As noted in TIO last month, the third annual World Interfaith Harmony Week found life in thousands of settings around the world. The Southern California Parliament of Religions (or, more formally, SCCPRW, the Southern California Com
Interfaith Millennials Organize in Washington D.C.
This year is going to be a big one for interfaith collaboration in our nation’s capital. And Millennials are going to be at the forefront.
Faith, Food, and Creating Interfaith Community
One of the best ways to generate community with young people is food. Food is a must! It not only provides an excuse for multitudes of people to come together but can create a strong bond, stronger than we imagine. Centuries of tradition and craftsmanship have gone into the creation of humankind’s many foods, and they can bring peace to one’s mind and stomach. A delicious meal, from whatever community, can also be a great conversation starter. In America, if you have Murgh Makhani (an Indian chicken curry dish) with Naan (bread), or Saag (collard greens) with rice, people can ask about the origins of the dishes and the role food plays in a community.
Advice, and a Community, for Interfaith Families
Like many interfaith Jewish and Christian couples, my husband and I began discussing the question of our faith years before our children were born. Because we each felt connected to our religions and wanted to share our traditions with each other, we decided to observe both. That choice has always felt right to us, even though there have been times when others did not understand our decision.
Cultivating the Next Generation of Interfaith Leaders
More than 120 students from colleges and universities across the U.S. and Canada braved wintry weather to participate in the sixth “Coming Together” conference (CT6), three days of interfaith dialogue and programming. CT6 was hosted last month at the University of Chicago by the Spiritual Life Office and Rockefeller Chapel.
At What Age Should Interfaith Education Begin?
Boomers & Millennials Compare Interfaith Action
What does it mean to “mobilize” a movement for social justice in the Internet Age? The word “mobilization” has strong associations for the Boomer Generation, when organizing hundreds to march, rally or take part in a sit-in was the visible manifestation of social justice activism.
Why the ‘Interfaith Movement’ Must Rebrand
If I ask you what the human rights, civil rights or environmental movements are about, you likely can give a semi-coherent description that sounds something like what your neighbor might say if we asked her as well. The interfaith relations movement, on the other hand, has no defined brand. (Some people working squarely within the movement actually even giggle a bit when I try to even use the term “interfaith movement.”)
Listening and Achieving the Impossible Dream
Can Jews and Muslims actually get along? For the average American, plagued by widespread misinformation and skewed biases from the media, this might seem nearly impossible. In light of the ubiquitous news of conflict in the Middle East, coexistence between these two faith traditions is often perceived as a lost cause. However, here in the Southern California an number of Jewish and Muslim communities are working in harmony towards peace and understanding.
Building Community One Microblog at a Time
I first joined the interfaith movement as a precocious fifteen-year-old. With an English translation of the Qur’an in hand, I walked into a Christian Bible study at my high school and demanded that they help me get Muslims a space to pray during Ramadan. For me then, as it did throughout my time in college, interfaith activism meant something very clear: come together to build community, create safe space for meaningful dialogue, and act out the words of our scriptures to make change for the common good. Together, we squirmed at the thought of the emerging “slacktivist” movement, where activists use the internet as their main platform for their cause. The internet was just digital space, so how can it change anything?
The Legacy of the 1893 Parliament of the World Religions
The legacy of the 1893 World Parliament of Religions did not live up to the high hopes of its organizers. The dream of a new era of universal peace too soon became the bloody nightmare of twentieth century battlefields and genocide.