Category Archives: Interspiritual

How is interspiritual different from interfaith, and what does it offer us personally? Find inspiration and activities at ZinnHouse.com.

The Little Mermaid

Mixed media painting by Lauren Zinn of a back of a girl sculpting sand and the sky above.My 14 year old daughter and I took two neighbors, ages 4 and 6, to see June 2nd’s 2013 performance of The Little Mermaid produced by Young People’s Theater at The University of Michigan’s Power Center. The kindergarten through high school cast delighted our little guests who knew all the songs by heart.  But even for me, a member of the older half of the audience, the story’s universal message tugged at my heart, touched a chord, and tapped open tears. What is this emotional message, and what does it have to do with Jewish and Interfaith themes? Continue reading The Little Mermaid

“Life of Pi” ~ An Evolutionary Religion Teacher’s Dream on Screen

Poster for the movie, Life of Pi. How many literary characters can you name who embrace three religions? 

In Life of Pi, directed by Ang Lee and based on the winning novel by Yann Martel, we meet Pi, a Hindu-Christian-Muslim. Since most religions build their ideologies around stories, this film prods us to consider the ways in which faith, story, and life converge both on and off the screen.

Continue reading “Life of Pi” ~ An Evolutionary Religion Teacher’s Dream on Screen