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Issue 82 (July - August 2011)

Issue 82 (July - August 2011)

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Life

30 June 2011 | The Fountain | Issue 82 (July - August 2011)

A documentary released in June depicted an assisted suicide. The man on the show was a millionaire, and sitting next to him was his wife as he drank the poison given to him by a doctor. Although the man signed a document beforehand proving his agreement with the suicide, the doctor asked him one mo…

The Truth, Rights, and More

30 June 2011 | M. Fethullah Gulen | Issue 82 (July - August 2011)

The Truth is one of the beautiful of names of the Divine, al-Haqq, which is linguistically both an infinitive and an adjective. Some of the meanings that flash through from the shade of the Truth are an immutable reality whose existence is absolute, compliance with the true nature of a thing, the o…

Fasting on Ramadan and Yom Kippur

30 June 2011 | Allen S. Maller | Issue 82 (July - August 2011)

I am a Reform rabbi who has been studying Islam for more than 50 years. Reform Judaism is the largest branch of the three major denominations of Jews in America. I think it is vitally important for our generation to understand how much Islam and Judaism have in common, and fasting is one area where…

Civic Service Without Borders

30 June 2011 | Anwar Alam | Issue 82 (July - August 2011)

The Gulen Movement: Civic Service without Borders Muhammed Çetin New York: Blue Dome Press, 2009 ISBN: 978-1-935295-08-2 Hardcover, US$ 18.95 400 pages “[The Gulen Movement] educates and socializes individuals without individualizing and politicizing the social.” (p. 152) The Gulen Movement (…

Functional Art in the Nucleus: DNA

30 June 2011 | Cagri Sakalar | Issue 82 (July - August 2011)

Volumes of books and hundreds of articles have been published about the structure and functions of DNA, since the day two renowned scientists from Cold Spring Harbor laboratories, who would later win the Nobel Prize, described the double helix structure of it. Perhaps one common element that shines…

Big Germination

30 June 2011 | Seth Mette | Issue 82 (July - August 2011)

It was one of those chilly but lively mornings of spring. Everything was as expected: creeks were flowing, birds were flying, insects were waking up to a new life, and trees in the forest were silently but constantly growing. The noise in the ambiance was increasing as the sun was rising above the…

The Anchoring Effect How Our Prior Knowledge Affects Our Perception

30 June 2011 | Y. Alp Aslandogan | Issue 82 (July - August 2011)

Evaluations and decisions play an important role in our social life. As we want our evaluations to be accurate and decisions to be fair, so we also want the evaluations of others about us to be accurate and their decisions about us to be fair. But what if there are hidden psycho-social processes qu…

Rebuilding the Heart: Regeneration

30 June 2011 | Ali Fethi Toprak | Issue 82 (July - August 2011)

Regeneration is the ability to restore and renew lost or damaged tissues or organs. The body is equipped with several strategies to regenerate, including the rearrangement of pre-existing tissue, the activation of resident stem cells, and the regression of a specialized cell or tissue to a simpler…

At God's Door: A New Life

30 June 2011 | Mary Lahaj | Issue 82 (July - August 2011)

Going over it in her mind, she had to admit that George was probably right—she shouldn’t have this baby because she had no means to provide for its livelihood. Here she was, sitting on the floor in her childhood bedroom, staring at the phone beside her, willing it to ring. But she knew George would…

Sabr (Patience)

30 June 2011 | M. Fethullah Gulen | Issue 82 (July - August 2011)

Sabr literally means enduring, bearing, and resisting pain; suffering and difficulty; and dealing calmly with problems. In more general terms it means patience, which is one of the most important actions of the heart mentioned in the Qur’an. Because of its importance, patience is regarded as half o…

Islamic Relations with Jews and Christians

30 June 2011 | Kara Potter | Issue 82 (July - August 2011)

The Qur’an expresses a range of positive and negative attitudes toward Jews and Christians. The doctrine found in these verses dictates how the Qur’anic law requires Muslims to treat Jews and Christians. This essay examines a common theme in some of the varying doctrines: Pious Christians and Jews…

Resurrection Plants

30 June 2011 | Safiye Arslan | Issue 82 (July - August 2011)

Tulips, sunflowers, roses, lilies, carnations, daisies, peas, eggplants, apple trees, and even bouquets of cut flowers for a loved one need water to survive. Water is vital to plant for its growth, development, and productivity. Plants use water as a solvent and a transporter of essential macro- an…

It's Not So Futile After All!

30 June 2011 | Frank Merchant | Issue 82 (July - August 2011)

Have you ever taken apart an electronic device in order to fix it? If so, you’ll recall that sometimes, when you reassemble the device completely, one screw or piece remains in your hand and you don’t know where it should go. The device seems to work fine without the leftover part. Then you joke, “…

The Great Questions of Existence

30 June 2011 | Nuri Delen | Issue 82 (July - August 2011)

Throughout the ages, human beings have yearned to know how the universe came to exist and what role we play in this vast world with its limitations of space and time. It has been said that the discipline of science deals with how things work and religion and philosophy deal with the question of why…

It's me Peter, your liver!

30 June 2011 | Irfan Yilmaz | Issue 82 (July - August 2011)

Dear Peter, as one of your organs of vital importance, I have a couple of words to say to you. I do not make any noise like the heart or stomach. Neither do I produce electric waves like the brain. Therefore you don’t even realize my presence most times. However, I am a central laboratory controlli…

Summer Evening Breeze

30 June 2011 | Justin Pahl | Issue 82 (July - August 2011)

We endure the heat, and we wait. The sun steady in its track. Vicissitudes of light, shadows thinning, growing long. We endure and wait. Salvation in the hour before the hour before dusk. The seedlings come twirling down, skittering along the street. The shadows quiver like benevolent gh…

Writing of Our Worries

30 June 2011 | The Fountain | Issue 82 (July - August 2011)

1- Writing of Our Worries Original Article: Ramirez G. et al., Science 331, 211 (2011). We have had to deal with tests and exams in academic and professional life from childhood on. Though we are motivated to perform our best, the pressure-filled situations generally cause us to perform below our…

The Fountain: Metaphor and Magazine

30 June 2011 | Jon Pahl | Issue 82 (July - August 2011)

I read The Fountain as a Christian. Consequently, the magazine’s title is a rich metaphor. For Christians, a Fountain points to God as our Source, as “Living Waters.” That Source also can dissolve our petty attachments, our sins, in a flow of infinite justice. And finally the Fountain can lead us a…

Using Abilities On The Path Of God

30 June 2011 | Hikmet Isik | Issue 82 (July - August 2011)

Question: How can we make use of the abilities God has given us in the service of faith? Do we fulfill our responsibility with financial assistance only? Every blessing of God is an opportunity given to human beings that calls for a corresponding responsibility. Health is a blessing that should b…

The Life and Journey of a Leaf

30 June 2011 | Sebnem Unlu | Issue 82 (July - August 2011)

I was created as a small bud on the dry branch of a huge oak tree. The oak tree is a great entity that protects me from being stepped on or eaten by animals. I serve life in many ways: I provide shade and privacy for nests and homes, I add beauty to flowers when various creatures look at them, and…

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