PODCAST · religion
Abraham's Table
by Forest Lake Presbyterian Church
Abraham’s Table is dedicated to respectful interfaith discussion. Recording in Columbia, South Carolina, Imam Omar Shaheed, Rev. Ellen Fowler Skidmore, and Rabbi Jonathan Case (Season 1) and Rabbi Erik Uriarte (Season 2) are committed to learning more about what Islam, Christianity, and Judaism teach us about what it means to belong to God and to be children of Abraham. We welcome you to Abraham’s Table! Please send your comments and questions to us: [email protected].
Episodes
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Justice
Islam, Judaism, and Christianity all command followers to pursue justice. But the very word, "justice", has become a loaded term in our culture. What is required of us as faithful people in a world where inequity is very real and the distance between the richest and poorest is our nation is...
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250 Years of US
Imam Shaheed, Rabbi Uriarte, and Rev. Skidmore reflect on the national 250th anniversary. How do people of different faiths talk about our nation's shared history as Americans? What is the relationship between our faith, our personal history, and the whole history of our nation?
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Lessons From Anne Frank
Rabbi Uriarte, Imam Shaheed, and Rev. Skidmore are joined by the Executive Director of the Anne Frank Center on the campus of The University of South Carolina, Dr. Doyle Stevick, to discuss what we learned from touring that exhibit. To find out more about The Anne Frank Center - the official...
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Ritual and Holy Objects - Part 1
Rabbi Uriarte tells a story of a time when a Torah Scroll fell to the ground during worship to begin a conversation about how Judaism, Christianity and Islam think of and revere holy objects.
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Aging and Healthcare
Imam Shaheed, Rabbi Uriarte, and Rev. Fowler Skidmore discuss the challenges of aging and of the systems of healthcare in our culture and how our faiths may serve as guides and resources as we make decisions for ourselves and our loved ones.
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Rites of Passage and Conversion Part 2
Rabbi Uriarte, Imam Shaheed, and Rev. Skidmore continue the conversation we began in Episode 7 and talk about how the practices of our faith are taught, encouraged and lived especially as children grow into maturity.
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Rites of Passage and Conversion - Part 1
Today's episode explores how children, youth and new converts become adult members of our faith communities. Are there rituals or rites of passage that mark the move from childhood to full adult participation in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim practice? How does one become Jewish, Christian or...
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Weddings and Marriage - Part 2
In Season 2, Episode 6, Imam Shaheed, Rabbi Uriarte, and Rev. Skidmore discuss same sex marriage, divorce, interfaith marriages, and more. Come and listen.
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Weddings and Marriage, Part 1
In episode 5, we begin a conversation about the traditions and practices of wedding ceremonies in Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. And we begin to talk about the meaning of marriage itself as an institution. Join us for interfaith conversation!
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High Holy Days
Jews observe Passover. Christians observe Lent and Easter, and Muslims observe Ramadan. How are these holy seasons observed, and what is their purpose in the lives of the faithful? This episode was recorded in 2025 when all three holy seasons were being observed concurrently. Why do they…
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Death - Part 2
Imam Shaheed, Rabbi Uriarte and Rev Fowler Skidmore continue the conversation they began in Episode 2 about death. What do Jews, Christians, and Muslims believe about death? What are the rituals around death in each of our faiths? How do those beliefs affect how we respond to death as people of...
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Death
We begin Season two by exploring how our faith helps us mark and interpret the cycles of life and the rites of passage that are common to everyone. Today we begin at the end . . . . with death. How do Judaism, Christianity, and Islam deal with death? Join us to learn more!
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A Whole New Season!
Welcome to Episode ONE of a brand-new season of Abraham's Table! Imam Omar Shaheed and Rev. Ellen Fowler Skidmore welcome Rabbi Erik Uriarte to our interfaith discussions! Today we introduce ourselves, and look forward to a new season of listening and learning! Welcome to Abraham's Table.
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The Middle East: Can We Agree About Anything? Bringing it Home.
As the war between Israel and Gaza grinds on, the suffering and costs of war seem unbearable. Rabbi Case, Imam Shaheed, and Rev. Skidmore talk about what "Peace" really means in each of our faiths and what God's Peace requires of the faithful. How can we become agents for God's peace in the world?
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The Middle East: Can We Agree About Anything?
Rabbi Case, Imam Shaheed, and Rev. Skidmore talk about the October 7, 2023 attack of Hamas on Israel and the resulting war. Rather than focus on where we disagree with each other (and we do), we identify and focus on areas where we can agree. Even in the midst of war, we are called to live as...
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Food and Faith in the Christian Tradition
Rev. Ellen F. Skidmore reflects on the absence of food laws in the Christian tradition and compares and contrasts Christian practices around food with what we learned about food practices in the Jewish and Muslim faiths.
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Food and Faith in the Muslim Tradition
Imam Shaheed teaches us about the rules and practices governing foods that are both Halal (lawful or permitted) and haram (unlawful and unpermitted) for faithful Muslims. We learn that there are many parallels between Jewish and Muslim practices.
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Food and Faith in the Jewish Tradition
In most every religion, food and faith are connected. Join us as we learn more from Rabbi Case about food and faith in the Jewish tradition. What does "kosher" mean? Why is it important? What sorts of foods show up in the celebrations of Jewish high holy days? And how might a non-Jewish host...
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In Someone Else's Shoes
How can we, individually and as a nation, move forward when it comes to the legacy of slavery and other types of trauma that are part of our national psyche? Compassion is key. Listening to another's story is important. Listen in as Imam Shaheed, Rabbi Case, and Rev. Skidmore discuss this high...
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Juneteenth
Juneteenth was declared a national holiday in 2021. How might this observance serve both the black and the white communities in America as an opportunity for education, discussion, and healing of the wounds that still affect our national life?
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True Prophets and False Prophets
Following our conversations about the right use and interpretation of our Scriptures, Imam Shaheed, Rabbi Case, and Rev. Fowler Skidmore discuss the difference between true prophets and false prophets. How is a prophet defined in Judaism, Christianity and Islam? And how are the faithful to tell…
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Violent Scriptures: Part 3
Rabbi Case, Rev. Skidmore and Imam Shaheed continue their discussion of Scriptures that have been used to justify and support violence. And in this episode we turn our attention to the Christian Scriptures. How are Christians to hear and to interpret passages that have historically been used to...
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Violent Scriptures - Part 2
We continue our conversation about Scriptures that have been used to justify hate, terror and murder. In this episode, we focus on Jewish Scriptures. Rabbi Case walks us through many difficult passages, giving us much food for thought on how to read Scripture.
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Violent Scriptures
The use of Scriptures - Jewish, Christian, and Muslim - to justify violence, hate, or war is deeply troubling to the three of us. Today, beginning with our national experience of 9/11, we begin a conversation about what our Scriptures actually say and how those passages are rightly understood and...
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Justice
In our nation there are deep divisions about the meaning of justice and equality. The three of us agree that our definitions of these terms must be rooted in our love for God, self, and neighbor. But, what constitutes justice? In what sense is it true that "all men are created equal" as our...
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Interfaith Prayer and Conversation
When we get to know those from other faith communities, our world view widens. But it can be difficult to know how to live out of and honor our own faith tradition, experience, and language without assuming that the way we pray or speak is the only language that God will recognize as faithful. In...
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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - Life, Legacy, and Interfaith Life
As we look both backwards and forwards at the history and possibilities of our nation, how do we view the life, work, and preaching of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr? Was he a prophet? How do his sermons sound when Jewish or Muslim ears are listening? Should, or how should, Dr. King's life and work...
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Christmas From The Outside
The cultural and economic celebration of Christmas now consumes the better part of three months of the year. Reverend Skidmore reflects on what it means to be Christian in a culture that has embraced, or engulfed, the religious observance of Advent and Christmas. And Imam Shaheed and Rabbi Case...
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Symbols of Faith: Division or Diversity? Part 2
Imam Shaheed, Rabbi Case, and Rev. Skidmore continue their conversation about the symbols of our faiths: how they divide, unite, and distinguish the faithful. We continue the conversation about the role and function of faithful dress, and we talk a bit about the cross as a symbol in the Christian...
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Symbols of Faith: Division or Diversity?
We recognize that as our nation becomes more diverse in both race and faith, that symbols of our three faiths have been both a source of division and a reminder of our diversity. How we respond to the cross, or someone in a hijab or other head covering, reveals a lot about our own experience and...
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Faith and Citizenship
What does it look like to live as a citizen of America as a good Jew, a good Christian, and a good Muslim? What do our faiths have to say about allegiance to the United States of America? Is there a conflict between faith and citizenship? As we continue our conversations about faith and nation…
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Nationalism?
In the context of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, tensions in the Middle East, and in light of the rise of Christian nationalism in our own country, Imam Shaheed, Rabbi Case, and Rev. Skidmore discuss the relationship between religion and nation. From Constantine, to Israel, to the Islamic…
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Racism - Part 2
Having begun the conversation about racism, Imam Shaheed, Rabbi Case, and Rev. Skidmore continue to talk about their own experiences of racism. How have we experienced racism ourselves? What does racism look like, feel like, and sound like in our own experience? And what good does it do to…
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Racism - Part 1
The very word provokes very strong reactions in our nation and in our faith communities. Racism. How do we define it? What is our experience of it? What must Jews, Christians, and Muslims do to become a part of the solution instead of a part of the problem?
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Good People - Bad Things?
In response to a listener question about why bad things happen to good people, Imam Omar Shaheed, Rabbi Jonathan Case, and Rev. Ellen Fowler Skidmore take on this big and eternal question, looking at this very real question from three different faith perspectives.
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Heaven and Hell
Today's conversation takes us into a consideration of Heaven and Hell. How do Jews, Muslims, and Christians talk about Heaven and Hell? Who goes where, and how is that decided? And do all three faiths believe in an eternal life after this one? There is so much to talk about, and so much to learn.
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Competition and Conversion
Competition is much more familiar than collaboration in our American culture. And competition between religions feels like a given. Or is it? How are Jews, Muslims, and Christians to relate to other faiths? Is there such a thing as righteous competition? Do our three faiths encourage and pursue...
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Human Nature, Sin, and Redemption
Questions that emerged from our earlier discussion about Satan, or Shaitan, show up in this next conversation about human nature. Is human nature good or evil? How do Judaism, Christianity, and Islam talk about sin or separation from God, and how do our faiths think and teach about redemption or...
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Satan
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all speak of a evil figure called Satan, Shaitan, or the Devil. But we believe only in one God who is good and who created the universe and called it good. We know that evil, suffering, and injustice are real. How do our faiths talk about this evil figure and evil...
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Live Podcast
Imam Omar Shaheed, Rabbi Jonathan Case, and Rev. Ellen Fowler Skidmore invited their congregations to come together in person, on May 11, 2022, to record a live podcast, addressing questions and issues that arise out of honest interfaith conversations. We begin with the question, "What happens to...
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Creation
When we talk about what our Scriptures teach us about God's creation of the universe and human kind, we learn that while there are differences in our faiths, there is much that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam share that guides how we live our daily lives.
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The Scriptures
The Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Scriptures: Where did they come from? How are they to be understood and used in the life of the faithful?
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Immigration
Sharing own immigration stories, as different as they are, helps us identify what the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faiths teach about welcoming the stranger and honoring the other. We have a great deal in common as children of Abraham.
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Spiritual Disciplines: Christianity
Rev. Ellen Fowler Skidmore teaches us more about the shape and practices of a Christian life that loves and honors God. Worship (corporate and private), study, and giving are markers of a life that loves God, self, and neighbor.
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Spiritual Disciplines: Judaism
Rabbi Jonathan Case teaches us more about the shape of a faithful Jewish life. We learn more about the daily rhythms and practices as well as the annual celebrations and seasons that give Jewish life shape.
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Spiritual Disciplines: Islam
Imam Omar Shaheed teaches us about the spiritual practices that mark a faithful Muslim life. We explore the disciplines and meaning of Ramadan and how that observance shapes every day Muslim life.
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A Faithful Life
What do Judaism, Christianity, and Islam teach about the shape of a faithful life? What are the spiritual practices taught by our respective faiths? How is a Muslim, Jew, or Christian to live on a daily basis? Join us as we share our experiences and the teachings of our faiths about the spiritual...
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Mental Health and Faith
Imam Omar Shaheed, Rabbi Jonathan Case, and Rev. Ellen Fowler Skidmore talk about our nation's crisis of mental health. How do people of faith respond to those suffering from anxiety, anger, PTSD, or mental illness? What resources do our faiths - Muslim, Jewish and Christian - have to share in…
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People of Faith and Poverty
Imam Omar Shaheed, Rabbi Jonathan Case, and Rev. Ellen Fowler Skidmore share our experience with people in economic crisis. What do our religious traditions say about poverty, and how are we to live in a world where there are so many who are in need of the basics required for life and dignity?
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A Rabbi, An Imam, and a Preacher!
In this first episode of the podcast, Abraham's Table, Imam Omar Shaheed, Rabbi Jonathan Case, and Rev. Ellen Fowler Skidmore introduce themselves and share why they think that interfaith dialogue is essential.
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Abraham’s Table is dedicated to respectful interfaith discussion. Recording in Columbia, South Carolina, Imam Omar Shaheed, Rev. Ellen Fowler Skidmore, and Rabbi Jonathan Case (Season 1) and Rabbi Erik Uriarte (Season 2) are committed to learning more about what Islam, Christianity, and Judaism teach us about what it means to belong to God and to be children of Abraham. We welcome you to Abraham’s Table! Please send your comments and questions to us: [email protected].
HOSTED BY
Forest Lake Presbyterian Church
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Abraham's Table have?
Abraham's Table currently has 50 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Abraham's Table about?
Abraham’s Table is dedicated to respectful interfaith discussion. Recording in Columbia, South Carolina, Imam Omar Shaheed, Rev. Ellen Fowler Skidmore, and Rabbi Jonathan Case (Season 1) and Rabbi Erik Uriarte (Season 2) are committed to learning more about what Islam, Christianity, and Judaism...
How often does Abraham's Table release new episodes?
Abraham's Table has 50 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Abraham's Table?
You can listen to Abraham's Table on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Abraham's Table?
Abraham's Table is created and hosted by Forest Lake Presbyterian Church.
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