Modernizing Religious Communities

Sharon Brous, an American Rabbi who's based out of Los Angeles, knows it's hard to see the value in faith when tragedies surrounding the actions of extremists are so prevalent, however she says there's worth in reinventing it for modern times as well, which she explains in her talk on religion.

In 2004, she was a new mother and dealing with the many issues brought to America by way of the Iraq war, when there were "waves of terror rolling across the globe." During this time, she examined religion's role in the problem, but she also sought out a way to understand how it could be part of the solution. She goes on to explain the many ugly faces that extremism has, which she describes as "a great failure of religion."

In order for faith to combat these misguided actions, Brous says that it needs to move past the routine nature that it's taken, which also prevents young people from having any interest in what it might have to offer. To push this, she helped to create a non-profit called IKAR, which works to reclaim the raw material that makes faith a positive guide in the lives of many.

She finishes her talk on religion by saying, "It is time for religious leaders and religious communities to take the lead in the spiritual and cultural shift that this country and the world so desperately needs -- a shift toward love, toward justice, toward equality and toward dignity for all."