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Editor's note:
Thanksgiving is upon us again and as many gather around tables with friends and family, we do so knowing there are simmering tensions – both personal and political – just under the surface. These are polarizing times and it doesn’t take much for differences of opinion to quickly escalate into conflict. It was for such times as this that Rabbi Ariel Burger, a lifelong student of Holocaust survivor and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel, designed the Witness Institute’s fellowship program. Launched in 2020, amid the throes of the pandemic and Black Lives Matter protests, the 15-month course gives a cohort of emerging leaders – chosen for their diverse and often opposing viewpoints – a series of tools and practices for conflict resolution. Amid disparate responses to the Israel-Hamas war, it’s a strategy that current fellows are employing in real time, reports RNS’s Kathryn Post. “We are all facing a choice right now, with peers and colleagues and friends: will we lean in or will we lean out?” Burger said.
Religion News
Christian conservatives flock to former telenovela star in Mexico’s presidential race
Eduardo Verástegui registered for his 2024 presidential bid promising that, if elected, he would do anything in his power to reverse abortion access. By María Teresa Hernández/The Associated Press
How a game designer turned Jesuit ended up writing about space religion
In writing one of Starfield’s religions, Shane Liesegang drew on his studies as a Jesuit priest in training. By Bob Smietana/Religion News Service
A cadre of Bosnian musicians have realized that with the death of Ladino music's most famous singer, an essential part of Bosnian culture was in danger of being lost forever. By David I. Klein/Religion News Service
How a massive all-granite, hand-carved Hindu temple ended up on Hawaii's lush Kauai Island
On the island of Kauai, the presence of the Iraivan Temple — a white granite edifice with gold-leafed domes, modeled after millennia-old temples in South India — is unexpected and stunning. By Deepa Bharath/The Associated Press
Timekeepers no more, rank-and-file Jehovah's Witnesses say goodbye to tracking proselytizing hours
The iconic door knocking ministry carries on, but rank-and-file Jehovah’s Witnesses no longer need to track the hours they spend proselytizing. By Peter Smith/The Associated Press
Commentary and Analysis
The idea of Manifest Destiny inspired Americans to push west, leading to the creation of the first national parks. But those beliefs spelled removal for many Native American groups. By Thomas S. Bremer for The Conversation
The origins of the Indigenous People's Thanksgiving Sunrise Ceremony, held on the traditional lands of the Ohlone people, go back to 1969, a pivotal moment of Indigenous activism. By Shannon Toll for The Conversation
As a Quaker, I find it painful to face our history of participation in these schools. But we cannot live our faith with integrity if we do not. By Bridget Moix/Religion News Service
In minority faith groups that already face hate, women who have experienced harassment sometimes fear bringing negative attention to their community. By Keren McGinity for The Conversation
A woman holds a clay oil lamp during a ceremony to celebrate Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, at Krishna temple in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023. Diwali celebrates the spiritual victory of light over darkness. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
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