2010-02-17T15:34:23Z Timothy Shriver looks at the spiritual dimensions of religion in the news. tag:onfaith.washingtonpost.com,2010:/onfaith/religionfromtheheart//624 Copyright (c) 2010, WashingtonPost.Newsweek Interactive 2010-02-17T15:34:23Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2010-02-17:/onfaith/religionfromtheheart/2010/02/the_bigotry_behind_the_word_retard.html

Professor and author Christopher M. Fairman ["The case against banning the word 'retard,' " Outlook, Feb. 14] made good arguments about the limits of language to effect change in behavior and attitude, as well as about the nuanced ways in which words such as "retard," "queer" and "gay" can carry multiple meanings, some of which intend no insult or humiliation. But I believe he missed the point of the campaign by people who have intellectual...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Timothy Shriver 2010-01-19T20:41:08Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2010-01-18:/onfaith/religionfromtheheart/2010/01/chubbs_stillman_a_special_education.html

Chubbs Stillman, a special education high school senior, would make Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. proud. When Dr. King invited Americans to rely on "soul power" to fuel his dream, he could scarcely have imagined how Chubbs would use it to change a small high school in Missouri. It all became clear on the night of January 4 when a Kirkwood High School basketball game turned into Chubbs's very own showcase of righteousness. If it...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Timothy Shriver 2009-12-24T14:52:01Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-12-24:/onfaith/religionfromtheheart/2009/12/silent_night_may_be_the_1.html

"Silent Night" may be the words to our most popular Christmas song, but they don't describe our Christmas season. The days leading up to our most action-packed holiday are dominated by a frenzy of gift-giving and the stress of travel, family and merrymaking. Living through Christmas is enough to make an entire country long, like Tiger Woods, for an "indefinite break." If Christmas is to be meaningful today, it needs a spiritual makeover. It needs...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Timothy Shriver 2009-12-24T02:44:22Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-12-23:/onfaith/religionfromtheheart/2009/12/silent_night_may_be_the.html

"Silent Night" may be the words to our most popular Christmas song, but they don't describe our Christmas season. The days leading up to our most action packed holiday are dominated by a frenzy of - Hide quoted text - gift-giving and the stress of travel, family and merrymaking. Living through Christmas is enough to make an entire country long, like Tiger Woods, for an "indefinite break." [good line] If Christmas is to be meaningful...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Timothy Shriver 2009-10-19T13:36:17Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-10-13:/onfaith/religionfromtheheart/2009/10/deaths_in_the_family.html

In August, my mother died. So did her last living brother, my uncle. I haven't written a word since then. I've tried, but nothing came. I'm grateful for the kindness and patience of all those who have reached out to support me during these days of grief. Death is one experience we all have in common, but it is also among our most personal. My mother's death is just like your mother's except it isn't....Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Timothy Shriver 2009-07-23T16:02:15Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-07-23:/onfaith/religionfromtheheart/2009/07/the_perfect_job_for_sarah_palin.html

Amid all the babble about Sarah Palin's recent resignation as Alaska's governor and amid all the speculation about her potential presidential bid, few have noted a new job for which she is eminently qualified: civil rights leader for people with intellectual disabilities. The current fuss about Palin adds up to nothing more than posturing, spinning and playground name-calling. It's what makes politics distasteful to so many. If I were her, I'd ignore all of it...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Timothy Shriver 2009-06-21T03:14:30Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-06-21:/onfaith/religionfromtheheart/2009/06/dads_trade-off.html

In recent days, President Barack Obama has led a series of discussions and events on fatherhood. "There is no excuse," he said at the White House on Friday, "not to be involved with your children." Sounds good. I can't think of a single father I know who would disagree. But on Monday morning, I and most of the fathers I know will be at work, not at home with our children. If I were to...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Timothy Shriver 2009-06-06T14:44:54Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-06-02:/onfaith/religionfromtheheart/2009/06/i_love_the_idea_that.html

I love the idea that President Obama wants judges who have empathy. What a refreshing litmus test. Of course, candidates for the bench need to be first-rate legal minds. Of course they need to be capable of working at the highest level of judicial power. But why not judges who have empathy too? Why not judges who understand the people who present themselves in court to have their disputes resolved? Historically, the debate about Supreme...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Timothy Shriver 2009-04-24T13:28:53Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-04-23:/onfaith/religionfromtheheart/2009/04/the_archbishop_the_sultan_and_president_obama.html

Imagine waking up tomorrow and reading that 750 children in Washington under the age of four died overnight of the same disease. Imagine waking up the next day and reading that 750 more pre-schoolers had died in Chicago, also of the same disease. The next day, imagine it is Dallas, and then Miami, and then Portland, and then Boston. Imagine this goes on for weeks, months, years, in every region of the country. Wouldn't you...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Timothy Shriver 2009-04-13T13:16:11Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-04-13:/onfaith/religionfromtheheart/2009/04/the_god_of_second_chances_1.html

Last week, Christians and Jews celebrated the holy days of Passover and Easter. One of the many lessons of these celebrations is that God gives second chances, not to mention thirds, fourths, and more. We live in a time where we need to believe in second chances. At one point or another, we all need a second chance. A relationship goes sour, a deal falls apart, a test is not met, a spouse fails you,...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Timothy Shriver 2009-04-13T13:16:56Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-03-31:/onfaith/religionfromtheheart/2009/03/last_week_president_obama_thrust.html

Last week, President Obama thrust Special Olympics athletes and their families into a national discussion about the boundaries of humor and the dignity of people with intellectual disabilities. On the Jay Leno show, the President noted that he had rolled a 129 in the White House bowling alley and added, "It was like Special Olympics or something." The president realized immediately that his comment could be hurtful, and he called me to apologize. A week...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Timothy Shriver 2009-04-13T13:17:28Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-03-16:/onfaith/religionfromtheheart/2009/03/is_bernard_madoff_a_jew.html

The facts are now clear. Bernard Madoff will spend the rest of his life in jail because of the elaborate and merciless robbery he perpetrated against thousands of clients. His confession made it clear that he knew what he was doing: "I represented to clients . . . that I would invest their money in shares of common stock, options and other securities of large well-known corporations, and upon request, would return to them their...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Timothy Shriver 2009-03-02T21:33:27Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-03-02:/onfaith/religionfromtheheart/2009/03/the_faith_and_strength_of_a_ch.html

Ivan Cameron, the six-year-old son of the British Conservative Party leader David Cameron and his wife Samantha, was referred to by his father as "a magical child with a magical smile that can make me feel like the happiest father in the world." David Cameron spoke of his son that way despite the fact -- or maybe because of it -- that Ivan battled cerebral palsy and a particularly severe form of epilepsy all of...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Timothy Shriver 2009-02-17T20:10:52Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-02-17:/onfaith/religionfromtheheart/2009/02/oreilly_and_the_r-word_factor.html

There's one mystery that seems common to religions: real love, real truth, real goodness are often revealed by the least among us. That's the lesson that was very much on display last week in Idaho where the Special Olympics World Games drew over 2,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities from almost 100 countries to join together in sport like it ought to be. As always with these games, the astonishing honesty of being that pours out...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Timothy Shriver 2009-01-19T15:00:45Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-01-18:/onfaith/religionfromtheheart/2009/01/faith_in_the_democratic_party.html

We all know about the audacity of hope now. It's the title of Barack Obama's book, and it summarizes his political outlook. But what's most interesting to me is the easy way our president-elect links this concept to faith. "In the end," he said in his convention acceptance speech, hope "is God's greatest gift to us, the bedrock of this nation, a belief in things not seen, a belief that there are better days ahead."...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Timothy Shriver