In the two years we’ve been gone, the challenge in developing interfaith relations has received a body blow through the accelerating corruption of language and communication…
Editorial: We're Back!
Interreligious Literacy and Why It Matters
by Brian Carwana
We live in a time when seemingly difficult conversations – including around race, gender, and sexual orientation – have become an important part of the public discourse. However, one arena, central to…
Religious Literacy & the Flying Spaghetti Monster
by David Callaway and Hannah Santos
Long-time advocates of religious freedom paused when Eddie Castillo successfully used the First Amendment to wear a pasta strainer on his head for his license photo. Castillo, a Pastafarian, argued the…
Thou Shalt Not Hate: The Role of Religious Actors in Addressing Hate Speech
by Emina Frljak
Many would say hate speech is just words…but words can hurt, and words can and do turn into action. From “harmless” hate speech, come hate crimes. There are sadly many examples of hate speech…
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…
The Interfaith Rainforest Initiative: A Case Study of Religious Literacy
by Dr. Charles Ian McNeill
As the impacts of climate change intensify in plain sight on every continent, the United Nations Environmental Programme’s “Emissions Gap Report 2022,” released just…
The Chinese Jews of Kaifeng (and what I’ve learned from them)
by Rabbi Anson Laytner
For over a thousand years, there has been a Jewish community in Kaifeng, China, making it one of the most long-lived continuous Jewish communities in the world. Never more than…
15 Facts on African Religions
by Jacob K. Olupona
1. African traditional religion refers to the indigenous or autochthonous religions of the African people. It deals with their cosmology, ritual practices, symbols, arts, society, and…
Reimagining Interfaith: Taking Our Lead from Kids
by Vicki Garlock
The interfaith movement is all about bringing people together. Most of the time we focus on adults, and social justice issues. Don’t get me wrong. I fully support any and all…
September 2022 Interfaith News Roundup
by Paul Chaffee
Stories from Institutional Religion – The Far Reaches of Faith and Practice – In Memoriam
Passing the Baton
by Paul Chaffee
This month I am stepping down as the editor of The Interfaith Observer. I do so happily confident that the Tri-Faith Initiative of Omaha, Nebraska will give new life to TIO, new resources reshaping it to address the interreligious needs…
Embarking on a New Chapter
by Wendy Goldberg
The Interfaith Observer has been at the forefront of the interfaith movement internationally as a resource for interfaith thought leaders and a celebration of interreligious dialogue, cooperation, and news for nearly a decade.
The Spirit in the World
by Paul Chaffee, Editor
The original impulse to create TIO nine years ago came from realizing how very much interfaith activity was sprouting up in the world and how very little most people knew about it, local interfaith activists included.
Rejuvenecer el North American Interfaith Network (NAIN)
A TIO Noticia, Traducción de Elías González Gómez
El mes pasado, 28 líderes interreligiosos de Norteamérica se dieron cita en Boulder City, Nevada, para hablar sobre el rejuvenecimiento de una red que tiene 31 años de edad.
Religion: Curse or Cure?
by Marcus Braybrooke
Is it really only just over twenty years ago that Religion, the Missing Dimension of Statecraft was published? Now, religion – because sadly it is so often divisive – has…
Telling Stories of Muslims and Christians in Syria
by Stephanie Saldana
Twelve years ago, I travelled to a monastery in the Syrian desert, where I met an Italian priest by the name of Father Paolo Dall'Oglio. For 20 years, he had been living in…
Interspiritual Fraternity in Mexico City
by Elías González
Silence. Young people sitting in a circle. Prayers. “This is how it all began, with a prayer, by the hand of God. Like a dream.” Mexico City, one of the most populated cities on the planet, has…
Paganism and Interfaith in the UK and Europe
by Mike Stygal
I begin this article with some degree of reservation. The reservation is rooted in my feeling that the words we use are often understood in very different ways from…
“Our Diversity Matters” in Cameroon
by Clement Awanfe Ngueto
Global Compassion is an interfaith group composed of Christian, Muslim, and various Indigenous representatives drawn from more than 200 ethnic groups and linguistic expressions in western Africa’s Cameroon.
Seeking Peace through Art for Children in Pakistan
by Vicki Garlock
Fauzia Minallah is an award-winning Pakistani artist who uses her formidable gifts to help the world’s children know peace. When asked about her hopes and dreams…