The Cashew Project

Trigger Warning: Discussion of multiple suicide deaths. In the midst of a global pandemic, recognizing mental health is more important than ever. Josie Fox and Claire Smith discuss the role of suicide in the Catholic Church, specifically the Catholic education system.  Carma Hobgood, a teacher at Nativity of Mary in Independence, MO, speaks on this issue as well as her personal experiences with suicide. After two eighth-graders took their own lives in that school, the scope of suicide education was transformed completely. 

Inspired by an episode from New York Time's "The Daily", we discussed Trump's executive order involving Title XI and how that correlates to being anti Israel versus anti Semitic. We also hear thoughts from Rabbi Neil Shuster, from University of Kansas' Hillel chapter, about how to differentiate support for Israel versus its policies. If you are interested in reading the New York Times article mentioned in the episode, you can find it under "Anti Semitism Affects All Jews, Not Just the Orthodox". 

In the end of the creation season (October 4), this episode is focused around the parallels of creation and environmentalism today. Both religions share a similar view on environmentalism and creation and the human responsibility of God's creation. We also apply that to modern American politics and environmentalism steps in Israel.  An article mentioned in this episode were Pope Francis' "Our Care for Our Common Home" and be sure to check out the St. Francis Pledge. 

Josie and Claire discuss Pro Life and Pro Choice in regards to Tess Jone's column "Being Pro Life Isnt Partisan" (click here to read it). Josie and Claire discuss this article in regards to an interview Josie completed with Tess beforehand. The topic of abortion is very prominent in the media recently, and Josie and Claire's views aren't meant to offend or attack anyone. This is simply a discussion about whats occuring today. Apologies for how late this episode has come out, and we will continue these episodes starting in August. Thank you for listening and supporting! 

We discuss the parallels between the Springtime seasons of Easter and Passover. Josie and Claire will go over the process from Lent, the Easter Triduum, and Easter Sunday and how they coincide with the Jewish history of Passover, S'firat Ha'Omer, and Shavuot. 

An introduction to the Cashew Project, where two high schoolers, Josie and Claire, will discuss topics based in religion, politics, and other world wide issues.