Religion & Spirituality

It was the 1522, and Katharina von Bora was hiding in a herring barrel. Along with her were eleven other nuns in herring barrels, all in a horse-drawn cart, escaping their convent. Since March is Women's History Month, I was asked what woman I would like to see written back into history, specifically the history of religion. For me, it's the nun hiding in the herring barrel.

March 5th is the World Day of Prayer. There was strong resistance from all-male mission boards in the late 1800s, when talk of a World Day of Prayer (WDP) first surfaced among women in the American and Canadian missionary societies of various Christian denominations. Women saw the special needs of other women and of children in the developing world. They understood that prayer was needed but was not enough. Action was required, as well. And so they organized. One result was the World Day of Prayer, which has grown into a global movement.

Hatred has become a frightening part of everyday life. From the web to Congress, from casual remarks over paper cups of coffee to snide remarks over cocktail glasses, the shadow of hatred can be found lurking. Hate crimes in America continue to rise. It is time to step further up and to support positive change, both in our communities and in ourselves.

Buddhism has people talking. From reactions to the Tiger Wood's press-speech wherein he claimed his Buddhist heritage to President Obama's meeting with the Dalai Lama this week in defiance of the threat from China that he should not. Buddhism, the fourth largest religion in the United States, has experienced an explosive growth. Current estimates are 1.5 million Buddhists in America.

When we work on our computers if things start to slow down or go wobbly we can try and start fresh by hitting a reset button. When it comes to our lives however, finding the reset button can be difficult. When times get tough how can we find that button? I've got six tips for making the search a little easier.