbi Brad Hirschfield looks to 2016
While no one can predict exactly what is going to happen in 2016, Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, president of Clal and co-founder and executive editor of TheWisdomDail.com, believe that we will all be talking about issues of privacy and trust, which continue to be at the heart of what concerns so many Americans.
Read moreThe Biggest Religion Stories of 2015
The biggest stories in religion all boil down to two key issues, according to Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, president of Clal and co-founder and executive editor of TheWisdomDaily.com: Faith and Freedom.
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