My fiancée is Muslim. I'm a JINO (Jewish in Name Only). She wants me to convert to Islam. I love her, but Islam holds no attraction for me. Should I convert to please her?
RABBI RAMI: Ask your fiancée if you can be a MINO (Muslim in Name Only). If not, and she expects you to practice the Five Pillars of Islam—professing belief in Allah and affirming Muhammad as His Messenger, praying five times daily, donating 2.5 percent of your wealth to the community, fasting during Ramadan, and making hajj, pilgrimage to Mecca—decide if you're willing to do these things. If you're unwilling, don't convert. If you are willing, Islam may grow on you. Inshallah.
A friend gifted me a New International Version (NIV) Bible. I was horrified to find God sanctioning abortion, killing the unborn baby of an adulterous woman! Is this true?
You're referring to Sotah, a biblical ritual in which a priest administers poison to a woman whose husband accused her of adultery. If guilty, the woman dies from a collapsed uterus. The NIV erroneously translates this as “miscarries,” mistakenly implying the woman is pregnant (Numbers 5:21-22). While God kills lots of babies in the Bible (the firstborn babies of Egypt and every baby in the flood, for example), God is innocent in this case. All Bible translations are flawed; don't rely on any, and certainly not just one.
I recently joined Unity. My parents are furious, thinking that having left their religion, I've left Jesus, and we will not be together in Heaven. What can I say to calm their fears?
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MY BODY IS A WONDERLAND
If a man is to live, he must be all alive, body, soul, mind, heart, spirit. —Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude
MOMENTS THAT CHANGE THE WORLD
THIS PAST SUNDAY I CRASHED MY BIKE so hard I flew over the handlebars, landed on my head and back, and broke my helmet. Thankfully, my 16-year-old son Patrick was there to make sure I did not try to move my neck or body or let anyone else move me. It felt good that his words were so solid, helpful, and calm with so many people wanting to do something before the ambulance guys took over—and then a CT scan showed nothing broken.
DEBUNKING PROSPERITY MYTHS
Adopting a holistic view of prosperity brings true wealth, which has little to do with your bank balance.
A Hilltop of Happiness
I recently went to the Art of Living Retreat Center in Boone, North Carolina, a spectacular hilltop retreat in the Blue Ridge Mountains that opened 10 years ago. But I've been curious about the Art of Living and its leader, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, for decades. I first encountered followers of Gurudev at the International Spa Association convention in Las Vegas, where I met the creators of Shankara, an Ayurvedic skincare company that is now the heart of the Shankara Spa at the retreat center in Boone. Amidst the bustling Vegas convention, these followers of Gurudev created an island of calm.
HOW TO HOLD OUR ANGER WITH WISDOM
IN UNITY, WE HONOR JESUS AS THE WAY SHOWER. In The Revealing Word: A Dictionary of Metaphysical Terms, Unity cofounder Charles Fillmore expressed that Jesus “came to awaken us to the possibilities of his own nature.” He noted that Jesus “had an insight into those things that are ever mysteries to those immersed in the sense consciousness,” including “judgments based on outer appearances” that “produce discordant thoughts, jealousies, and a host of limiting beliefs.” Fillmore further stated that Jesus was the “representative of a thoroughly organized plan to help humanity into a higher realization of God and its relationship to Him.”So what about that time in the temple when Jesus lost his cool? Was that part of the “thoroughly organized plan” or “a higher realization of God”?
Point of View Is Everything
You're not stuck in your story.
GOLD FROM THE Bhagavad Gita
What ancient traditions can teach us about our modern-day health challenges
THE POWER OF NAMING AN ANIMAL
“YOU NAMED HIM BOOGER?” I asked the shelter volunteer. My husband and I stood by a cage, already in love with the tuxedo cat it held. Although introduced to us as “Bub,” his official paperwork read: “Booger, 4 years old, special needs.” The text “Booger” was struck through, “Bub” written in its place. “We can always rename him again. He’s coming home with us,” my husband asserted, settling the matter.“Are you sure you want to take him? You know he’s special needs,” the volunteer queried.“So am I!” I declared. “What do we need to know?” We learned the cat had respiratory issues.
SPLINTERED PIECES
Seeing her father in the psych ward seemed all wrong—until her inner guidance helped her see it as exquisitely right.
ANCIENT HEALTH SECRETS
How ancient wisdom teachings align with cutting-edge health science
