“When a soul has in it the life of the spirit, then does it bring forth good fruit and become a Divine tree.”
—‘Abdu’l-Bahá
About four and a half years ago, as I was starting to think more deeply about religion and science, I reached out to Professor Karl Giberson, one of the giants in the interaction of science and religion. I wanted to pick his brain a little, and he responded almost immediately, The next day, by coincidence, he had also received a note from a Baha’i biotechnology researcher who was about to teach about religion and science. He put the two of us in touch, thinking that she and I would have some things to talk about.
Boy, did we ever.
Lisa Ortuno was a dynamo, and for the four-and-a-half years I knew her, she challenged assumptions, explored profound ideas, and worked tirelessly on interfaith relations, LGBTQ issues, and of course, elevating the discourse surrounding religion and science. Sadly, she was killed in a car crash on December 16, taken from this world far too soon. So in her memory and honor, I want to share a few thoughts about how she impacted both my life and my work, as she did for so many people.
When Sinai and Synapses was just the germ of an idea, I wanted to create an interfaith group of people who were dedicated to both science and religion, and ideally, personified both. Lisa was one of the first people I invited to the group. “I have no idea what might come of this,” I said, “but I’d love you to be a part of it.” Her response: “This just sounds fun! I’m in!”
So for two years, Lisa was part of our initial Sinai and Synapses Fellowship, and quickly became one of our greatest assets and advocates. She pushed us to think about what we were doing and why. created one of our most viewed videos, and interviewed a series of friends and colleagues to explore the question “Are We More Than Our Genes?” In fact, she created so much content that I had to space it out so that people wouldn’t get overwhelmed by it.
Perhaps my favorite moment was when she ran a webinar about a year ago on “Baha’i Participation in Uplifting Science and Religion Interfaith Initiatives” as part of the Association for Baha’i Studies of North America. She did a better job explaining Sinai and Synapses than I do!
But it was truly on a personal level that allowed me to connect with her. I learned so much about the Baha’i faith through her — about its compassionate nature, its embrace of scientific inquiry, and its passion for improving the world. Yes, some of that was through the texts she shared. But more importantly, it was how she lived her life.
As she herself said:
[In] thinking about my development as a Baha’i, when I became exposed to the faith, as you might imagine, I was a little bit skeptical, and so what I did, because I was trained as a biologist, was I applied the scientific method to the claims of the faith. And I did this for three years.
And what I found as a result of it was that my relationships improved, and some of them I had been struggling with. And so this was a real, actual, scientific result in a lot of ways. And I continued to test it. And I found that for me, that this was the path that I wanted to take.
Too many religious people profess one set of values, but then are cruel or closed-minded in their day-to-day lives. Lisa, however, was a true exemplar of the best values the Baha’i faith possesses — curiosity, kindness and humor.
In the Jewish tradition, we say, “zichronah livrachah,” may her memory be for a blessing. From a scientific perspective, we may not ever truly know what happens after we die. But the impact that Lisa had on me, on those who knew her, and on the world at large, will truly bless all of us.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá writes:
The mysteries of which man is heedless in the earthly world, those will he discover in the heavenly world, and there will he be informed of the secrets of the truth; how much more will he recognize or discover persons with whom he has been associated. Undoubtedly the holy souls who find a pure eye and are favored with insight will, in the kingdom of lights, be acquainted with all mysteries, and will seek the bounty of witnessing the reality of every great soul. They will even manifestly behold the Beauty of God in that world. Likewise will they find all the friends of God, both those of the former and recent times, present in the heavenly assemblage.
Lisa was a seeker of truth in all its forms and ways. May her passion, kindness and curiosity inspire us all.
Thank you, Rabbi Geoffrey A. Mitelman. I am a Baha’i in the Triangle. I am still numbed by the news Lisa’s death. But your fitting tribute has reflected the impact Lisa had on my life and my experiences with her. She was truly herself at all times, with Baha’is and with others, with family and friends and strangers alike. And every life she touched is as saddened today as they were blessed in days past.
Thank you, Glenn. We are in shock here, as well, and her legacy will live on. We just wish she would have been with us for a few more decades to bring her joy and wisdom to the world.
I had the pleasure of working with Lisa on a mutual presentation regarding evolution as viewed from a Baha’i perspective at an Association for Baha’i Studies conference in San Francisco a few years ago. I enjoyed every minute of our collaboration. I am shocked and saddened by this news.
Wonderful. And thanks for the link to the webinar.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Lisa will be missed. She was a bright, smart and warm woman. We bonded over purple hair among other things.
Thank you for posting this for all to read. It is an very kind gesture and I know my mother would have loved it. It is incredible how many people’s lives she touched. The family will be posting funeral updates on her FB wall in a day or so when we have a better idea. Everyone will be invited. Thank you again.
Thank you Rabbi for the kinda words. My name is Chris Meeker and Lisa Ortuno is/was my sister. I think you had my sister pegged to a T. She was a go getter and didn’t take no for and answer. Science and Religion and especially the Baha’i faith are a few things that kept her going each day and were her passions. I’m not an English major nor do I write often as I should so it’s hard finding the words to write this but I just wanted to take the time on behalf of our family thank you all so much for the kind words. Lisa was truly blessed to have friends and colleagues like you all. I wish you all the best.
Thank you Rabbi Mitelman for your loving words and tender tribute. Oh! Dear Lisa. Your light shines even brighter now. “O friend, give up thy self, that thou mayest find the Peerless One, pass by this mortal world that thou mayest seek a home in the nest of heaven.”
Lisa and I met as members of “Women of Many Faiths,” a sharing group in Columbia SC, and we quickly identified kinship at a deep level existing between this Roman Catholic nun and Baha’i seeker of truth/scientist. What joy to share Lisa’s spirit as so beautifully described by so many of you! To each of you and to me, Lisa was fully present and wall blossomed thru and in and with her. As you attest, her love for family and for life never wavered, and she truly lived present in each moment. Her life held firm to the fact that science and faith are consistent. (That’s what I have always believed, too, and perhaps that is the first thing that drew us together.) Now Lisa’s search for deeper understanding of truth in being fully realized. It is we who can continue to carry on our lives with the spirit we have “caught” from her.
Thank you Rabbi for these wonderful words that describe Lisa so well. She was a caring, giving person and I am grateful that our paths crossed. May she RIP. Her family is in my thoughts and prayers.
Rabbi, a beautiful remembrance of Ms. Ortuno. It makes me wish I had known her, of her, of her work.
Your post, written on my father’s birthday reminds me of my grandma Florence Wolf Brill, another woman pioneer, who presided at the first suffrage meeting at Barnard.
Sinaiandsynapses.org is most interesting. I had not known of it previously. As a Wittgensteinian and a Baha’i scholar, I would be interested in learning more.
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Lisa was a devoted and faithful Baha’i but she learned from and respected the truths embodied in all faiths. She was especially attracted to the progressive Judaism that I, a rabbi, introduced her to and, over time, we became partners, building a home together with her daughter Zoe, in Wake Forest NC. The Talmud and the Baha’i Writings teach a similar text–that as two bars of iron, rubbed together, sharpen each other, so two minds, engaged in meaningful debate, also make each other sharper. Lisa and I brought our different faith’s views of “progressive revelation” to the intellectual arena and were both made stronger and wiser for it. But most of all, she loved my cheesecake. Her smile is a beacon. Here memory is a blessing. The pain of losing her is beyond measure.