Permission to Feel

Tamara has suffered since birth, having had dozens of surgeries with varying degrees of torture, but with very limited success. Like the guy on those anti-smoking commercials, this precious teenager has to plug the hole in her throat with her finger in order to speak. Like many young sufferers I’ve met, she has an incredibly …

What Makes Jesus Angry Enough to Stage a Protest?

Jesus the Activist (Part 1 of 4) “It is right to be angry at injustice, and problematic to be apathetic toward injustice.” Carl Gregg In the last decade or so I have attended a number of protest marches and rallies in San Francisco and Santa Cruz regarding gun violence, immigration reform, racial equality, environmental justice, …

Encounter or Explanation?

Job’s book concludes with a surprise visit from God, but instead of comforting the sufferer, he interrogates him about his whereabouts while he (God) was busy creating. He doesn’t refer to Job’s suffering. He doesn’t answer any of Job’s questions or defend himself against any of Job’s accusations. He doesn’t explain why he was silent …

What is “Moral Injury” and What is to be Done For It? (Part 2 of 2)

 Last time I introduced a newish psychological phrase, “Moral Injury,” which sociologists and psychologists are using to describe, “the damage done to one’s conscience or moral compass when that person perpetrates, witnesses or fails to prevent acts that transgress their own moral and ethical values and codes of conduct.” It was originally coined in reference …

What is “Moral Injury” and What is to be Done About It? (Part 1 of 2)

“Moral injury” is a phrase being bantered about these days. The banterers define it as “the damage done to one’s conscience or moral compass when that person perpetrates, witnesses or fails to prevent acts that transgress their own moral and ethical values and codes of conduct.” This is how Veteran’s Affairs hospitals refer to those …