Living Our Beliefs: Exploring Faith & Religion in Daily Life – Details, episodes & analysis

Episode 101. 

This is the second part of my discussion with Judith Pajo and Zeyneb Sayilgan about living our faiths in America and Germany. While we have all lived in both countries, we practice different faiths, representing the three Abrahamic religions––Judaism, Christianity, and Islam respectively. 

In the first part released on 12 June, we discussed our backgrounds, immigration patterns, religious identity and the dynamic of universalism and particularism. In this part, we continue the conversation about the universal and the particular, the problem with identity boxes, and the value or challenge of diversity, before shifting to the issues of the abuse of religion in national efforts to claim power. 

Bio for Judith:

Judith Pajo, PhD, grew up in both Germany and the United States. She studied Catholic theology and cultural anthropology on both sides of the Atlantic and has been teaching at Pace University in New York City. Her new research on interfaith dialogue among Jews, Christians, and Muslims in Europe and North America, conceived a little over a year ago, is transforming her Catholic faith. She is currently working on an article about cultural transgressions in interfaith work. Judith lives in Queens, NY. 

Links for Judith: 

• Profile at Pace University 
• LinkedIn – Judith Pajo

Bio for Zeyneb:

Zeyneb Sayilgan, PhD, is the Muslim Scholar at ICJS, The Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies in Baltimore, where her research focuses on Islamic theology and spirituality as articulated in the writings of Muslim scholar Bediüzzaman Said Nursi (1876-1960). She is the host of the Podcast On Being Muslim. You can read her publications on her blog.

Links for Zeyneb: 

• On Being Muslim podcast
• Zeyneb’s blog
• ICJS website – www.icjs.org

Transcript on Buzzsprout

More episodes about living abroad:

• Daniel Stein Kokin 'Reinterpreting Jewish Liturgy'
• Oliver Bradley 'A Jew in Germany'

Social Media and other links for Méli:

• Website – the Talking with God Project
• Meli’s email
• LinkedIn – Meli Solomon
• Facebook – Meli Solomon

Follow the podcast!

The Living Our Beliefs podcast is part of the Talking with God Project.

Episode 100.   

For this episode, I’ve invited two women, Judith Pajo and Zeyneb Sayilgan, for a group discussion about living our faiths in America and Germany. We each have unique patterns of immigration in addition to different religious identities and practice. Judith grew up in both countries as a Catholic, Zeyneb likewise grew up in Germany and is a lifelong Muslim, while I grew up in the US and lived in Germany for nearly nine years, having become a practicing Jew as an adult. In comparing our unique religious experiences in these two countries, we found engaging layers of issues that we hope to further explore.  

A small note. Because this conversation was so extensive, I’ve divided it into two episodes of approximately 30 minutes each. This first part includes discussion of our background, religious identity and the dynamic of universalism and individuality. Part two will be released in two weeks. 

Bio for Judith:

Judith Pajo, PhD, grew up in both Germany and the United States. She studied Catholic theology and cultural anthropology on both sides of the Atlantic and has been teaching at Pace University in New York City. Her new research on interfaith dialogue among Jews, Christians, and Muslims in Europe and North America, conceived a little over a year ago, is transforming her Catholic faith. She is currently working on an article about cultural transgressions in interfaith work. Judith lives in Queens, NY. 

Links for Judith: 

• Profile at Pace University 
• LinkedIn – Judith Pajo

Bio for Zeyneb:

Zeyneb Sayilgan, PhD, is the Muslim Scholar at ICJS, The Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies in Baltimore, where her research focuses on Islamic theology and spirituality as articulated in the writings of Muslim scholar Bediüzzaman Said Nursi (1876-1960). She is the host of the Podcast On Being Muslim. You can read her publications on her blog.

Links for Zeyneb: 

• On Being Muslim podcast
• Zeyneb’s blog
• ICJS website – www.icjs.org

Transcript on Buzzsprout

More episodes about living abroad:

• Daniel Stein Kokin 'Reinterpreting Jewish Liturgy'
• Oliver Bradley 'A Jew in Germany'

Social Media and other links for Méli:

• Website – the Talking with God Project
• Meli’s email
• LinkedIn – Meli Solomon
• Facebook – Meli Solomon

Follow the podcast!

The Living Our Beliefs podcast is part of the Talking with God Project.

Episode 91.    

In this episode, I delve into the complex intersection of personal faith and public roles. I reflect on my recent conversation with Chris Stevenson, founder of the National Museum of American Religion, who chooses to leave his Mormon faith outside the museum to maintain an inclusive environment. I also explore the balance between personal religious identity, intention, and situational appropriateness, sharing my experience of being Jewish in Germany and interacting with diverse cultures and traditions. I highlight the importance of respectful dialogue and awareness, drawing connections to the observance of Ramadan and the values it emphasizes, such as mindfulness and community. 

Bio:

I am a public scholar and interreligious leader with a keen interest in understanding the nature of similarities and differences––especially religious and cultural.  The Talking with God Project is currently my main focus, and I am actively expanding its reach through workshops, articles, panels, talks and a podcast.  

​

Raised in the Boston area, I have lived in Seattle, WA and Berlin, Germany, before returning to Boston in 2017.  Carving out a varied educational and professional path, I hold a B.A. in Fine Art from Oberlin College (1984), an M.B.A. from Northeastern University (1997), a Certificate in Coaching from the International Coach Academy (2015), and a Master of Jewish Liberal Studies (MJLS) from Hebrew College with a focus on Global Interreligious Studies (2019).  Professionally, I have worked as a business manager, an art dealer and founder of Solomon Fine Art gallery, language trainer, text editor, business coach and now public scholar and podcaster. 

​

Though raised in an interfaith non-observant home. my Conservative Jewish practice and wide range of personal and professional experiences inform my research and life.

Resources:

Chris Stevenson podcast episode

National Museum of American Religion

Zeyneb Sayilgan blog 

The Big Kahuna movie

Transcript on Buzzsprout

Social Media links for Méli:

• Website – the Talking with God Project
• Meli’s email
• LinkedIn – Meli Solomon
• Facebook – Meli Solomon

Follow the podcast!

The Living Our Beliefs podcast is part of the Talking with God Project.

Trailer.
Living Our Beliefs explores how observant Christian, Jews and Muslims live their religion and faith.  We will explore how we are supported by our practice or where it lets us down. 

To keep current about all Talking with God Project activities, join the mailing list at
 https://www.talkingwithgodproject.org

On podcast apps hit SUBSCRIBE or FOLLOW to get each episode.

Thanks for tuning in!  Future episodes will have guests––a new voice each time!

Social Media links for Méli:
Email – info@talkingwithgodproject.org
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/melisolomon/
Talking with God Project –  https://www.talkingwithgodproject.org

Comments? Questions? Email Meli at:
info@talkingwithgodproject.org

The Living Our Beliefs podcast is part of the Talking with God Project.

Episode 90.   

Are you a museum goer? Are you interested in the history of religion in America? Is religious freedom in America important to you?  If you answered yes to any of those questions, today’s episode will speak to you. Chris Stevenson has been developing the National Museum of American Religion for 15 years. Currently a digital-first project, Chris and his team began the Religion in the American Experience podcast as a stepping-stone to exhibits. They are also talking about a traveling exhibit. The key questions are: What has America done to religion and what has religion done to America? 

Highlights: 

·       Religious freedom in America

·       the National Museum of American Religion project

·       Religion in the American Experience podcast

·       Smithsonian vs. private structure 

·       Mobile museum: religion's pandemic journey

·       Exploring positive lived religion

Bio:  

Chris has worked as a teacher, systems engineer, and consultant. He has a B.S. in applied physics and Masters degrees in education and agricultural engineering. His passion is buttressing civil society, and in 2000 he founded the non-profit Community Levee Association. After that he founded America’s Quilt of Faith, Faith2SelfGovern, then the National Museum of American Religion project. 

References:

• Harvard University Pluralism Project, founded by Prof. Diana Eck
• Article 6 of the US Constitution 
• 1st Amendment of the US Constitution

 Social Media links for Chris: 

• National Museum of American Religion
• Religion in the American Experience 
• Facebook
• Instagram
• X (Formerly Twitter)
• LinkedIn

Transcript on Buzzsprout

More Episodes with Mormons:

• Margaret Agard
• Zachary Davis
• Rick Bennett

Social Media links for Méli:

• Website – the Talking with God Project
• Meli’s email
• LinkedIn – Meli Solomon
• Facebook – Meli Solomon

Follow the podcast!

The Living Our Beliefs podcast is part of the Talking with God Project.

Episode 89.  

Every culture has its food, and in America, each immigrant group has contributed to the bounty of culinary options––from Italian pizza to Jewish delis and much more. Muslims are no different. What this group has brought, however, is a wide array of foods, since Muslims hail from many countries. My guest today, Shahed Amanullah, a renowned entrepreneur, created a short list of restaurants that offered halal food in 1998. What began as a simple list for himself and his Muslim friends, has grown into a juggernaut. Now an app called Zabihah, it is the world’s first global halal restaurant discovery and delivery platform, including 14,000 locations in the U.S. and 50,000 worldwide. In this conversation, Shahed and I cover many aspects of the halal food scene, and the parallels with Jewish kosher laws among other things.

Highlights: 

• Halal food as a symbol of Muslim presence in America.
• Defining Halal and Zabiha.
• Variations in halal observance among Muslims.
• Halal as both a spiritual and communal expression.
• Evolving Halal standards debate.
• Shared principles and practice between halal and kosher traditions.
• Eco-Kosher and organic principles in halal practices.
• Spirituality of Food in Islam.

Bio:
Shahed Amanullah is an accomplished entrepreneur, product developer, and investor/mentor for early-stage startups. He is the founder of Zabihah, the world’s first global halal restaurant discovery and delivery platform, and serves as Managing Director of Elian Capital, a private equity fund manager and investment advisor based in San Antonio. Shahed holds a BS in Engineering from UC Berkeley and an MBA from Georgetown University.

Social Media links for Shahed:  

• Website 
• Twitter  
• Facebook 
• Instagram
• LinkedIn 

Transcript on Buzzsprout

More Episodes with Muslims:

• Bonus. Understanding the American Muslim Experience (Dr. Amir Hussain)
• Religious Pluralism vs. White Supremacy in America Today – Wajahat Ali
• How to be Visibly Muslim in the US Government – Fatima Pashaei

Social Media links for Méli:

• Website – the Talking with God Project
• Meli’s email
• LinkedIn – Meli Solomon
• Facebook – Meli Solomon

Follow the podcast!
The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet. 

The Living Our Beliefs podcast is part of the Talking with God Project.

Episode 88.   

This episode is in memory of the passengers and crew of the DC and Philadelphia plane crashes and my friend Karen Hirschfeld. May their memories be for a blessing.

This is the first of a new Reflection series. They will be short monthly episodes, opportunities to share my thoughts about recent episodes, things I’ve written or read and whatever else seems relevant. 

Highlights:

·      Explanation of the new reflection series format.

·      Criticism of Project 2025 and current administration’s dismantling of the federal government. 

·      Comments on White Christian Nationalism and White Supremacy concerns.

·      Focus on spheres of influence and readiness to act.

·      Four practical suggestions for increasing understanding of others.

Bio

I am a public scholar and interreligious leader with a keen interest in understanding the nature of similarities and differences––especially religious and cultural.  The Talking with God Project is currently my main focus, and I am actively expanding its reach through workshops, articles, panels, talks and a podcast.  

​

Raised in the Boston area, I have lived in Seattle, WA and Berlin, Germany, before returning to Boston in 2017.  Carving out a varied educational and professional path, I hold a B.A. in Fine Art from Oberlin College (1984), an M.B.A. from Northeastern University (1997), a Certificate in Coaching from the International Coach Academy (2015), and a Master of Jewish Liberal Studies (MJLS) from Hebrew College with a focus on Global Interreligious Studies (2019).  Professionally, I have worked as a business manager, an art dealer and founder of Solomon Fine Art gallery, language trainer, text editor, business coach and now public scholar and podcaster. 

​

Though raised in an interfaith non-observant home. my Conservative Jewish practice and wide range of personal and professional experiences inform my research and life.

Transcript on Buzzsprout

Social Media links for Méli:
Website – Talking with God Project

NEW Substack posts

Méli's Email – info@talkingwithgodproject.org

LinkedIn – Meli Solomon

Facebook – Meli Solomon

Follow the podcast!
The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise:  Is your way similar or different?  Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore?  Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet. 

The Living Our Beliefs podcast is part of the Talking with God Project.

Episode 87. 
The timing of this Bonus episode is auspicious given the recent debate regarding learning about the history of race in America, the book bans, and the current administration’s aim to eliminate the federal department of education. While each of these issues are complex and engage different issues, they share the matter of understanding our history – all of it. And our history leads into what we do today. As part of my ongoing encouragement to know each other’s faith and religion, Rick Bennett, host of the Gospel Tangents, a Mormon History podcast, has joined me to talk about the many splinter groups within the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-Day Saints, otherwise known as the LDS church or the Mormons. Whatever you might think or know about this church, I encourage you to listen with an open mind and heart. Rick is a passionate researcher and brings humor and curiosity to his work.

Highlights:
·       Mormon splinter groups.

·       Joseph Smith: synchronizing the Old Testament and New Testament 

·       Religions are seen as cults at their beginning. 

·       Common miracles today.

·       Studies on faith healings and the placebo effect.

·       Succession, polygamy and theological disagreements.

·       The LDS church as the “One True Church”.

Bio:
Rick Bennett is the host of the Gospel Tangents, a Mormon History podcast. He is an expert on various Mormon schismatic groups, presenting at the Mormon History Association, and other Mormon history groups. He is an academic authenticity advisor at Western Governors University and teaches math and statistics at Utah Valley University. Rick holds a Master of Statistics Degree from the University of Utah. He has worked as a research biostatistician in the fields of Dermatology and Traumatic Brian Injuries and works in the network television/cable T.V. industries as a sports statistician.

Social Media links for Rick:
Website – https://gospeltangents.com
YouTube – https://youtube.com/gospeltangents
Patreon – https://patreon.com/gospeltangents

Transcript on Buzzsprout

More Episodes with Mormons:
Shane Adamson
Margaret Agard
Zachary Davis

Social Media links for Méli:

Website – the Talking with God Project

Meli’s email

LinkedIn – Meli Solomon

Facebook – Meli Solomon

Follow the podcast!
The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet. 

The Living Our Beliefs podcast is part of the Talking with God Project.

Episode 86. 
Several big international changes have occurred since the last episode was released on the 9th of January. America witnessed another peaceful transfer of power, though it was immediately followed by some executive orders that are anything but peaceful, and Israeli hostages were exchanged for Palestinian prisoners as part of a ceasefire. These small steps are part of much longer national journeys that will affect many people for years to come. 

Today’s guest, Dan Miller––professor, co-host of the Straight White American Jesus podcast, and former evangelical pastor––has stepped out of his usual discussion of White Christian Nationalism in America to talk with me about his own personal faith journey. Over the years of observance and theological training, Dan has shifted from believer to critic, though he is back in a church community. You’ll hear many reminders of why thinking deeply and critically is so valuable.


Highlights:
·       Complex Identity and Faith Transformation 

·       Evangelicalism: Biblical Authority and Social Conservatism

·       Leaving Evangelicalism for Social Justice

·       Biblical contradictions and complexity 

·       Justice and Jesus of Nazareth

·       “All we can do is the next right thing.”

Social Media link for Dan:
Website – Straight White American Jesus
Email – DanielMillerswaj@gmail.com

Transcript on Buzzsprout

More episodes with Evangelicals:
Cathy Sirvatka
Kelly Baader

Social Media links for Méli:
Website – Talking with God Project
LinkedIn – Meli Solomon
Facebook – Meli Solomon

Follow the podcast!
The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise:  Is your way similar or different?  Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore?  Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet. 

Comments?  Questions? Email  Méli at – info@talkingwithgodproject.org

The Living Our Beliefs podcast is part of the Talking with God Project.

Episode 85. 
As the new secular year begins, along with the incoming presidential administration, it’s a good time to hear a shortened version of my conversation with the esteemed journalist and speaker Wajahat Ali. Given the dominance of White Christian Nationalism and the debate about immigration, Wajahat’s Sunni Muslim American identity and his family’s Pakistani immigrant history, make him an ideal partner to talk about religious pluralism in America today. In this conversation we explore the challenges minorities face as well as the fears, hate and discomfort that drive the antagonism and protectionism of White Supremacy. But our conversation is not completely dark. Wajahat raises reasons for hope and steps we can each take towards a brighter future of dignity and freedom.

Highlights:
·       White Christian Nationalism.
·       Balancing group identity and assimilation; history and modernity; religion and secularism.
·       Suburban communities' fear despite material abundance.
·       Progressives ceded spirituality to the right.
·       Stand for dignity, freedom; reject hate-driven leadership.
·       Steps of awareness, intention, and action for individual contributions.

Bio:
Wajahat is a New York Times contributing op-ed writer and Daily Beast columnist, public speaker, and recovering attorney. He also regularly appears on cable news and radio to discuss politics, religion, foreign policy and culture. Wajahat often speaks on the multifaceted American experience, covering our growing need for cultural unity, racial diversity, and inclusion. Additionally, he has published his first book Go Back To Where You Came From: And, Other Helpful Recommendations on Becoming American. 

Wajahat grew up in the Bay Area, California to Pakistani immigrant parents. He graduated from UC Berkeley with an English major and became a licensed attorney. He knows what it feels like to be the token minority in the classroom and the darkest person in a boardroom. He is married and the father of three kids. 

Social Media links for Wajahat:
Website – https://www.wajali.com

NY Times opinion piece, 23 June 2023 

NY Times opinion piece, 16 Aug. 2023  

Transcript on Buzzsprout

More episodes with Muslims:
Saiyyidah Zaidi
Prianka Alam
Dr. Amir Hussain

Social Media links for Méli:
Website – Talking with God Project
LinkedIn – Meli Solomon

Follow the podcast!
The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. 

The Living Our Beliefs podcast is part of the Talking with God Project.