Commentary

For Maimoona Harrington, a columnist for SpokaneFāVs.com, that name fits her approach to writing from her distinct Muslim perspective. Her columns touch on feminism, abortion, a Muslim woman’s decision to wear or not wear a hijab and so much more.

In “White Evangelical Racism: The Politics of Morality in America,” Butler packs a historical punch in this short, but mighty, 150-page book with erudite and efficient language. In it, she carefully, and for the most part, fairly, exposes the racist root of what is mostly known as American Christianity today.

Inspired by native beliefs and her own intuitions, Simard’s book "Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest" is the result of over 30 years of research and her conclusions are not only controversial but astounding: “Trees and plants have agency. They perceive, relate, and communicate. They cooperate, make decisions, learn, and remember.”

After Kanye West’s prejudiced remarks about Jewish people made waves on the internet, anti-semitism has been on the rise, with The Washington Post reporting that a majority of Americans Jews are fearful of violence against them. This is why I believe it was important that our next field trip for the Religion Reporting Project was to the Spokane synagogue called Temple Beth Shalom. 

When Chellappa Deva met Sat Guru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami in 1968, he was inspired by the gurudeva’s teachings and has followed him ever since. Now, Deva is a devout Hindu and writes about his faith through SpokaneFāVS. 

Whichever party the midterm election ends up putting in charge of the U.S. Senate and House, the failure of a widely predicted red wave to overwhelm Democrats was thanks in no small measure to abortion.

I was recently asked what sparked my deconstructing journey. For many Christians who are happy with the way they believe, the seemingly new trend to deconstruct faith is perturbing. Where does it come from? Why can’t people be content with the way they were raised, or with the messages coming from pulpits across the country week after week?