Ancient Mentors, Emerging Leadership

October 15, 2016

Featured

by Marcus Braybrooke

Should the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten be seen as an ancient forbearer of the interfaith movement? In one of his prayers he said of God, “You are the Lord of all, who takes care of all,” and he said “God created every person equal to each other.” He is, however, still today as in his own time, a controversial figure.

The Remarkable Interfaith Significance of Alexander the Great

by Henry Karlson

Interfaith dialogue is a constant element of any religious faith. Such dialogue, however, tends not to be on the level of the dogmatic teachings of the different faiths but on practical matters, such as questions concerning the morality or immorality of particular actions or on the way communities as a whole understand shared historical experiences.

A Report from The Tabernacle Experience

by Jonathan Homrighausen

I stood in front of the Ark of the Covenant, holding my incense while I gazed on the golden wings of the cherubim. No, I am not starring in a remake of Raiders of the Lost Ark. I was inside The Tabernacle Experience, an interactive re-enactment of the Tabernacle which the Israelites built in the desert on their journey from Egypt to Canaan.

Koans, Parables, and the Realm of God

by David Parks-Ramage

Christian Koan Groups rely on a spiritual tool discovered in China through the development of Ch’an Buddhism. Koans are dialogs between Ch’an masters and their students, found helpful in leading students to a perception of life as it is rather than as it is imagined, hoped or wished to be. An example of a koan is Zhaozhou’s Dog:

Beating a Message of Peace in Uganda

by Vicki Garlock

In a country often known for unspeakable violence and political strife, Buyondo Micheal offers a beacon of hope to those desperately seeking peace. As founder of Faiths Together Uganda (FTU), Micheal uses dance, music, and art to unify and delight. Inspired by global interfaith initiatives, he provides the funding and the energy for events that cross religious, cultural, and tribal divides.

Skillsets to Overcome Religious Bigotry

by Ariella Amit

As I was scrolling through my Facebook feed a few years ago, I came across a post encouraging Los Angeles youth to apply for membership on an Interfaith Council. I followed the link to the website reluctantly and began reading about the goals of the council. By the end of my interfaith research, I realized that being a privileged, white Jew living in Los Angeles, I have little exposure to different religions at all.

Obama's Final Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge

by Ruth Broyde Sharone

Eboo Patel’s question rang out in Elstad Auditorium on the final day of the Sixth Annual President’s Interfaith Community Service Campus Challenge, held this year in September at Gallaudet University in Washington DC. Founder and executive director of the Interfaith Youth Core, and one of the principal architects of the Campus Challenge, Patel posed that key question to some 600 participants: students, professors, university presidents and interfaith activists

Review: The INTRAfaith Conversation (2016) by Susan Strouse

by Kay Lindahl

As a Christian who has been engaged in the interfaith movement for over 25 years, I found myself intrigued by The INTRAfaith Conversation: How Do Christians Talk Among Ourselves About INTERfaith Matters? (2016). Susan Strouse’s book explores the importance of intrafaith conversations as a path to deeper and more meaningful interfaith conversations.

Shadowing the China G20 Summit: An Interreligious Gathering

by Katherine Marshall

World leaders meeting in Hangzhou, China may be unaware that a few days earlier a shadow group of religious scholars met in Beijing. Their agenda was geared to the G20 and their meeting reflected a determined effort by Chinese scholars and counterparts from across the world to continue a tradition of gathering in parallel with the global encounters of national leaders

Following the Path of Transformation

by Weston Pew

On my path over this past year my work for The Sacred Door Trail has taken me to the melting glaciers of Greenland where gigantic ice walls fall into rivers every 20 minutes, shaking ground and bone as a warning call of the coming rising seas.

Featured

Oct 14, 2016

The United States at an Interfaith Crossroads

Oct 14, 2016

Editorial by Paul Chaffee

This month’s TIO is being posted 25 days before one of the momentous elections in the history of the United States. From an interfaith point of view, the implications are huge.

Oct 14, 2016

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Interfaith News Roundup - October 2016

September Was a Month of Celebrations and Blessings – Responding to the Refugee Crisis – Making a Difference through Collaboration – Religion and Society

OPPORTUNITIES & RESOURCES

#TangibleHope Amplyfing Stories of Hope around the World

From URI

"Principles and Guidelines for Interfaith Dialogue" Available

From Scarboro Missions

If you were to select a colour to represent your faith, what would it be? Yellow, is one colour different religious groups have embraced in Kibera as a show of unity and religious tolerance. The brainchild of a non - governmental organization, Colour in Faith, the initiative preaches cohesion.

COLOUR IN FAITH
Embracing Yellow for Peace in Kiberia

Through the peace drums initiative, we used two big drums as symbols of inter faith and inter cultural diversity. These include; a black and the other being white to represent the different races. The peace Drums' Initiative uses art and music as an instrumental tool in bridging the gap among people of different religions.

BEATING DRUMS FOR PEACE
from Faiths Together Uganda

TIO'S SUPPORTING PARTNERS

INTERFAITH CENTER AT THE PRESIDIO

BAIC — Bay Area Interfaith Connect

RELIGIONS FOR PEACE – USA

SPIRIT MATTERS

Interview with Rabbi Rami Shapiro

UNITED RELIGIONS INITIATIVE

URI's Multiregion

USC OFFICE OF RELIGIOUS LIFE