The Sisters of Saint Joseph told all of us not to compare report cards.

This was not enforced with the vigorous physical discipline reserved for schoolyard fights and cheating on tests. They spoke with the same authority, but the lack of enforcement turned it into a Strong Suggestion instead of a Commandment Of School.

The follow-up point was this: the person you are competing with is yourself. Be your own best. Other people's best is not your concern nor is it under your control.

We as a people and a community will not improve, or even maintain, our humane standards if we fall into the "at least I got a B -- Yusef got a D" mentality.

We need to concentrate on our own stuff. Pointing out that someone else is standing in a hole doesn't make us any taller.

Have you invited a Muslim cleric to come speak at your church yet? Ramadan is coming up. Maybe a discussion of its meaning and rituals compared to, say, Advent?

It's really difficult to criticize your own religion when other people who know nothing about it make that their hobby. It's easier to be frankly critical of your own and to speak to a larger audience when you believe you have some friends in the other camp.

Regards, and looking for something proactive--
Mary Anne