Tag Archives: Social Issues

What do a gang rape and murder on the other side of the planet, a police investigation on prostitution at Spokane “health spas” and Lena Dunham’s Emmy outfit have in common?
Other than that they’re contributing to my current heartburn situation: What they have in common is that our, and my, reaction to all these stories is rooted in shame and fear. Shame and fear muddle the difference between what we should see as sexual perversion — non-consentual sex — and what we often regard as such: sexual decisions by others that make us feel uncomfortable.

This week we published a short story about physician-assisted suicide and the moral debates that surround the issue. Friends of Compassion discussed the topic at its monthly meeting on Wednesday and shared many questions and reflections. Do you wrestle with this topic? We’re like to hear from you.

Four decades after Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion, many opponents of the decision are in a celebratory mood while those backing abortion rights are glum, feeling that momentum is turning decisively against them.

Yet in reality, little has changed in the fiercest and most protracted battle of the nation’s bitter culture war.

This week we reported that the Chief of Police Frank Straub is interested in creating a faith-based advisory group. The first step, he said, is seeing if enough faith leaders are interested in getting involved, particularly from the black and Hispanic communities.

Perusing through local headlines can be depressing. Budget cuts, the tent city and crime are on many minds these days.

On Friday at 7 p.m. Lyad Burnat, a leader of the non-violent popular resistance in Bil'in, Palestine, will be speaking at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Spokane.