
- Dear gentle reader a conversation on ethics how to#
- Dear gentle reader a conversation on ethics series#
- Dear gentle reader a conversation on ethics free#
Sandra Nikkel, head pastor of Conklin Reformed Church, responds: “To My Loves, I want to express to you my JOYīecause you, like me, we have each other.” “Dear Spiritual Companions, I want to bear to you my witnessīecause you, like me, we need understanding and kindness for this is true Empathy. “Dear Gentle Souls, I want to expose to you my vulnerabilitiesīecause you, like me, we often forget that this is where our power lives

“Dear Precious Lambs, I want to give you my Love and compassionīecause, you like me, we need both right now more than ever. “Dear Tender Hearts, I want to offer you my grace and forgivenessīecause you, like me, we are learning, and we will make mistakes. “Dear Beloveds, I want to show you my tenderness,īecause you, like me, we have never been here before and the unknown is hard. The Reverend Colleen Squires, minister at All Souls Community Church of West Michigan, a Unitarian Universalist Congregation, responds: And in navigating the very serious issues of health (should you be or become sick with COVID-19), finances, work, etc., do so with vigorous will and hope.” Within this challenge there are great opportunities for community support, charity, introspection, physical exercise. Take every chance to enjoy what is offered. This swan could dip its beak into a glass of milk mixed with water, and consume all the milk and leave the water. We are encouraged to do the same. There is in Hinduism the allegory of the Paramhansa (literally, “Great Swan”). It is simply the healthiest mindset to have, both psychologically and physically. To be clear, optimism is not escapism or a false sense of security. “The most important thing we can do in a crisis as we are in is to cultivate optimism. And when we enter the promised land together, may we put aside the electronic devices and revel once again in face to face contact with our community!įred Stella, the Pracharak (Outreach Minister) for the West Michigan Hindu Temple, responds:
Dear gentle reader a conversation on ethics free#
When we cross the Reed Sea together and begin to emerge from our social isolation, may you free yourself from the things that keep your spirit yet imprisoned. May your Passover be a moment of calm and reflection within the chaos. And we, too, have found ways of connecting with each other and coming together as a community, albeit electronically, to continue to sing and pray together and support each other. So we too are celebrating Passover at a time of plague, a time of fear and darkness and isolation. But in the midst of this chaos, they celebrated coming together as a people in relationship with God, who brought them from subjugation to redemption. And the next morning, they left Egypt with Pharaoh’s army on their heels.
Dear gentle reader a conversation on ethics series#
The meal was eaten after a series of plagues destroyed the countryside, leaving devestation in its wake, and in the midst of a final plague, resulting in the death of the firstborn all around them. Here are some thoughts that I have shared:
Dear gentle reader a conversation on ethics how to#
In the Jewish community, some of the anxiety stems from concern over how to celebrate the upcoming Passover holiday, a holiday typically celebrating in large gatherings of congregations, family groups, and friends. This week and next, the Ethics and Religion Talk panel shares some words of encouragement and hope to address the uncertainties and fears of living under the shadow of the novel coronavirus pandemic. Tell us how you resolved an ethical dilemma and see how members of the Ethics and Religion Talk panel would have handled the same situation. We’d love to hear about the ordinary ethical questions that come up on the course of your day as well as any questions of religion that you’ve wondered about. More recent columns can be found on by searching for the tag “ethics and religion talk.”

The first five years of columns, published in the Grand Rapids Press and MLive, are archived at. No other news site, religious or otherwise, publishes a similar column. Each post contains three or four responses to a reader question from a panel of nine diverse clergy from different religious perspectives, all based in the Grand Rapids area. “Ethics and Religion Talk,” answers questions of ethics or religion from a multi-faith perspective.
