|
TORONTO
AND
AREA
EVENTS
TORONTO
Perception
House Seminars presents:
RUMI
AND THE BELOVED:
 Sufi
Mindfulness in Action and the Remembrance of the Heart
University
of
Toronto
, Multi-Faith Centre – Koffler
House,
569
Spadina Avenue
(East side, just north of the Circle,
south of Harbourd)
Inquiries:
Yevheniya Pekar, (416) 533-3505
By
donation
“July
9th, 2011. Lectures at the following times:
10
am to 12 noon – Rumi Stories and Poetry of
Spiritual Psychology
1
pm to 2:30 pm – The Turning Dance of the Sufis and
Mevlevi Sufi Dhikr Chant
3:30
pm to 5pm – Stations of Remembrance: Stages of
Liberation along the Sufi Path.”
CLICK
FOR MORE INFORMATION
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TORONTO
MUSLIM-CATHOLIC
STUDENT DIALOGUE
 Topic:
Trinity in the Catholic
Faith VS. The Many Attributes of God in the Islamic
Faith
Sunday,
July 31 from 4 pm to 6 pm
Multi-Faith
Centre (2nd Floor, Multi-Purpose Room),
569
Spadina Avenue
(North of Spadina and
College Avenue
)
Inquiries:
Dr. Hamid Slimi: info@faithoflife.net
or Fr. Damian MacPherson: dmacpherson@archtoronto.org
(Tel. (416) 934-3400 ext. 344)
CLICK
FOR MORE INFORMATION
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TORONTO
TORONTO
HIROSHIMA
DAY
ANNUAL PEACE
COMMEMORATION
 |
| Statue
in memory of the young girl Sadako Sasaki in
Hiroshima, Japan. |
The Toronto Hiroshima Day Coalition is organizing the 66th
commemoration of
the atomic bombings of
Hiroshima
and
Nagasaki
on August 6th, 2011. This
year, the annual Peace Commemoration will be held at 6:30 pm at the
Church
of the Holy Trinity (
10 Trinity Square
, behind the Eaton Centre), due to the
reconstruction of our regular venue at the Nathan Phillips Square
Peace
Garden. With the theme, "Faith and Abolition: No Nuclear
Weapons, No Nuclear
Power," this year's interfaith commemoration will also address
the nuclear
disaster continuing to unfold in
Fukushima
,
Japan
, connecting our growing
concern about nuclear power and its relationship to nuclear weapons
proliferation.
SURVIVORS
ARTWORK EXHIBIT
North York
Civic Centre Survivors Artwork Exhibit, August 2-5:
An exhibition of photographs and paintings by
Hiroshima
and
Nagasaki
atom
bomb survivors will have an official opening at the North York
Civic Centre
on August 2 at 5:30 hosted by Toronto City Councillor John Filion.
The
exhibition is free of charge and runs until August 5. For further
information, please contact Anton Wagner, awagner@yorku.ca
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TORONTO
Spring
Rain Sangha presents:
3-DAY
MINDFULNESS
(VIPASSANA)
MEDITATION RETREAT
 A
non-residential retreat with facilitators: Jim Bedard
and Randy Baker
July
21 and 22 (7 pm to 9 pm) and July 23 (9 am to 5 pm)
at
The Society of Friends (Quakers) House,
60 Lowther Avenue
(corner
of Bedford and Lowther, 2 blocks north of
Bedford
exit of St. George Station)
Inquiries:
multi-dayretreats@springrainsangha.com
Pre-registration
necessary. Application forms found in the “Retreats”
section of www.springrainsangha.com
Cost:
$60. This does not include a donation (Dana) for the
teachers.
“This
3-Day Mindfulness (Vipassana) Meditation Retreat
introduces Buddhist practices that help us to achieve
deeper levels of insight into who and what we are, while
promoting peace in our daily lives. By focusing
moment-to-moment awareness on body sensations, feelings,
and thoughts, we begin to experience for ourselves the
impermanence of all conditioned phenomena.
Mindfulness meditation, and the greater wisdom
and equanimity it brings, helps us relate to life with
less fear and clinging. People of all faiths are welcome
to attend this event, which is suitable for both
beginners and experienced meditators.”
CLICK FOR
MORE INFORMATION
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TORONTO
THE
INTERFAITH MOVEMENT DEEPENS
A
CALL FOR GLOBAL SPIRITUAL CITIZENSHIP
Monday,
July 18, 7:00pm
Inner
Garden
,
401 Richmond St. W.
(at Spadina)
Suite
384
,
Toronto
.
416-537-1413.
www.theinnergarden.ca
All
welcome, suggested donation $10, no one turned away
For
more information, contact Jari Dvorak dvorakj@sympatico.ca
 “Philip
Goldberg will SHARE with us his experiences on the cutting edge
of interfaith and trans-traditional spirituality.
He will challenge us to broaden and deepen the
interfaith movement by turning it “inside out.”
Along the way he will illuminate the profound influence
of
India
’s spiritual teachings on North American religion in
general and interfaith in particular, based on his
extensive research for his new book, AMERICAN VEDA. And
he will share with us A Call For Global Spiritual
Citizenship, building a bridge to our collective
future, www.globalspiritualcitizenship.org. There will be ample opportunity for questions
and for participants to express their views on these
vital matters.”
Philip Goldberg www.philipgoldberg.com
is a spiritual counselor, meditation teacher and
ordained Interfaith Minister. The author or coauthor of
19 books, he lectures and leads workshops throughout the
U.S.
A novelist and screenwriter as well, he lives in
Los Angeles
, where he founded Spiritual Wellness and Healing
Associates (SWAHA). He is Director of Outreach for SpiritualCitizens.net and blogs regularly on the
Huffington Post and ELEPHANT JOURNAL. His latest
book, AMERICAN VEDA: From Emerson and the Beatles to
Yoga and Meditation, How Indian Spirituality Changed the
West, chronicles the history and influence of
India
's spiritual teachings in
America
. Huffington Post named it one of the top ten books on
religion for 2010.
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TORONTO
SPIRITUAL
DIALOGUE CIRCLE
Location: Don
Heights Unitarian Congregation, 18 Wynford Drive, Suite
102, Toronto, 416-444-8839
 Date: first
Monday of the month, January 2011 to June 2011
Time: 7:00pm
to 8:30pm
Contact: Reverend
Michelle Singh, mailto:michelle_singh@rogers.com
Pre-Registration is Required
"This multi-faith Spiritual Dialogue Circle is committed to bringing
diverse people together for conversation, prayer, sacred
music and meditation. In this Circle, participants are
invited to share readings and experience from their
unique spiritual traditions. We encourage everyone to
share
to
foster peace within ourselves and our world. This is a
safe and open community in which everyone is welcome to
explore, grow and be supported."
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CANADA
WIDE EVENTS
MONTREAL
SECOND
GLOBAL CONFERENCE ON
WORLD’S
RELIGIONS AFTER SEPTEMBER 11
 The
Dalai Lama returns to
Montreal
later this year on September 7, to address the Second
Global Conference On World’s Religions after September
11, which will meet at the Palais des Congrès, almost
after a decade following the events of 9/11.
Other
renowned speakers include Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin
Ebadi, world-famous author Deepak Chopra, Professor
Tariq Ramadan, and Professor Robert Thurman. Professor
Gregory Baum, recipient of the Order of
Canada
and Swami Dayananda Saraswati will also participate in
the conference.
Under
the theme of “Peace Through Religion”, the one-day
event will include the unveiling of the latest version
of a proposed Universal Declaration of Human Rights by
the World’s Religions, which has been on the anvil
since 1996 and which is designed as a complement to the
United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights of
1948.
“The
aim of the conference is to bring together the various
religions of the world in an ecumenical spirit to
address the many issues facing the world today, in the
hope that this will help all of us become better human
beings”, emphasized the convenor of the event, Arvind
Sharma, Birks Professor of Comparative Religion at the
Faculty of Religious Studies of McGill University.
Panel discussions with the speakers will seek to
generate consensus around two fundamental social and
religious issues:
·
Should a course on world religions also be taught whenever
the confessional study or religion is carried out?
·
Should violating the sanctity of the scripture of any
religion be considered tantamount to violating the
sanctity of the scriptures of all religions?
The
Conference is co-sponsored by
McGill
University
and Université de Montréal.”
Click
here for more information
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VANCOUVER
ZEN MASTER THICH NHAT HANH COMES TO
VANCOUVER
August 8-14
“Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh is one of the most
beloved and respected Buddhist teachers of our
time. He is also a  peace
activist and environmentalist, who addresses
contemporary issues and teaches how we can engage our
spiritual practice in the world. From August 8-13,
Thich Nhat Hanh will be presenting a residential
mindfulness retreat at UBC. There is a children’s
program as well, so the kids will be taken care of while
parents participate in the retreat. On August 14, he
will be giving a public talk at the Orpheum theatre.
Both events are open to people of all backgrounds, faith
traditions, and levels of experience. Thich Nhat
Hanh’s visit to
Vancouver
is being coordinated by Justin Love, a member of the
Buddhist community that helped out with our Multifaith
Storytime Project with the Surrey Public Library. For
more information about both events, visit www.TNHVancouver2011.org”
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INTERNATIONAL
EVENTS
EVENT
- International ,
Amman,
Jordan
Registration
Is Open
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
ON TRANSFORMING CONFLICT:
Sharing Tools for Cross-Cultural Dialogue
July 21-24, 2011 in Amman,
Jordan
“At a time of unprecedented transformation in the
Middle East
, bringing together best practices and successful models
for Compassionate, Cooperative, and Peaceful
Relationships Within and Between Communities
Official Partner of Charter
For Compassion & Parliament of World's Religions
Conference Details at: www.cbiworld.org/Pages/Conferences_TC.htm
Registration is Open to All
Call For Proposals
A Multi-disciplinary, Multi-cultural Conference
“Empowering the individual in society with effective,
collaborative skills in dialogue, interpersonal
communication, teamwork, leadership, decision making,
negotiation, problem solving, mediation, conflict
resolution, and sustainable reconciliation.”
Sponsored by:
Common Bond Institute (US), Youth Without
Borders (
Jordan
),
International Humanistic Psychology Association
Endorsed and Supported by:
King Abdullah II, the Jordanian
Government,
and over 100 universities and organizations
internationally”
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INTERNATIONAL
SANTA CLARA
“ENGAGING THE
OTHER” CONFERENCE
 The
Power of Compassion
“WHEN: Friday-Sunday,
December 2-4, 2011
WHERE:
Santa Clara
University
,
Santa Clara
.
At a time when
polarization is the true culprit, a multi-cultural,
multi-disciplinary conference addressing fear-based
belief systems, negative stereotypes, polarization,
enemy images, scapegoating, and artificial barriers of
distrust that divide us. Co-sponsored by:
Common
Bond Institute (CBI); International Humanistic
Psychology Association (IHPA);
Santa Clara
University
; Pacifica Institute. Information at http://cbiworld.org/”
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NORTH AMERICAN INTERFAITH NETWORK
Member Showcase:
Hartford
Seminary
RELIGIOUS
LEADERSHIP IN AN INTERFAITH WORLD
 “HARTFORD,
CT (June 1, 2011) – More than 30 experts in interfaith
dialogue will participate in a new, innovative seminar
offered by Hartford Seminary in June, titled
“Religious Leadership in an Interfaith World.”
Made possible by a
generous grant from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations,
the seminar will provide religious leaders of all faiths
– clergy, educators, administrators, chaplains, and
others – an introduction to religious diversity in the
American context, methodologies for interfaith
engagement, and resources for further exploration.
The seminar will run from June 6 through June 10.
“In a culture marked by
religious diversity, effective religious leadership must
include awareness of, and engagement with, faith
traditions other than one’s own. I am delighted that
Hartford Seminary is offering this special seminar that
reflects our mission and underscores the importance of
interfaith dialogue in today’s multi-faith world,”
President Heidi Hadsell said. “We’re grateful to the
Arthur Vining Davis Foundations for its support.”
Participating in the
seminar will be Christians, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists,
Hindus, Quakers, Unitarians, and Wiccans. They are
leaders of interfaith organizations…”
READ
FULL STORY
MORE
NAIN SHOWCASES OF INTERFAITH PRACTICES
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PROGRAM
REPORTS
PROGRAM REPORT
CANADIAN
CENTRE FOR DIVERSITY:
MESSAGE
FROM THE CHAIR
We
have reached the close of another outstanding year of
educational activity here at the Canadian Centre for
Diversity (CCD) and I’d like to take this opportunity
to update you on just a few accomplishments:
-
Our
Young
Leaders Forum launched in
Winnipeg
impacting over 100 students
-
We
increased the number of Teaching
Leaders To Lead workshops
in
Toronto
,
Halifax
, and
Winnipeg
from 5 to 14, representing a 180% increase in
programs delivered
-
We
initiated Diversity
Outings in
Nova Scotia
. More than 40 grade 8 students went to the Glooscap
Heritage Centre to learn about Mi'kmaq culture and
history and then to the Centre for Islamic
Development
-
CCD
was selected by the
Nashville
(
Tennessee
) Area Chamber of Commerce to assist in developing
the 20th Annual Leadership Study Mission, which
culminated in a 3-day international conference held
in
Toronto
during May
 These
are just a few initiatives we have undertaken as one of
the leading Canadian charitable organizations,
specializing in diversity education. Our participants
are lifelong learners, and by designing and delivering
high quality, dynamic programming, we contribute to the
educational needs of Canadian youth. Your support allows
us to reach out to students and to motivate them to
“see different”. Thank you for helping us to make a
difference, and we look forward to your ongoing
support
Sincerely,
Linda McCain,
Board Chair, Canadian Centre for Diversity
CLICK
TO SEE THE FULL REPORT WITH PHOTOS
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PROGRAM REPORT
SURREY NEIGHBOURING FAITHS PROGRAM,
SURREY
B.C.
JULY 2011 NEWSLETTER
www.snfp.ca
Happy Canada Day weekend to all!
This weekend has been a good opportunity to reflect on
what the interfaith movement might stand to contribute
to Canadian democracy. Canadian democracy is
founded upon open and inclusive conversation, debate and
participation. In order for our democratic institutions
to function properly, we need to find and sustain ways
of giving voice to the full range of perspectives in our
society. Insofar as they adhere to principles of
respectful discourse, this includes those perspectives
that stem from our religious or spiritual experiences.
One of the seeds that grew into the Surrey Neighbouring
Faiths Program was the need to give a voice to faith
communities so that they may be more authentically heard
and understood in our community. As we’ve grown over
the past years, our opportunities for doing this have
expanded….
Our Mission Statement is: “The
Surrey Neighbouring Faiths Program builds community
capacity for multifaith learning and dialogue with a
focus on children and families.” If you have any
programming or project ideas that relate to this mission
statement, please let me know. We are always open to new
ideas!
In
peace,
David
Dalley
(604)
502-8661
davidanderin@dalley.ca
PLEASE
CLICK HERE TO READ OUR LATEST NEWSLETTER CONTAINING
THINGS WE ARE CELEBRATING, PLANNING, REPORTING ON –
AND OF COURSE OUR UPCOMING EVENTS
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BOOK
REVIEWS
BOOK
REVIEW
A
NEW BOOK THAT CHALLENGES AND CLARIFIES THE ETHICAL VIEW
OF RELIGION AND THE ENVIRONMENT
 “The
natural environment we live in is being burdened like no
other time before. The increasing population and the
continual exploitation of its resources is taxing it
beyond its limits, and this calls for a re-evaluation of
how we view nature.
In September 2010 Muslim and Christian scholars from the
Royal Aal al Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought and the
Eugene-Biser Foundation (
Germany
) met to discuss the role of religion in improving the
situation of the environment, in particular what Islam
and Christianity have to offer as a solution. This small
gathering at the Baptism Site of Jesus outside of
Amman
,
Jordan
was meant to bring some of the foremost leaders of both
religious traditions to be a stepping stone for future
dialogue and action.
Each presenter gave presentations that challenged the
ethical views that many religious (and even
non-religious) people share. It was decided that a book
should be published to present these ideas to the wider
religious community worldwide to spark debate so we have
published four of the presentations into a small
pocket-sized book.
As environmental problems continue to increase and our time
to solve them decreases, we have to realize that now is
the time to learn about what our approach to the issue
should be and begin change. Although this book doesn’t
have the answers to all our questions it does bring to
the center some perspectives on the ethical view that
Muslims and Christians should have in tackling all
environmental issues.
Order
a copy now for only $6 plus shipping and handling.
Or Download a free PDF version of the booklet by CLICKING
HERE”
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BOOK
REVIEW
TWELVE
STEPS TO A COMPASSIONATE LIFE
by
Karen Armstrong, Knopf
Canada
, 222 pages, $25
Reviewed By Moez Surani
From
Saturday's Globe and Mail, Jan. 08, 2011
 “…In
Twelve Steps to a
Compassionate Life, Armstrong leaves aside
the debates about doctrine and history and zeroes in on
the social benefit of compassion. Where the Dalai
Lama’s bestseller, An
Open Heart: Practicing Compassion in Everyday Life,
concentrates inward on the psychological benefits of
compassion, the British writer’s focus is outward, on
its social and political impact.
Her
goal is to plant a deep-rooted desire for equity. She
seeks to alter those who have hardened into partiality
or righteousness. She counters the anxiety of cooling
our confidence in our beliefs by promoting the wisdom of
uncertainty: “Religion is at its best,” she writes,
“when it helps to ask questions and hold us in a state
of wonder – and arguably at its worst when it tries to
answer them authoritatively and dogmatically.”
Armstrong’s
12-step process attempts to peel away the fetters of the
ego and enlarge our sympathetic capacity. For her, when
we go beyond our likes and dislikes, our sense of self
grows and our perspective fans out. Her commitment to
this end is so fierce that long-time Armstrong fans may
bridle at her direct instruction. But her goal is sure.
Compassion for her is not simply warm-heartedness; it is
energetic:
“Compassion
impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering
of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the
centre of our world and put another there, and to honour
the inviolable sanctity of every single human being,
treating everybody, without exception, with absolute
justice, equity and respect.”…”
READ
THE FULL REVIEW
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BOOK
REVIEW
HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA,
TOWARD A TRUE KINSHIP OF FAITHS:
HOW THE WORLD’S RELIGIONS CAN COME TOGETHER
Doubleday,
2010
Reviewed
by Rabbi Alon Goshen-Gottstein, The Elijah Interfaith
Institute
 “The
Dalai Lama is, after the Pope, the world’s best known
world religious leader. While himself a leader of only
one
school
of
Buddhism
and, until recently head of a state in exile, his
reach has become global. In his book, Toward a True
Kinship of Faiths: How the World’s Religions Can Come
Together, recording the Dalai Lama’s journey into
other religions and the theories he has developed as a
consequence of this journey, the Dalai Lama emerges as a
global religious leader, setting an example and offering
a path and a theory that is meant for all of
humanity’s religious practitioners. …
…the Dalai Lama emerges as a global religious leader,
setting an example and offering a path and a theory that
is meant for all of humanity’s religious
practitioners. …
…Being in exile forces the Dalai Lama into an encounter
with other religions. This encounter provides the
opportunity for a lifelong process of learning. Exile
has allowed him to redefine his role as a religious
leader and, by means of encounter with other religions,
to develop a teaching that is global in reach. Early on
in the book, the reader is exposed to the Dalai Lama’s
self understanding of his task as a religious leader
…”
READ
THE FULL BOOK REVIEW AT THE ELIJAH INTERFAITH INSTITUTE
SITE
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RESOURCES
RESOURCES
Please view the most recent videos by
ISARC on YouTube
discussing
THE ROLE
OF FAITH COMMUNITIES IN POVERTY ISSUES
faithagainstpoverty has
shared two videos with you on YouTube:
 ISARC
- Faith Communities in Action Against Poverty: Part 1
“A talk show format discussing issues of poverty and the
role of faith communities to end poverty in
Ontario
. Host: Paul Hansen; Guests: Michael Skaljin, Executive
Director ISARC; Colleen Sym, Halton Community Legal
Clinic; Michael AbdurRashid Taylor, Islamic Chaplaincy
Services Canada.”
CLICK SCREENS OR HEADLINES
ISARC
- Faith Communities in Action Against Poverty: Part 2
 “A talk show format discussing
issues of poverty and the role of faith communities to
end poverty in
Ontario
. Host: Paul Hansen; Guests: Michael Skaljin, Executive
Director ISARC; Colleen Sym, Halton Community Legal
Clinic; Michael AbdurRashid Taylor, Islamic Chaplaincy
Services Canada.”
Check out our FACEBOOK page
and click "Like" to receive regular updates.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Interfaith-Social-Assistance-Reform-Coalition/125478264191618
We
are also on Twitter @isarc_updates Sign
up for our regular tweets with updates on poverty
reduction activities in
Ontario
.
"Faith
Communities in Action Against Poverty"
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RESOURCES
STATEMENT OF:
THE BORDEAUX RELIGIOUS
LEADERS SUMMIT
“1.
The Bordeaux G8 Religious Leaders’Summit 2011
continues the series of such meetings begun in 2005.  Together
with colleagues from Africa, a continent which should be
included in the G8 and the G20 meetings, and from the
Middle East, we focused our deliberations on concerns
related to items on the upcoming G8 Deauville Summit
26-27th May
2011 and the G20 Cannes Summit, 3-4 November and
developed recommendations to address the interconnected
crises confronting humanity.
2.
Our diverse backgrounds and experience enriched our
consultation. The trauma of earthquake, tsunami and
nuclear disaster described by our Japanese colleagues,
the experience and aspirations of our friends from
countries in the Middle East and the deep concern of our
African colleagues at the continued marginalization of
their voice underlined the urgency of the issues under
consideration.
3.
The increasingly complex and perilous times in which we
live require global approaches. As religious
communities, our understanding of the universal is
rooted in our understanding of the Divine. …
4.
Our reflections develop many of the themes discussed at
previous Religious Leaders’Summits.
As people of faith, we all consider ourselves to be
accountable to the transcendent divine the author and
creator of all. It is this and our shared commitment to
the common good, that motivates us to speak to some of
the issues that are on your agenda and on ours. At the
heart of our reflections are principles and values
common to our religions and universally upheld: the
essential and irrevocable dignity of all human beings;
accountability for the goodness of creation; the
ultimate value of reconciliation and forgiveness; the
centrality of freedom and justice. Policies and
programmes that are clearly in accord with them have our
support.”
CLICK
TO READ THE FULL 24 STATEMENTS
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RESOURCES
THE
PEACE MALA
http://www.peacemala.org.uk/
Endorsed
by His Holiness The Dalai Lama of
Tibet
and Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu.
“Peace Mala is an award winning project for peace that began in
2001, in response to the racial and religious  bullying
of pupils in schoolS that came out of the 9/11
aftermath.
A Peace Mala is a symbolic double rainbow bracelet that promotes
friendship, respect and peace between people of all
cultures, lifestyles, faiths, beliefs and none. It is a
vision for the future. Wearing the Peace Mala is a
promise to help create a better world.
A Peace Mala is a symbolic bracelet that promotes friendship,
respect and peace between the faiths and all people in
our world. It cuts through all forms of prejudice and
celebrates what makes us different from each other.
It is a vision for the future. Wearing the mala is a promise to
help create a better world.
Registered Charity No 1118053
Peace Mala focuses on the Golden Rule. Its intention is to educate
and remind everyone that this rule is recognized by many
scholars, teachers and philosophers. It is also
universal to all compassionate faiths. Simply stated, it
is: "Treat others as you would wish them to
treat you."”
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RESOURCES
Ontario
Multi-faith Council Bibliography of New &
Recommended Materials
:
MULTIFAITH
MATRIMONY & RELATED RESOURCES
http://www.library.omc.ca/
CLICK
FOR WEB VERSION OF COPY BELOW
 Corporate
Author: Multifaith Information Services Department.
Ontario
Multifaith
Council
Place
:
Toronto
.
Publisher:
Ontario
Multifaith Council on Spiritual and Religious Care.
Publication
Date: 2010.
http://www.library.omc.ca/dbtw-wpd/documents/Multifaith
Matrimony & Related Resources.doc
Physical
Description: 3 p.
Record Type: On-line
Article ~ Bibliography
Marriage
- Psychological aspects ~ Marriage
- Religious aspects - Islam ~ Marriage
- Religious aspects - Christianity ~ Marriage
- Religious aspects - Judaism ~ Marriage
- Religious aspects - Catholic Church. ~ Marriage
counseling - United States. ~ Marriage
customs and rites. ~ Marriage
service - Handbooks, manuals, etc.
Multifaith
resources. ~ World
Religions. ~ Multifaith
Information
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BACKGROUND
AN EFFORT TO FOSTER TOLERANCE IN RELIGION
June 13, 2011By Laurie Goodstein, published in the New York
Times.
|
|
|
Eboo Patel helped the White House develop its Interfaith
and Community Service challenge
|
Photo Carlos Ortiz for the New York Times
“
CHICAGO
— For a guy who is only 35 and lives in a walk-up apartment, Eboo
Patel has already racked up some impressive
accomplishments.
A Rhodes scholar with a doctorate in
the sociology of religion from
Oxford
University
, he has four honorary degrees. His autobiography is
required freshman reading on 11 college campuses. He
runs a nonprofit organization — the Interfaith Youth Core — with 31 employees and a budget of
$4 million. And he was tapped by the White House as a
key architect of an initiative announced in April by
President Obama.
Mr. Patel got there by identifying a
sticky problem in American civic life and proposing a
concrete solution...”
READ
THE FULL ARTICLE
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NEWS
NEWS
-
TORONTO
WORLD PEACE
FESTIVAL RETURNS TO
HIGH
PARK
Respectfully
submitted by Cathy Allon, Founder, World Peace
Associates
“On Sunday June 19 the World Peace Festival came back
to
High
Park
after a 13
year
hiatus.
Participants
were serenaded by beautiful music sung with guitars and
brilliant poetry; experienced guided meditations; heard
the resonance of Peace in many
Languages;
participated in Laughter Yoga, Chanting and Breathwork;
Experienced Sound Healing in the joyful energy of Mother
Nature and much more; then at 9pm they took a candlelit
walk through the Labyrinth!..."
All
of these activities unfolded near the picnic area by the
Labyrinth just a couple of minutes north of Grenadier
Restaurant. The festival was organized by Cathy Allon,
who had to leave early due to a pressing family
situation. Nevertheless the Festival happened with the
help of her partner Blair Drawson looking after
logistics, and Wende Bartley, a as the MC.”
Blair Drawson writes:
"The weather on the day of the Festival could not
have been better - mild, sunny skies with a soothing
breeze wafting through, to calm any tension in our
hearts.
There
was a joyful spirit of quiet healing throughout the
event, with the various participants contributing their
expertise to the fullness of the afternoon.
Over the course of the event, I would estimate
the attendance to be in the area of 120 or so.
And those who came, stayed. The energy felt
harmonious and balanced; there was fun and laughter, and
plentiful moments of peaceful meditation. Music,
movement, personal acknowledgments, and the sacredness
of just being there in a spirit of like-mindedness - it
was a day to remember
in tranquility. As dusk came upon us, we moved over to
the nearby labyrinth for a perfect wrap-up -- walking
the labyrinth by candlelight.
See
you all next year! Same time, same place!”
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NEWS
- International
CONFERENCE
ON “ROLE OF INTERFAITH COOPERATION IN IMMIGRANTS'
INTEGRATION” KICKS OFF IN
MOROCCO
From Moroccan official press agency - Published in: Agence
Maghreb
Arabe Presse
 “Mahdia
- Euro-Mediterranean Conference on the Role of
Interfaith Cooperation in Immigrants' Integration kicked
off June
22-26, 2011 in Mahdia (about 50km north of Rabat), with
the participation of more than fifty people representing
different religious beliefs from all over the world.
The meeting, held for the first time out of
Jordan
and
Europe
, is organized in cooperation with the Anna
Lindh Foundation, Badr
Association for Development, the United
Religions Initiative, and the Mediterranean
Research Group.
The three-day symposium aims at
discussing the role and the importance of migration as a
means to know others and dialogue among cultures and
religions to end negative perceptions of others as part
of joint
action.
This conference, launched by the
United Religions Initiative in the Middle East and North
Africa, will raise the migrants’ issues and problems
and how interfaith can play an active role in their
life.
It is also an opportunity to build
bridges of peace and coexistence between people from
different affiliations and cultural backgrounds.”
Click here
for updates on the conference from URI Executive
Director Charles Gibbs.
Click here
for an inspiring lecture by one of the conference’s
presenters.
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NEWS -
Washington
Sunday,
June 26, 2011
National
Cathedral,
Washington
FAITH
SHARED:
UNITING
IN PRAYER AND UNDERSTANDING
 “Christian,
Muslim, and Jewish faith leaders read from their
respective sacred texts in a special interfaith prayer
service as part of Faith Shared: Uniting in Prayer
and Understanding, a project of Interfaith Alliance
and Human Rights First to promote greater interfaith
understanding. In addition to the National Cathedral,
more than 50 churches in 26 states committed to
participating.
Participants
- The
Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, president, Interfaith
Alliance
- Imam
Mohamed Magid, executive director, All Dulles Area
Muslim Society (ADAMS)
- Amy
M. Schwartzman, senior rabbi, Temple Rodef Shalom,
Falls Church
,
Va.
”
“What
we have done together in this great cathedral this
morning, along with others in similar services in houses
of worship across our nation, can alter the image and
substance of our nation, as well as our religion,”
said the Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, president of the
Interfaith Alliance, one of the organizations that
sponsored the project. “Today’s beautifully written
liturgy, informed by Islam, Judaism and Christianity,
declares unambiguously . . .
we are not scripture burners, rather, scripture
readers.”
·
Faith
Shared - Sermon delivered by Rev. Dr. C. Welton
Gaddy
Watch
the video>> Full video of the complete service
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INSPIRATION
He
who doesn’t know that he doesn’t know
will
forever remain in ignorance.
Persian
proverb
But
the most basic principle of interfaith dialogue is that
the dialogue must begin, first of all, within oneself.
Our capacity to make peace with another person and with
the world depends very much on our capacity to make
peace with ourselves... We must recognize and accept the
conflicting elements that are within us and their
underlying causes.
It
takes time, but the effort always bears fruit.
When
we have peace within, real dialogue with others is
possible.
Thich
Nhat Hanh
God
forever comes to visit us but we are rarely at home.
Instead we are out buying a new spiritual book or
looking for a new meditation group.
Source
unknown
QUOTES
SUBMITTED BY PAUL McKENNA
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|
UNITY
IN 
Gibbs.
which gave me great personal strength for a march to
success, since four months, a great work of preparation,
by a dynamic group led by URI Mana; Nancy Mamoum, Zuzan,