“West’s war with Islam to last 100 years” was the banner headline of a recent Australian newspaper. Admittedly, the text referred to ‘extreme Islam,’ but the headline reinforces a very dangerous over-simplification sadly too often voiced both by Christians and Muslims on the social media.
Remembering B.K.S. Iyengar – The Light of Yoga
Last fall, I had the honor of meeting with B.K.S. Iyengar, who died on August 20, at his yoga institute in Pune, India. Dressed in a crisp white kurta, a perfect match for his snowy hair and famously majestic eyebrows, he had graciously squeezed in a visit with me between institute business and his receipt of an award from the local government. At age 95, he had taught a yoga class that morning.
Hal French, a Personal Reminiscence
The sudden death of Hal French this past July 10, at the age of 84, was a shock and sadness to his many friends around the world. He was a gentle giant among the pioneers who have opened the doors to interfaith culture over the past half century. We express our deep sympathy to his wife Rannee and the family.
A Personal Reminiscence of Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi
Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, 89, died this past July 3. Ordained as an Orthodox rabbi in 1947, he went on to become the founder of Jewish Renewal and a champion of interfaith relations and collaboration. He was well known for his mystical perspective, liturgical innovations, and explorations of Hasidism. In over a dozen books he championed the practice of spiritual direction and supported the Gaia hypothesis, ecology, feminism, and the LGBTQ community. Greatly loved as a teacher, he held emeriti professorships at Naropa University and Temple University. His close friendships included the Dalai Lama, Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan, Matthew Fox, Thomas Merton, Bernie Glassman, Swami Satchidananda, and Ram Dass.
Bud Heckman – An Interfaith Frank Lloyd Wright
Bud Heckman is an interfaith Frank Lloyd Wright. This pastor, scholar, and author is a global architect designing the structures we all will need – if we are to transform religious conflict into interfaith cooperation that can benefit communities worldwide.
Leaders Confronting the Shadow in Religion and the World
Who was Badshah Khan?
Raheel Raza: Not Afraid of Getting into Trouble
Rev. Anna Howard Shaw’s Pioneering Inclusive Vision
When a King and a Pope Sit Down to Talk Religion…
Vivekananda’s Challenge Keeps Resonating
Homer Jack Led the Way for Us All
Remembering Rev. Dr. Charles White, 1937-2013
How Robert Bellah (1927-2013) Changed the Study of Religion
High Tea with Marcus and Mary
by Ruth Broyde Sharone
The English landscape rushed by the bus window, lush green hills alternating with roads that twisted and turned through leafy glens.
John Henry Barrows: Producing the First Parliament of Religions
Charles Carroll Bonney has been properly credited for coming up with the idea of a World Parliament of Religions. But it was John Henry Barrows who made the historic 1893 event a reality. Bonney’s idea was that the World Fair in Chicago and its great exhibits should be accompanied by a series of “congresses” or parliaments to provide a forum for discussing the state of anthropology, art, commerce and finance, education, labor, literature, medicine, philosophy, temperance, and religion. The most important congresses to Bonney were about religion. He, therefore, established a committee to organise them and appointed Rev. Dr. John Henry Barrows the chair.
Remembering John Hick (1922-2012)
John Hick, a pioneering interfaith theologian, died February 9, 2012, at the age of 90. This brief summary of his work is taken from the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, and the link at the end of the article takes you to David Cramer’s biography and overview of Professor Hick’s contribution to philosophy and interfaith thinking.
Rita Semel’s 90th Birthday
San Francisco’s new mayor came to the 7:00 am interfaith Thanksgiving Prayer Breakfast this year. So did the city police chief, the fire chief, half the city’s supervisors, San Francisco’s own Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, and 400 clergy and lay leaders. For a prayer breakfast in San Francisco?!
It was also the 90th year birthday party for the woman who made such an event possible. The theme for the day tells the story – “Healing the World: Honoring the Work of Rita Semel.”
A Timeless Woman with a Timely Message
The Brahma Kumaris (literally, daughters of God) community has its spiritual roots in Hinduism but is a new religious movement, led by women. ‘Brothers’ are welcomed in supportive roles. Known by their friends as BKs and headquartered in central India, these sisters share the gentle discipline of Raja Yoga meditation with millions around the globe, welcoming all religious traditions as authentic expressions of faith and practice.
Knowing Huston Smith
When asked how he came to be known as “the dean of comparative religions,” Professor Huston Smith explained with this image: “I drive a hybrid car, but I, too, am a hybrid. I was born in China and my upbringing was there. My first language outside the family kitchen was Mandarin Chinese, spoken with a Suzhou dialect. I have both sides of our planet inside me.