In our increasingly secular society with so many disparate gods and different faiths superhero films present a unique canvas upon which our shared hopes dreams and apocalyptic nightmares can be projected and played out.

The death of Pope John Paul II led many of different faiths and of no faith to acknowledge their debt to the Roman Catholic Church for holding on to absolutes that the rest of us can measure ourselves against.

The strength and power and goodness of America has always been based on the strength and power and goodness of our communities our families our faiths. That is the bedrock of what makes America America. In our best days we can feel the vibrancy of America's communities large and small.

Part of the beauty of Judaism and surely this is so for other faiths also is that it gently restores control over time. Three times a day we stop what we are doing and turn to God in prayer. We recover perspective. We inhale a deep breath of eternity.

My family is just an amazing melting pot of wonderful religions and faiths.