Books
 INTERFAITH WORKBOOK
The All Faith Center announces the availability of The Interfaith Workbook. This 220 page, 8-1/2” x 11” spiral bound workbook offers any small or large group or class an ‘Easy-to-Use,’ 10-Month Interfaith Program for only $24.95. Explore 40, 1-1/2 hour Lessons, taken from their book The Interfaith Manual, plus interact with lots of auxiliary group material. It is complete with readings, dialogue, questions and interactive exercises and even a 12-Step Peace program. The Workbook is appropriate for local school classrooms grades 5 and above, teen organizations, Interfaith Groups, Seminaries, Churches, Synagogues, Temples, Mosques, Senior Centers and local dialog groups of all types. More information at www.allfaithcenter.org/- 2009 Multifaith Calendar. Each year, the Multifaith Action Society in Vancouver, British Columbia, publishes a beautiful calendar incorporating striking artwork along with listings and explanations of observances from 14 major world religious traditions. The 2009 theme is "Reflections of Joy." The calendar is available in the US for $13.95 from The Interfaith Marketplace.
- Multicultural Calendar in Wall, Desktop, and Electronic versions in English, French and Spanish. The calendar includes religious and cultural celebrations for religious and ethnic groups in North America. The 2009 theme is "The Gift of Food," focusing on the staple or survival foods of different cultures, in hopes that we will never take our food for granted and respect it in a new way. For more information, or to purchase, see www.multiculturalcalendar.com
- Progressive & Religious. In recent years, Americans have become frustrated with the troubled relationship between religion and politics: an exclusive claim on faith and values from the right and a radical divorce of faith from politics on the left. Now a new group of religious leaders is re-envisioning religion in public life and blazing a trail that goes beyond partisan politics to work for a more just and inclusive society. Progressive & Religious draws on nearly 100 in-depth interviews with Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and Buddhist leaders to tell the story of this dynamic, emerging movement. Interviewees include David Saperstein, Michael Lerner, Jim Wallis, Brian McLaren, Rosemary Radford Ruether, Susan Thistlethwaite, Feisal Abdul Rauf, Eboo Patel, Kecia Ali, Surya Das, Robert Thurman, and E. J. Dionne. See also the Progressive Religious Voices podcast listed below.
- Helena's Voyage by Paul Harbridge (O-Books, July 2008, ISBN 978184694116).
Paul Harbridge tells the story of a sick girl named Helena who is taken by an angel on an ancient sailing boat far over the waves. Their destination: three cities that glow as if blessed of God - one Jewish, one Christian, one Muslim. Helena comes to realize that all these good people believe the same divine law - to love God and their fellow man. Text is provided in English, Arabic and Hebrew. Huston Smith remarks, "Helena’s Voyage is very well done. I would like to see it placed in as many school libraries as possible, for it is indeed an olive branch to peace."
- One Heart: Universal Wisdom From the World’s Scriptures (Marlowe & Company, 2004).
This great little book places the scriptures of the world’s religions side by side for comparison on a variety of topics. Look up drinking, for example, and you will see responses from Native American Religions, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Taoism and Confucianism. One Heart is an easy-to-read reference that attempts to illustrate the inherent commonalities across the world religions.
- We Declare! Songs, Chants, Dances, and Multimedia Projects
by Bay Area Musician Merrill Collins presents a unique melding of music, interactive projects, and learning about musical instruments from around the world, all centered on texts from Towards a Global Ethic: An Initial Declaration. The book includes instructions for eight musical experiences, adaptable for participants from children to adults. The music is largely chant and percussion, and there are informative descriptions of instruments, reflections on the Declaration, and a CD with all the music. Available from www.spiralingmusic.com.
- Interfaith Dialogue and Peacebuilding
Edited by David R. Smock and published
by the US Institute for Peace in 2002, the book includes contributions
from Christian, Muslim, and Jewish writers. All emphasize that religion
is in fact not usually the root cause of dissention and violence. Interfaith
dialogue, these contributors argue, can promote understanding, communication,
and reconciliation. The writers use concrete examples from their own
experiences in places such as the Middle East, Africa, and Northern
Ireland to show both the potential and the limits of interfaith dialogue.
Overall, they present a hopeful, if realistic, picture of the application
of interfaith dialogue to peacebuilding.
- God's Breath: Sacred Scriptures
of the World -- The Essential
Texts of Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Sufism, and Taoism
God’s Breath, by John Miller and Aaron Kenedi, gathers together
the sacred texts of the world’s major wisdom traditions and presents
them with enlightening introductions by noted scholars, leading thinkers,
writers and spiritual teachers, including Huston Smith, Karen Armstrong,
Reynolds Price, Stephen Mitchell, Marcus Borg, Joseph Campbell, Carl Jung,
and the Dalai Lama. God’s Breath is an essential book for students
of the world's religions because it gives the reader an opportunity to compare
and contrast each text and gain an overall deeper understanding of religion.
- Grace Under Fire
Andrew Carroll, creator of The Legacy Project, here compiles fifty
letters spanning the history of American soldiers at war. What emerges
is an account of the importance of religion and faith to Americans
under the most stressful of circumstances imaginable from the Revolutionary
War to the current war in Iraq. The letters capture the breadth of
human existence; soldiers tell anecdotes about comrades and ask about
their families, and they also wrestle with existential questions
of life and death. They also offer a glimpse of the diversity of
spiritual and religious beliefs among Americans throughout this country's
history.
- Religious
Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know -- and Doesn’t
Steven Prothero raises the issue of the of religious illiteracy
in the United States. Despite the US's role as is home to representatives
of the world's major faiths, including Christianity, Islam, Judaism,
Hinduism and Buddhism, American citizens are shockingly uninformed
when it comes to understanding the basic tenets of these religions
and the differences among them. Prothero has an article on the subject
in the Chronicle of Higher Education: "Worshiping
in ignorance"
- Speaking of Faith
Krista Tippett,
host of the weekly NPR radio show Speaking of Faith, has
written a challenging new book by the same name. She says “I
wrote Speaking of Faith, in part, to answer questions that listeners
have persistently asked me over the years–how I came to care
about large questions of meaning, and how I’m changed by my
radio conversations with people across the world’s traditions...my
conversations week after week teach me that sacred traditions are
among our richest sources for deep thought, creative engagement,
and hope in the 21st Century world.” Information about the
broadcast, the book, and how to get podcasts is at the Speaking
of Faith website.
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Websites
- INTERFAITH CENTER AT THE PRESIDO
The Center has additional sites that highlight different dimensions
of our work:
- MCDONALD WINDOWS SITE
Learn the story of the McDonald Windows, created from shards of stained
glass collected from damaged houses of worship in WWII by US Army Chaplain
Frederick Alexander McDonald. The windows will eventually be incorporated
into the renovated Interfaith Chapel at the Presidio. Remembered
Light
- SACRED SPACE PROJECT SITE
At the Interfaith Center's Sacred Space project site, www.interfaithdesign.org,
you can find all 160 submissions to the international competition
in 2004. The issue: How would you design sacred
space where all faiths feel at home? You can read essays from the
book about the competition or order a copy for yourself.
- WEDDINGS AT THE CHAPEL
Information for planning and holding your wedding at the Presidio Chapel. www.sanfranciscoweddings.org/
- INTERFAITH PODCASTS- interviews and news
of interest for Interfaith listeners:
- SPEAKING
OF FAITH-.American Public Media's Speaking
of Faith with Krista Tippett is public radio's weekly conversation
about religion, meaning, ethics, and ideas.
- NPR
RELIGION: The weekly podcast is a compilation of stories
on religion from several National Public Radio programs like Morning
Edition and All Things Considered.
- INTERFAITH
VOICES:
An independent public radio show hosted by Maureen Fiedler, Interfaith
Voices offers an hour-long discussion on public issues from many different
faith perspectives.
- INTERFAITH
TODAY:
Managed locally by Rowan Fairgrove, a frequent participant in ICP events,
this podcast intends to document the wonderful, life-affirming work being
done in the interfaith context.
- METHODIST WEB RADIO: February was the Methodist Church
in England's month of prayer for interfaith relations. Dr Elizabeth Harris
tells how the idea came about and Barney Leith speaks about the world's
second most widespread religion - the Baha'i faith. And Buddhist Megume
Hirota shares her thoughts on being a part of a small religious group
in diverse British society.
http://www.methodist.org.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=opentogod.webradio#45
- PROGRESSIVE RELIGIOUS VOICES, a bi-monthly podcast, features interviews with religious leaders who are "tapping the deep connections between religion and social justice to work on issues like poverty and workers’ rights, the environment, health care, pluralism, and human rights." Interviewees include David Saperstein, Michael Lerner, Jim Wallis, Brian McLaren, Rosemary Radford Ruether, Susan Thistlethwaite, Feisal Abdul Rauf, Eboo Patel, Kecia Ali, Surya Das, Robert Thurman, and E. J. Dionne.
- ONLINE INTERFAITH NEWS - Electronic newsletters
at two major websites continue to be required reading for anyone interested
in interfaith work locally and globally:
- INTERFAITH "E-LERTS"
Common Tables, which provides a way for individuals to connect with others from different relgious traditions to share meals and discussion, is now offering "E-Lerts."
A free subscription to “Interfaith eLerts” brings you a series of emails which arrive just before, and briefly explain the significance of, many of the world’s primary holy days. (Included are observances from the Baha'i, Buddhist, Christian, Confucian, Daoist, Hindu, Islamic, Jain, Jewish, Neopagan, Shinto, Sikh, and Zoroastrian traditions.) To sign up, go to www.commontables.org/elerts.html
- NEWS & NOTES FROM INTERFAITH SPACE
Written by Bay Area Interfaith Connect editor Andrew Kille, News & Notes from Interfaith Space is an occasional blog on interfaith issues, especially concerning Santa Clara County and the South Bay. You can find it at www.revdak.com/wordpress/. Andrew also sends out Interfaith Events, a monthly e-mailing that includes a list of sacred celebrations from various religious traditions for each month, along with notices of interfaith activities in the South Bay, including educational opportunities and action items. To subscribe, sign up here.
- NAIN MAP: The North American Interfaith Network (NAIN) website now features an updated membership map. If you click on 'View NAIN NA in a larger map', you are taken to the online, interactive Google map with a side panel listing of NAIN members. The membership list has also been updated. Below the map is a link to an extensive online archive of NAINConnect '09.
- JOURNAL OF INTER-RELIGIOUS DIALOGUE
The Journal of Inter-Religious Dialogue is pleased to announce the launch of its website, www.irdialogue.org. The Journal is a forum for academic, social, and timely issues affecting religious communities around the world. It is designed to increase the quality and frequency of interchanges between religious groups and their leaders through its free peer reviewed Journal and online forums. Ultimately, the Journal seeks to build an inter-religious community of scholars, in which people of different traditions learn from one another and work together for the common good. Its content will include articles on the theological underpinnings of inter-religious work, best practices of organizations on college campuses and in the non-profit sector, and direct engagement of the difficult issues that religious leaders face in their interactions with one another. For more information, please contact Hannah McConnaughay, Publicity Editor for the Journal, via e-mail (outreach@irdialogue.org) or telephone (717-512-8112).
- GOLDEN RULE VIDEO
A seven-minute video centering on the "Golden Rule" in traditions from Ancient Egyptian to Zoroastrian is available on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ci613QcC5E . The video was produced by the Humanity Healing Network, a "Healing Project with No Denomination."
- SACRED
SOUNDS
Sacred music is performed all year long around the Bay
Area, but it can be difficult to find . Now choral music lovers can go to
a website listing Bay Area concerts –www.chorusconcert.info.
Happy listening!
- INTERACTIVE MAP OF FAITH GROUPS. Mapping
Faith is
an interactive tool created by Faith
in Public Life, which touts itself
as a "resource center for justice and the common good." Its
website provides a wealth of information, including the new Mapping Faith.
The searchable Mapping Faith database allows individuals to locate leading
faith advocates for justice and the common good. Users can sort diverse
leaders and organizations by geography, policy specialization, and faith
affiliation. They have currently mapped 2522 organizations in 45 states,
but they continue to build their database on a daily basis. They encourage
people to submit the names of organizations not yet listed.
- LISTEN
MEDIA.
From its origins in the Earth Religions
Community in Southeast Virginia, Listen
Media has grown to encompass
the wider interreligious dialogue. The LISTEN acronym stands not only
for "Living
In Spiritual Tolerance, Enlightenment and Nonviolence," but also
describes the essential element for interfaith relations, that we LISTEN
to each other. LISTEN
Media seeks to foster mutual respect and
understanding between diverse faith groups by serving as an information,
education and networking resource to the spiritual community.
- 100 MULTIFAITH RESOURCES. Living in a multifaith,
hyphenated world creates some wonderful opportunities for broadening
our understanding of both spirituality and practice. That's certainly
what the folks at Spirituality
and Practice have discovered
in book reviewing over the past decade. This site offers 100
titles that qualify as multifaith resources.
- PEW REPORT ON RELIGION IN AMERICA. The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life just published an updated version of the U.S. Religious Landscape Study, a comprehensive analysis of religious affiliation and practice in the U.S. At their website, you can find the full report, along with tools to learn about affiliations, maps of religious groups, and comparisons among groups: religions.pewforum.org.
- BUILDING GLOBAL CONNECTIONS. Global Oneness Project is a web-based video initiative exploring how the simple notion of oneness can be lived in our increasingly complex world. They offer a video library of interviews with creative and courageous people who base their lives and work on the fundamental understanding that we are all connected and thus bear great responsibility for each other and our shared world. Films are available for free from our website or on DVD for events and educational use. By showing the diverse ways oneness is expressed—in the fields of sustainability, conflict resolution, spirituality, art, economics, indigenous culture, and social justice— they hope others will be inspired to create solutions to personal and community challenges from their own lived understanding of oneness. The Global Oneness Project is a special project of Kalliopeia Foundation, a private grant-making foundation in northern California committed to honoring the unity at the heart of life’s rich diversity.
- GUIDELINES FOR GROUP VISITS TO HOUSES OF WORSHIP. Scarboro Missions (the people who publish posters of the "Golden Rule" in different religious traditions) is proud to announce the addition of a useful resource to its interfaith website. Visiting houses of worship of other faith traditions is one of the most effective ways to learn about other religions. This set of comprehensive guidelines provides all the necessary information for making a group visit a wonderful cultural, religious and educational experience. The guidelines were written by JW Windland, a highly respected multifaith educator with 40 years of experience in visiting houses of worship. Go to: www.scarboromissions.ca/Interfaith_dialogue/group_visit_guidelines.php “
- A TIBETAN LAMA DOING MUSIC VIDEO? You are certainly familiar with the Dalai Lama, but did you know there are several other Lamas held in high esteem among Tibetan Buddhists. One of these is the Sakyong "Earth Protector" Lama, Jamgön Mipham Rinpoche. He has bridged East and West, is a poet, artist, author of Turning the Mind into an Ally, and Ruling Your World, and marathon runner. His music video "What About Me?" is well worth a look at YouTube. His website is at www.mipham.com.
- ONLINE INTERFAITH CALENDARS:
- URI YOUNG LEADERS.
 The Young Leaders Program aims to connect religiously and spiritually diverse young people from around the world, and to develop their capacity to be servant leaders in the areas of interfaith cooperation, peacebuilding, ecological imperatives, human rights, and sustainable just economics. Supporting this is an online community for interfaith young leaders, spread over a variety of networks and accessible through a community Hub: www.ga08youth.com.
Here you will find: a community portal for social networking, dialogue forums and live chat discussions, a community calendar that shares important events of our youth members and the action themes for each month, a media gallery that highlights youth projects and video clips of URI youth in action, a newsdesk that shares update developments of the Young Leaders Program, and a resources section that contains helpful resources developed by youth participants for the URI Young Leaders Program. Connect with us online and help to build this vibrant interfaith youth movement together!
- RELIGIONS FOR PEACE-USA
Religions for Peace-USA is happy to report the launch of its new and improved website! The site has been reformatted and includes new features, as well as updated resources and general information. Visit us at www.rfpusa.org to see the latest developments! Further improvements will be added throughout the summer. Please check our site frequently!
- SUPPORT OUR TEENS: MULTIFAITH RESOURCES
The Council of Churches of Santa Clara County is working with other faith communities in the north county area in response to the recent tragic teen suicides. They have created a web page full of faith resources for teen support, including local faith-based events for youth and how to purchase a dvd of our August 31 "Supporting Our Teens" multifaith panel program. See www.councilofchurches-scc.org/teensupport.
- UNITED NATIONS PEACE DAY VIDEO. Ashley Young, a young film maker who was in Mayapur, India with the URI, came and filmed the International Day of Peace at the United Nations, Ashley took hours of footage and shares some of the highlights of the students participating in a video at www.youtube.com/somedayfire.
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Other Opportunities
- ATTITUDINAL HEALING. Do you need tools to help you learn to forgive yourself and others? Do you want peace of mind? Do you want to heal? Every Thursday from 7:00 to 9:00 pm a healing circle based on the principles of Attitudinal Healing, meets at the Center for Attitudinal Healing, 3278 West Street in Oakland. The group is facilitated by trained staff, and all are welcome. More information at www.ahc-oakland.org.
- ABRAHAM'S VISION
Abraham’s Vision is a conflict transformation organization that explores group and individual identities through experiential and political education. Examining social relations within and between the Jewish, Muslim, Israeli, and Palestinian communities, they empower participants to practice just alternatives to the status quo. They offer long-term programs for High School and University students, as well as workshops and presentations. See more at Abraham's Vision.
- RELIGION IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Americans United for Separation of Church and State is offering a free download of a book that gives educators and families detailed information about the law governing religion and the public schools. Religion in the Public Schools: A Road Map for Avoiding Lawsuits and Respecting Parents’ Legal Rights is a 129-page guide that provides a clear and concise account of court rulings on a variety of religious issues related to the classroom.
- UNITED WE SERVE
is a nationwide service initiative that will help meet growing social needs resulting from the economic downturn. Ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things when given the proper tools, and we seek to lay a new foundation for growth. This initiative aims to both expand the impact of existing organizations by engaging new volunteers in their work and encourage volunteers to develop their own "do-it-yourself" projects. United We Serve is an initial 81 days of service but will grow into a sustained, collaborative and focused effort to promote service as a way of life for all Americans. Organizations with projects for volunteers are encouraged to register at www.serve.gov.
- WORLD MARCH FOR PEACE AND NON-VIOLENCE
The World March will begin in New Zealand on October 2, 2009, the anniversary of Gandhi’s birth, declared the “International Day of Non-Violence” by the United Nations. It will conclude in the Andes Mountains (Punta de Vacas, Aconcagua, Argentina) on January 2, 2010. The March will last 90 days, three long months of travel. It will pass through all climates and seasons, from the hot summer of the tropics and the deserts, to the winter of Siberia. The stages will be the longest American and Asian, both almost a month. A permanent base of a hundred people of different nationalities will complete the journey. For more information, see the World Without Wars website.
- GLOBAL ONENESS PROJECT
The Global Oneness Project has put together a selection of their short films on two DVDs and will send one or both to you for free anywhere in the world IF you agree to gather 10 or more people when screening the films. Share these stories in your living room, classroom, community center, or theater and talk about the issues they bring up. And then, "pay it forward." Offer the DVD to someone else, and participate in this ongoing experiment in generosity. The Global Oneness Project is exploring how the radically simple notion of interconnectedness can be lived in our increasingly complex world. Since 2006, we've been traveling the globe gathering stories from creative and courageous people who base their lives and work on the understanding that we bear great responsibility for each other and our shared world. Find out more (and watch some of their videos) at www.globalonenessproject.org/living-library.
- SPIRITUAL PATHS INSTITUTE
 The Spiritual Paths Institute offers a program in InterSpiritual Studies that has been designed by a multi-faith team of teachers. Each teacher is a recognized scholar and acclaimed author, as well as an authentic leader, teacher, and practitioner of his /her respective spiritual tradition. The Spiritual Paths Institute Program in InterSpiritual Wisdom systematically builds the scholarly and experiential understanding of the spiritual traditions and practices imbedded within the world’s major religions. During their studies, students will be exposed to English translations of primary source materials, classical commentaries and modern exegeses of many of the world’s great spiritual traditions. For more information and registration, see the Spiritual Paths website.
- THE SKYWHEEL PROJECT: One of the most interesting workshop proposals at the "Taking It to Melbourne" event concerned the Skywheel Project– the world's first prayer wheel satellite."The Skywheel will be a light, compact satellite consisting of a highly decorated chrome-plated cylinder engraved with text and symbols from the many cultures of Earth. The interior of the satellite will contain a large spool concentric with the axis of rotation. Wound around this spool will be thousands of prayers, mantras, and other sacred text representing all the planet’s religious and spiritual faiths." For more information see their website: www.skywheel.org.
- INTERFAITH YOUTH CORE CONFERENCE
Leadership for a Religiously Diverse World: Interfaith Youth Core 6th Conference on Interfaith Youth Work will take place October 25-27, 2009. Hosted by the Center for Civic Engagement at Northwestern University. Join hundreds of renowned academics, interfaith student activists, religious leaders, foundation representatives, policy analysts and media professionals for a three-day conference exploring the kind of leadership we need for a religiously diverse world. Come learn from panel discussions with experts in the field, attend the Day of Interfaith Youth Service Banquet, gain new skills in over 50 interactive workshops and meet new partners in the interfaith youth movement! For more information, visit www.ifyc.org/conference.
- ING SEEKING INTERNS AND VOLUNTEERS
ING, the educational outreach organization based in Silicon Valley building bridges among people of all faiths and none is actively seeking interns and volunteers to support its development and outreach efforts. Interns will work at ING’s headquarters in San Jose (near Santana Row) under the direct supervision of department directors of the following areas: Fundraising, Marketing, Programs Development, and Content Development. Volunteers will work at the headquarters in one of the following areas: fundraising, marketing, administrative/clerical support, event support, research, book reviews, film/media reviews, and other special projects. For more information about ING internship program, go to: www.ing.org/employ/internships.asp; Volunteer information is at www.ing.org/employ/volunteer.asp, or contact Ali Rangwala, Administration Director, at ali@ing.org or at 408-296-7312.
- ING INTERFAITH SPEAKERS BUREAU WORKSHOPS
Start off the new year by signing up for an Interfaith Speakers Bureau (IFSB) training workshop. This program is hosted by ING, a 16-year old, non-profit outreach organization that promotes peace, eliminates stereotypes and improves interreligious understanding within our communities. At this time, we are seeking practitioners of the following religions: Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism and Judaism. For information, Email Cyndee Goldstein or call ING at 408-296-7312.
- ICP IN THE NEWS..
ICP was featured in a recent online article by friend and supporter Diana deRegnier at Religion and Spirituality.com. She tells the story of the Presidio Chapel, and about interfaith programs sponsored by ICP. You can find it at religionandspirituality.com.
- SPANISH GOLDEN RULE POSTER.
Scarboro Missions is proud to announce the publication of the Spanish-language version of the Golden Rule Poster. The four-color poster maintains the same design as the English version and is 22 x 29 inches in size. The poster features the Golden Rule - scripturally and symbolically - in 13 religions. This poster has achieved international renown as an educational and interfaith resource. The Scarboro Missions website provides lots of free educational resources for using the poster. The link to those resources is www.scarboromissions.ca/Golden_rule/ The poster will be a very effective interfaith tool among Spanish-speaking peoples around the world.
The poster is available from two distributors:
- Pflaum Publishing (Ohio) toll-free 1-800-543-4383 service@pflaum.com
- Orbis Books/Maryknoll Productions (New York)
toll-free 1-800-258-5838 bprice@maryknoll.org.
- GOLDEN RULE CITIES
The Arizona Interfaith Movement announces a new Golden Rule website at GoldenRuleAZ.org, celebrating cities, individuals, and programs that advance the Golden Rule in our communities in Arizona. Flagstaff, AZ is the newest Golden Rule City in Arizona. They welcome your sending Golden Rule articles, and stories to include here as well. Just email Anne at annetaylor@interfaitharizona.com
- 2009 PARLIAMENT OF THE WORLD'S RELIGIONS:
Melbourne, Australia -- December 3-9, 2009
Theme: Make a World of Difference: Hearing each other, Healing the earth. Key topics of global concern will be addressed from religious and spiritual perspectives. These include:
- Healing the Earth with Care and Concern
- Reconciling with Indigenous Peoples
- Overcoming Poverty in a Patriarchal World
- Securing Food and Water for all People
- Building Peace in the Pursuit of Justice
- Sharing Wisdom in the Search for Inner Peace
Registration materials and additional information are available online at www.parliamentofreligions.org
- FREMONT, USA DVD AVAILABLE FROM THE PLURALISM PROJECT
This film offers a glimpse of religious diversity on the local level: Fremont, California is a city transformed by new immigration. A rajagopuram rises in a tidy suburban neighborhood, announcing the vital presence of the Hindu community. The diversity of the global Buddhist community is also in evidence, as Thai, Chinese, and Burmese temples - and a women’s monastic retreat center - dot the landscape. Fremont is home to Peace Terrace, where Muslims and Christians have built side by side, and Gurdwara Road, where a large Sikh community engages in creative forms of outreach. Through civic engagement and interfaith action, strangers have become neighbors in this American city. Yet Fremont has also faced real challenges, especially after 9/11. When Alia Ansari, a Muslim woman, is murdered, some wonder if it was a hate crime: Was she killed because of her headscarf? How will the wider community respond? Produced and directed by Rachel Antell and Elinor Pierce, and narrated by Diana Eck, Fremont, USA makes the challenges of religious diversity vivid, visible, and accessible for discussion. For more information, please see: www.pluralism.org/fremontusa/ or download the order form. 57 minutes total running time.
- CATHOLICS AND INTERFAITH. In January of 2007, Scarboro Missions magazine examined international interfaith activity involving Catholics. This issue could be very useful in introducing Catholics to interfaith activity, especially Catholics who are resistant to interfaith activity. The first article focuses on the interfaith initiatives of the last four popes including Benedict. You may find a few surprises here. Another article reports on the first official forum between Sikhs and Catholics in the United States.
- RELIGIOUS ETIQUETTE GUIDES
. The Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding in New York, a secular, non-sectarian organization supporting religious peacemakers through education, inclusive workplace policies and practices, conflict resolution, and special programs, offers several guides to religious etiquette, including how to address religious leaders, entering sacred spaces, and visiting religions homes. Find them at www.tanenbaum.org/etiquette_guides.html
- DIVIDED WE FALL CAMPAIGN. Pluralism Project Affiliate Valarie Kaur's award-winning documentary film Divided We Fall tells the story of hate violence in the aftermath of 9/11 and explores the question: who counts as American? The story's power has inspired the Divided We Fall Campaign: a grassroots movement to screen the film in every state across the nation during this September 11th anniversary. You are invited to join the Divided We Fall Campaign and host the film and discussion in your community on or near September 15th, the anniversary of the first post-9/11 hate murder of Sikh American Balbir Sodhi. In doing so, you will be joining schools, universities, museums, libraries, houses of worship, government officials, and community centers in deep dialogue about racism, religion, reconciliation and healing in America. Contact tour director Jodi Elliott for details: jodi@dwf-film.com. Visit the film's website at www.dwf-film.com for trailers, news, and reviews.
- SUBMIT A SONG FOR THE INTERFAITH SONGBOOK. You are
invited to participate in the formulation of the next (second edition)
of One
World, Many Voices, an interfaith songbook, now being assembled.
Please submit one or even two songs (music and lyrics) of your choosing
from your faith tradition. It should be a piece of music loved by you,
one which best describes your tradition, and which should be introduced
and sung within an interfaith setting. Please send – with
notes on why it may be important, especially to you – to: Dr.
Jack W. Lundin, Editor 202 Avenida Barbera Sonoma, CA 95476 Thank you
very much for being a part of the new interfaith songbook. Jack Lundin
(Order the first One World Many Voices through the ICP
Online Store.)
- TONY BLAIR FAITH FOUNDATION. You may have seen the article in Time magazine describing how former British Prime Minister Tony Blair intends to devote the rest of his life to working for peace among religious traditions and in the world. On May 30, he announced the creation of “The Tony Blair Faith Foundation" which " aims to promote respect and understanding about the world's major religions and show how faith is a powerful force for good in the modern world. Faith is vitally important to hundreds of millions of people. It underpins systems of thought and of behaviour. It underpins many of the world's great movements for change or reform, including many charities. And the values of respect, justice and compassion that our great religions share have never been more relevant or important to bring people together to build a better world." You can find more at tonyblairfaithfoundation.org/
- 20,000
DIALOGUES is a nationwide campaign designed to bring
people of different faiths together using films about Muslims to stimulate
discussion and promote understanding. It brings the concept of interfaith
dialogue into the hands of ordinary people who want to make a positive
difference. To host your own dialogue and film screening, 20,000 Dialogues
provides you with resources to lead interfaith discussions. You
can choose Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet or Cities
of Light: the Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain, two award winning
PBS documentaries free of charge. Go to 20,000
Dialogues for details.
- FAITH & PUBLIC LIFE - A new curriculum for
people of faith, Faith Seeking Peace, places biblical texts
in conversation with the criticual issues of our day, such as terrorism
and national security, federal budget priorities, nuclear weapons, and
war. You can download the curriculum at Wand.org.
- PEACE
VIDEOS AVAILABLE - The World Council of Churches has a series of
peace messages from distinguished peacebuilders around the world. They
can be downloaded from www.overcomingviolence.org/peace2004.
- MAKING THE PLANET GREENER - The United Nations
has launched a campaign to plant 1 million trees in the coming year.
Twelve percent of that number have already been pledged. Join activists
around the world to make the planet greener, with fresher air and cleaner
water for all! Find details at http://www.unep.org/billiontreecampaign/.
- PBS INTERFAITH DOCUMENTARIES
AVAILABLE AT DISCOUNT.
The Interfaith Relations Commission of the National Council of Churches
is offering two PBS Documentaries at a discount to help local churches,
synagogues, mosques and other organizations for public showing and stimulating
dialogue. The films include: Three Faiths, One God: Judaism, Christianity,
Islam, and Jews and Christians: A Journey of Faith. A guide with additional
written material is also available for each film. For more information,
see the NCC
Interfaith Relations website..To order or for more details, please
write to Sarosh Koshy: skoshy@ncccusa.org.
- NORTH AMERICAN WOMEN OF FAITH
NETWORK. Religions
for Peace Women's Mobilization Program and Religions
for Peace-USA are excited to announce the launching of the North
American Women of Faith Network. The North American Women of Faith
Network will join Religions for Peace Women of Faith Networks from
around the world in building peace, promoting sustainable development
and protecting human rights for all. Working groups will be created
to develop initial focus, themes and objectives for the network. A
continental gathering will be scheduled for Spring of 2008. More
information.
- DIRECTORY
OF CAMPUS INTERFAITH GROUPS. Religions
for Peace USA has compiled a directory
of interfaith groups at undergraduate colleges across the US.
You can find information about each group's goals and activities
and contact information. So far, no Bay Area schools are listed.
If you know of a group that should be included, there is a link for
suggesting listings. Help people find opportunities for interfaith
dialogue and to connect with other schools seeking to do the same.
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Bay
Area Interfaith Connect is the monthly newsletter sponsored
by the Interfaith
Center at the Presidio. Each month we alert you to interfaith resources
and opportunities that are available in the Bay Area and beyond.