by Ed Bastian
For fifteen years I have worked closely with more than 50 meditation teachers from Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, and Native American traditions. This began for me by participating…
Introducing InterSpiritual Meditation
Mastering the Delicate Art of Rebuke
by Ruth Broyde Sharone
I am writing these words during the Ten Days of Awe, the period between Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. As Jews, we are called upon to undertake a most…
Spiritual Practice in Apocalyptic Times
by Theodore Richards
Amid the rising seas, burning forests, and superstorms, with inequality and fascism threatening just and democratic societies, ours is an age of denial, fear, and, above all else, loneliness. In a word, it is an age that…
Spirituality Is Resistance
by Mimi Tohill
In times of fear and violence such as these and those we fear ahead, some use “thoughts and prayers” as a scapegoat, others as an escape from worldly obligations. Yet spirituality, grounded in…
Dwelling Within the Sacred
by Sam Allen
There are some things that are sacred in every person’s life. Agnostic or Apostolic, we all maintain and create containers in which each of us dives deep or soars beyond reach. No matter what our beliefs, as human beings…
Past Gifts for Tough Times
by Paul Chaffee, Editor
Eight years ago, on September 15, 2011, TIO was launched. That makes this the 89th monthly issue. (We skip August.) Since then this publication has featured more than 1,000 interfaith stories along with…
Religions for Peace Looks to its Future
by Katherine Marshall
The 10th World Assembly of Religions for Peace was held last month at in Lindau, Germany on Lake Constance. This was a large and diverse gathering, 900 participants from 125 countries…
A New Day for Interfaith Relations
by Paul Chaffee
August 2019 should go down in interfaith annals as a milestone, a month when a quiet, mostly unnoticed development emerged that could exponentially magnify…
An Excerpt from "The Hundred-Year Walk – An Armenian Odyssey"
by Dawn Anahid MacKeen
The following is a chapter from MacKeen’s book recounting how she finally meets the descendants of Sheikh Hammud al-Aekleh, whose family welcomed in her grandfather, saving his life. Some members of the family that greeted her in 2007 today are Syrian refugees themselves.
The Fine Art of Interfaith Dialogue for World Peace
by Thomas Bonacci
Several years ago I joined a small group of concerned people responding to a growing interest in appreciating and respecting the faith traditions of humankind.
Embracing the Space Between Stories
by Paul Andrews
Why did I go? Well, to begin with, I didn’t go to Temple Emmanuel to change religions. I went there to pray to You, to talk to You. Not my image or even my religion’s image of You, but You.
On Atheists and Theists Together at the Interfaith Table
by Chris Stedman
As an interfaith activist, I’ve worked to bring an end to religious division. In recent years, this has increasingly meant speaking out against the rise in anti-Muslim rhetoric and violence sweeping America.
When Wiccans & Evangelical Christians Become Friends
by Don Frew
A year into my public information work, I saw notice of a conference called “Deception & Discernment: Exposing the Dangers of the Occult.” I thought I should attend and see what ‘the other side’ was up to.
For Evangelicals and Muslims, the Best is Yet to Come
by Catherine Orsborn & Kevin Singer
We sat at a picnic table in a backyard in Raleigh, North Carolina last month and listened to Teddy, a young evangelical Christian, share his story of how…
Guru Ka Langar: The Sikh Ethos of Sharing Hospitality
by Tarunjit Singh Butalia
Many who have had the opportunity to attend a Langar (a Sikh word for “open kitchen) surely have fond memories of the incredible hospitality we experienced.
You Don't Like Pasta?
by Ruth Broyde Sharone
Many years ago, when I was a young journalist in my 20s, traveling solo in Latin America, I spent eighteen months in nineteen countries and visited 54 cities.
"Who Isn't at the Table?"
by Bettina Gray and Paul Andrews
Periodically TIO profiles seasoned leaders who have made critical contributions to a developing interfaith culture but are unknown to most people. Rev. P. Gerard O’Rourke is one such pioneer.
Powerful Rays of Hope
by Paul Chaffee, Editor
Some of you may not know that TIO takes August off, so we wanted to drop this note. Meanwhile, month by month the case gets stronger that our communities, the nation, and the world are in dire need of the art of building friendly relations regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or culture.
Disaster and the Task Ahead
by Paul Chaffee, Editor
The most important shift in the world of disaster response today relates to our communication capabilities.
Religion, Risk, Resilience, and Disaster Response
by Katherine Marshall
Increased extreme weather disasters are an expected long-term effect of climate change. Already, changes occurring globally have increased the intensity and duration of heat waves, risks of drought, flooding….