CLAL Special Features
Welcome to CLAL Special Features where you will find articles by guest
columnists and roundtables on hot issues and special topics.
Jewish Public Forum Seminar:
What Is Religion For?
November 19, 2001
Key Societal Challenges after 9/11
(a partial list of the challenges identified by seminar
participants)
· How can we prepare
ourselves, and our society, for living in a more dangerous world without panic or
xenophobia?
· How do we move
beyond a clash of world-views in which each side views the other as an enemy or as lacking
in humanity?
· How do we defend
liberal society in a time of war?
· How do we deal with
the new political challenges without ignoring existing ones such as poverty, both at home
and abroad?
· How do we widen our
understanding of national defense in an era of global interdependency?
· The global
capitalist system is based on movement of people, goods, capital & information. How
can these be deployed for the benefit of all peoples?
· How do we ensure
that our public conversations about issues such as race, religion and globalization are
not polarized into a conflict between us and them?
· The attack on 9/11
has produced a new sense of community. Can we sustain a sense of community like this
without relying on crisis?
· How do we
capitalize on the current surge of interest in volunteering? Can it be sustained?
· How do we talk
about mortality and the meaning of life without lapsing into easy answers?
· What are the
ethical and spiritual steps that are needed to help break the cycle of trauma and
violence?
· How do we talk
about the complex issues raised by 9/11 with our children?
· If 9/11 marks the
end of relativism, how do we distinguish between good and bad
religion?
· Fundamentalism is
not unique to Islam but poses a challenge for Jews and Christians as well. How do we
embrace our religious traditions when they conflict with deeply felt Western ethical
values?
· How can we create a
dialogue of equals between the Islamic world and the West?
· How can we find
ways to gather into communities of faith that are both open and rooted, and create
practices that both strengthen community and deepen exchange between communities?
To join the conversation at Special Features Discussion, click here.
To access the Special Features Archive, click here.
To receive CLAL Special Features column by email on a regular basis, complete
the box below: