by Brian Carwana
The 2018 Parliament of World Religions, coming to Toronto November 1-7, will be an enormous interfaith event, with estimates of up to 10,000 attending.
What to Expect at the Toronto Parliament
Parliament Planning for Kids and Children This Time
by Vicki Garlock
For the first time ever, the Parliament, in conjunction with Spiritual Playdate, is offering a kids’ program! The theme for the first-ever family festival in Toronto this November is “Plant an Interfaith Garden.”
Connecting the Past to the Present
by Tarunjit Singh Butalia
It was the summer of 2017. My three children and I were on our way to Delhi to spend three weeks with the extended family in sweltering heat of over 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Cosmic Mass Returns to the 2018 World Parliament
by Matthew Fox
I have been involved in celebrating Cosmic Masses throughout North America for the last 24 years. We have sponsored more than 100 of them in various cities and have people to lead them around the country.
How Interfaith Relations Have Shaped My Life
by Rob Sellers
As a new university graduate, I was fortunate to spend 11 weeks as a student missionary in the Philippines in the summer of 1967.
An Open Letter to Women Running for Office
by Kay Lindahl and Kathe Schaaf
Like many of you, we are distressed to witness how the level of discourse in the U.S. has deteriorated in the past two years and become filled with divisiveness and fear.
Interfaith Today and Tomorrow
by Paul Chaffee
In our globalized world the word interfaith is a slippery piece of language with various meanings.Numerous countries enjoy government support for interfaith and intrafaith programming with the goal of cultivating multifaith friendship, critical to civic peace.
A Letter to TIO Readers About Its Future
from Paul Chaffee, Editor
Completing its seventh year and wishing to advance the continued growth and improvement of TIO has led our Board to look for a permanent institutional home.
Sharing the Burden
by Hans Gustafson
One of the greatest barriers to meaningful interreligious learning is the oversimplification, or ignorance of the internal diversity, of religious traditions other than our own.
Let’s Multiply the Love
by Sister Zeph
I was lying down, dreaming of a world where there is no hate; where everyone is smiling; where people dance in the roads with joy. A world where there is respect and equality for all. Then, suddenly, my younger sister Rahat’s phone began to ring.
The Day My Grandparents Left Our Ancestral Home
by Tarunjit Singh Butalia
As a kid growing up in North India, I was thrilled whenever both my parents went out since I would have the full attention of my frail and aging grandmother.
Abraham and the Old Man
by Carrie Sue Ayvar
Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, I spent every summer from the time I was a year old until I went away to college at my maternal grandparent’s house in North Miami Beach, Florida.
Grow to Give: An Interfaith Food Equity Project
by Heather Forest
Every year in my town of Huntington, Long Island, New York on Martin Luther King’s birthday, there is an interdenominational prayer service dedicated to a social justice theme.
Accessing the World’s Faith Traditions Through Story
by Vicki Garlock
Everyone loves stories, and most of us are familiar with the idea of Bible storybooks as a point of entry for kids being raised in the Judeo-Christian traditions.
In Search of a Shared Narrative
by Ralph Singh
I have been a storyteller for as long as I can remember. I honed my skills at the feet of the great Master, H.H. Baba Virsa Singh ji of Gobind Sadan. As his first foreign devotee, I had the privilege of translating stories from the lives of those we refer to as Messiah, Prophets, Avatars, and Saints.
Shedding Light Along the Way
by Pam Faro
I am not Hindu, but one of my favorite stories is: Hanuman the Monkey God came upon Lord Brahma, creator of the universe, and Lord Brahma was weeping…
Sacred Storytelling
by Mark Novak
People of faith understand the power of storytelling. We know that the meaning of our traditions are often best conveyed not by theological statements or scholarly arguments, but by telling stories.
Laughing, Learning, Listening
by Sari Heidenreich
Laughter, listening and learning — these are the three things that come flooding back to me as I look at photos from the weekend I spent at Kashi with peacebuilders from half a dozen southern states.
Digital Storytelling to Advance Peace in Pakistan
by Ruth Broyde Sharone
The iconic image of a male storyteller addressing an enraptured audience pressed shoulder to shoulder around a glowing campfire may soon be replaced by hijab and sari-clad young women holding their smart phones.
Taking Advantage of Stories
by Paul Chaffee, Editor
Truth be told, every issue of TIO is a celebration of interfaith story-telling. This month, though, we wanted to focus on the subject itself – telling stories – and the special power they have, particular when interfaith realities are addressed.