What Does My Tribe Say?

“I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.” – John 10:16 There’s a saying in Hebrew — shalom. Having recently visited Israel and Jerusalem, I understand shalom is a greeting similar to aloha for Hawaiians. You say it for both hello and goodbye. Shalom, which means peace, has a deep meaning. It’s more than just about peace, it means wholeness, and “all is right with the world.” It doesn’t just mean a lack of violence; it means real peace. In our world, we often experience a surface shalom, but not really a deep shalom.  There’s tension in the religious community concerning the space of holy places, history, how things happen, and how people are treated in deeply entrenched tribalism. My argument is if religion went away,