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I asked Mark Sills of FaithAction International House, the local award-winning nonprofit that tries to build community across all lines, about Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who clings to life at this very minute, and the peace process in the Middle East. Is peace possible?

Here are his thoughts -- what do you think:

"I have a strong faith in the evolving wisdom of humanity, and I believe that a time will come when we can all live in peace together.
Ariel Sharon is a good example of that faith. He was once a very violent man, a man who sought justice only through violence. As he matured and gained wisdom, he began to realize that violence is not the answer. His commitment to finding justice through peaceful means was still evolving. It was not yet perfected. I hope and pray that his example will inspire his successors to devote themselves to finding a just, lasting, and fully inclusive peace in that very important region of the world."

OK, it started out as me taking time off during the holidays. It ended with me knocked out with a bug that refused to let go -- I'm still struggling to get rid of it. But I'm back.

I know you've made and probably already broken resolutions, but here are mine, just three, for fulfillment in the New Year:

OK, let's just say that marathon showing of this past season's The Biggest Loser has me headed back to the gym...as soon as I can breathe properly. Don't make me say d-i-e-t is my number one.
2. Buy new pillows. Not just what's on sale at my favorite low-priced department stores (think bullseye and blue smock). I want luxury pillows. Isn't it, after all, the smaller things in life that truly make us happy? I want that to be my metaphor for the year.
3. Explore you. What is a 'Ganesh Chaturthi?' The Hindu Society meets just down the street. Regardless of my faith beliefs, my job is to know about yours.

I didn't find NBC's controversial Book of Daniel , about the life and times of an Episcopal priest, as groundbreaking or thoughtful TV.(Check out the Episcopal Diocese of "Blog of Daniel")
I found it a bore, a desperate bore -- a good idea badly done. And I think if Christian groups weren't rallying to keep it off TV, it wouldn't have made it a full season.

Interesting discussion with a friend over a recent 'honor killing' in Pakistan.

"What gets me about this is that the horrible situation for women in Pakistan is apparently supported by the government in an ostensible effort to 'protect traditional family values,' " he said. "Since we have a long history of doing just that here in America, are we really in a position to condemn this practice in other countries?"

Could we go from here (debate over end of life, abortion, gay rights, etc.,) to there?

I got the following note after Saturday's column regarding local people's opinions about Ariel Sharon -- in it someone compared him to Hitler. This from a self-described Christian (who thought I compared Sharon to Hitler):

SHAME ON *_Y__OU_*! This is the most anti-semitic garbage I've ever
heard. Are you a Nazi? Before you start shooting off your mouth, do your homework. God says that that land is HIS and He put His name on it. God gave the land to the Israelites and they have no right to give it up or divide it. Who was it that started the terrorism.... it was the Palestinians. They started blowing up innocent people and people's cars, buses, etc. They are the ones who are inhabiting land that isn't theirs.
In Genesis, God says, "I will bless those who bless you (Israelites),
and curse those that curse you". Do you want a curse? Keep it up! You
will get one and it won't be funny.

Tuesday is one of the biggest days on the Muslim calendar.

A la The Davinci Code: What if there was a conspiracy to cover up the fact, say producers, that Jesus never existed?

It happened during rock throwing ritual.

If what I'm reading is true, Iran's populist president believes human beings will have a hand in the return of a messiah -- "after a cataclysmic confrontation with evil and darkness, the Mahdi will lead the world to an era of universal peace," according to the teachings of Iran's dominant "Twelver" sect. This, some religious observers say,is what is fueling the country's nuclear vision.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, like Bush, believes God tells him what to do. How can you argue against that?

But Sean Hannity before Pope Benedict XVI?

"A live debate on religious topics is probably the only exposure that most religious students get to our point of view."

In just a couple of days Pope Benedict XVI will release a 50-page document entitled "Deus Caritas Est," Latin for "God Is Love." It will supposedly touch on the relationship between spiritual and erotic love, according to those reports.
Here's an interesting (self-described 'fun, foul') take from one blogger.

According to an Alan Guttmacher Institute survey brought to my attention by a Catholic organization, few females say they have abortions because of "rape or incest" (1%); "woman has health problem" (3%); or "fetus has possible health problem" (3%). Instead, they are "unready for responsibility," (21%); "can't afford baby now" (21%); or concerned about how having a baby could change her life" (16%).

The Second Look Project asks: Is this acceptable?

Do the numbers and responses surprise you, this anniversary of Roe V Wade?

A thin line between genius and moron?