by Paul Chaffee
Starting August 6, 1969, Hurricane Camille whipped across Cuba, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and the East Coast of the United States for eight days with winds up to 174 miles per hour.
Collaborative Interfaith Disaster Response
What Makes a Community Resilient?
by Martin J. Smith
The most critical relief efforts after a disastrous hurricane or earthquake involve getting food, water, and power to those in need. But a recent study by a Stanford Graduate School of Business professor suggests that…
We Can Do More Together
by Silvana Faillace
When the ground shook on that September afternoon in 2018, it was only the beginning. After a few hours of small quakes, a 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck Central Sulawesi in the early evening.
Khalsa Aid – Sikhs Offering Balm
by Tarunjit Singh Butalia
Long before the formation of the Red Cross, there was Bhai Kanhaiya – an ardent Sikh follower of the Tenth Sikh Guru, Siri Guru Gobind Singh Sahib. He took it upon himself to roam battlefields carrying a goat skin pouch…
Attack Response
by Susan L. Lipson
Since the shooting at Chabad of Poway, people of all faiths, from across the county, have rallied together for vigils and services to support their Jewish neighbors. Over 4,000 people showed up Monday night at Poway High School for…
An End to Vigils
by Uroosa Jawed
Crisis response is typically not the primary work of interfaith organizations. Their more usual focus is creating meaningful connections between people of diverse faiths. Tri-Faith Initiative in Omaha, Nebraska, where…
Protecting Habitats for Our Souls
by Philip Goldberg
I was hit surprisingly hard by the images of Notre-Dame cathedral burning. I got so emotional watching the spire collapse and the red flames engulf the roof; it was as if something dear to me was being destroyed.
How Do I Get Involved?
A TIO Report
Another natural disaster. Another shooting. Another hate crime. Another humanitarian crisis. These disasters are all too common. We see them daily – on social media, in the news, on the web.
Doing Better at Caring for Each Other
by Paul Chaffee
Safety is already on the agenda of most of the hundreds of interfaith nonprofits across the US and globally.
On Developing Holy Envy
by Nancy Fuchs Kreimer
A friend of mine took a course in fiction writing and was advised that a good novel needed a plot with a tension at its heart: a problem that would keep the reader engaged until its resolution at the book’s end.
Who is to Blame for Disasters?
by Katherine Marshall
Blaming God’s righteous judgment when people suffer disaster goes back at least to Noah. God causes the flood, the story-teller notes, because “the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence” (Gen. 6:11).
How Do I Get Involved?
A TIO Report
Another natural disaster. Another shooting. Another hate crime. Another humanitarian crisis. These disasters are all too common. We see them daily – on social media, in the news, on the web.
Engaging Faith Communities in Disasters
by Peter B. Gudaitis and Brie Loskota
People of faith, congregations and faith-based organization provide essential relief and recovery functions after disasters. It is essential for government personnel and institutions, therefore, to understand the potential…
Creating Sacred and Safe Spaces
by Lawrence Lerner
On March 15th, 2019 a shooter used the Facebook social media platform to broadcast the massacre of 50 Muslim worshippers in Christchurch, New Zealand. How do I write about hate without honoring it?
Can Interfaith Activities Make Difference?
by Adrian Bird
Interfaith Partners of South Carolina (IPSC) was one of 57 recipients of the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award for 2018. At the award ceremony in Washington D.C., Director Christopher Wary stated:
The Power of Interfaith Relationships
by Syed M. Hassan
Since its founding more than 25 years ago, Islamic Relief USA (IRUSA) has made a concerted effort to develop productive relationships with other faith-based groups and non-governmental organizations.
When Dialogue is Not Enough
by Cody Nielsen
Last month, I sat alone in the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center at Pennsylvania State College. I sat and cried for all the senseless acts of violence against Muslim, Christian, and Jewish communities across the nation and world…
Preparing for Religiously Motivated Disaster
by Ruth Broyde Sharone
On Sunday, September 10, 2006, a day before the fifth-and-still-painful anniversary of 9/11, a group of some 75 angry demonstrators showed up – with a city permit – outside the King Fahad Mosque of Culver City…
Protecting the Earth Through Interfaith Education and Activism
by Yonatan Neril
The Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison tells the following story: A young girl with a bird in her hands went to a wise person. The child asked the wise person, “Is the bird in my hands alive or dead?”
For One Organization?
by Paul Chaffee, Editor
I’ve been asked why TIO would devote an entire issue to one organization – the United Religions Initiative (URI). That’s a fair question.