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Jewish leaders assess John Paul II's pontificate
An American rabbi and the chief rabbi of Rome weigh in.An ally in defense of freedom
In many ways, despite theological differences, I found in the life and thought of John Paul II an ally and a well-formed defense of a society that is both free and virtuous.Days of history and holiness: Reflections on April in Rome
Many of the questions that came my way were of a personal nature, owing to the fact that I was baptized and confirmed by Pope John Paul in 1996, during the Easter Vigil Mass in St. Peter's Basilica.Doubled-edged sword: The power of the Word
St. Paul tells us to work with our own hands, to mind our affairs, and to aspire to live a tranquil life.Private Property and Public Good
From the beginning of human history, humans have exercised dominion over the material world. All components of nature (other than persons themselves) are resources that can be rightly used, and in some instances used up, for the benefit of persons. Through their use of things, people cause much of the material world to become property: that is, material morally tied in a special way to a particular person or persons.A world of kindness: Morality and private property in the Torah
True kindness can only come from giving from that which is one's own.Irrigating deserts with moral imagination
Children's and adolescents' imaginations need to be fed, not starved.Editor's note
Perhaps in this issue there is a little more emphasis on the “virtuous” rather than the “free.”The market, the movies, and the media
It is consumers that make violence and moral degradation in movies profitable. The best way to discourage this is by refraining from buying.Investing in the industry of influence
Modern media has the emotional power to make ideas feel true even when they are not. A single moment caught on film can render an entire story somehow “truthful” to an undiscerning audience.The twin vocations of art and work
Art and work are simply two manifestations of an essential human trait: creativity. Perhaps both artists and laborers are simply entrepreneurs working with different materials.Tinseltown's tin ear
A recent slide in movie attendance suggests a film industry crisis of major proportions, but pop culture potentates seem reluctant to confront it.