Bishop John Chane, Episcopal Bishop of Washington, DC, and his visit to Iran

Bishop Chane visited Iran in December, 2006, at the invitation of former President Mohammed Khatami, who immediately preceded Ahmadinejad. President Khatami spoke at the Washington National Cathedral in mid-2006 (with strong protests from some quarters), but that event led to this visit. Bishop Chane described his visit as low key, without media. It was a time for intense dialogue with religious and university leaders, but also included a conversation with the head of Iran’s nuclear program. Iranian clerics told him that construction of a nuclear weapon is contrary to the Qu’ran, but he said there was some skepticism about whether that is a deterrent. His own sources among U.N. inspectors estimate 7-8 years before Iran would have a nuclear weapon. Ahmadinejad, he said, is in a weakened position – large because of a souring economy. He seems to use holocaust denial and spinning centrifuges as “wedge issues” to deflect attention from the country’s real problems. Iranians Bishop Chane met, especially the clerics, were split on the U.S. role in neighboring Iraq, some urging immediate withdrawal, other fearing a killing field if that happened too rapidly. Many Iranians expressed fear of the U.S., asking questions like, “You’re not going to do to us what you did to Iraq, are you?” Others, fearful of a U.S. attack on Iran, said: “We are not the people your government makes us out to be.” Bishop Chane counseled dialogue and negotiation as the only ethical way forward with Iran. He urged that the rhetoric be cooled – on both sides – and that the two countries find a way to negotiate differences. He was emphatic that asymmetric war, or pre-emptive war, is flatly immoral and unjustified, especially in the 21st century.

An Abortion Bill Bringing Both Sides of the Debate Together

Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), pro-choice co-sponsor of legislation to prevent abortion

Rep. Timothy Ryan (D-OH), pro-life co-sponsor of the same legislation to prevent abortion

For decades, abortion has been a key issue for religious groups on both sides of the question. They have rarely agreed on anything – until now. These members of Congress are co-sponsors of legislation designed to prevent abortion. It includes measures to prevent unintended pregnancies (sex education, access to contraceptives), measures to encourage adoption (an increased tax credit) and a package of economic incentives to provide poor women with the means to carry pregnancies to term. The bill is currently sponsored by a coalition of pro-choice and pro-life Democrats, with hope that it will ultimately attract Republicans on both sides as well.

The Future of the Nation of Islam

Dr. Ihsan Bagby, Associate Professor of Islamic Studies, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY

Minister Louis Farrakhan is seriously ill with prostate cancer, and scheduled soon to give what many believe will be his last speech. When then will happen to the Nation of Islam? Dr. Bagby, a scholar of American Islam, believes that the key question is not Farrakhan’s successor, but whether the Nation of Islam will merge with mainstream Islam, or not. And the answer to that question remains to be seen.

Emanuel Swedenborg’s Visions of Heaven and Hell

Donald R. Rose, assistant pastor of Bryn Athyn Cathedral, Bryn Athyn, PA, and editor of Afterlife: A Guided Tour of Heaven and Its Wonders

Emanuel Swedenborg was an 18th century scientist and mystic, who wrote several books of theology. His most famous is Heaven and Hell, which purports to include actual descriptions of these places. Swedenborg said that God permitted him to go through the death process, and experience the afterlife so he could come back and tell the story for others. Donald Rose, a pastor in a church inspired by Swedenborg, edited an abbreviated version of Heaven and Hell, called Afterlife. Swedenborg describes three sections of the afterlife: the “World of Spirits,” a kind of ante-room where the dead get to know themselves as they really are. Heaven is a place of many communities with different functions. Hell is not a place of fire, but a place of ugly self-centeredness. In any event, Swedenborg teaches that people “grow into” their own afterlife; they put themselves in heaven or hell. If they have led selfless lives, they will feel comfortable in heaven. If they have led selfish lives, they send themselves in the other direction.