by Paul Chaffee
Religion & Governance – Empowering a Climate Agenda – Education – What Works, and What Doesn’t – Inside Religious Communities – Around the The Globe – Happy Endings
by Paul Chaffee
Religion & Governance – Empowering a Climate Agenda – Education – What Works, and What Doesn’t – Inside Religious Communities – Around the The Globe – Happy Endings
A TIO Report
Last month 28 interfaith leaders from across North America gathered in Boulder City, Nevada to talk about rejuvenating the 31-year-old network. Newcomers who thrive on grassroots…
by Parker Palmer and Carrie Newcomer
All around us worlds are dying and new worlds are being born; all around us life is dying and life is being born. The fruit ripens on the tree, the roots are silently…
by Vicki Garlock
Our children are growing up in the most globalized world humans have ever known. While a globalized society might feel new to many of us, it’s important to…
by jem Jebbia
I catch the hissing cat and quickly toss it to the person next to me. “Hiss!” Someone gently underhands the cranky baby across the room. “Wahhh!” “Woosh!” The sound of a…
by Anneke Kat
When I interviewed for my current position with Interfaith Philadelphia, the search committee was curious to know how interfaith works fit into my professional path. Until that point…
A TIO Interview
Dr. Wilson is director of St Philip’s Centre in Leicester, UK, providing training and consultancy on interfaith issues for a wide range of local and national bodies.
by Frank Fredericks
It’s pay day. The bills are due. The fundraiser flopped, the ask unanswered. Donations are diminishing and expected grants taken for granted. Program associates are…
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.
by Chris Alexander
I am a Christian pastor participating in an interfaith conversation with Muslims and Jews; I represent a Christian partner congregation within the Tri-Faith Initiative, located in Omaha, Nebraska.
by Sherry Fohr
One of the most powerful demonstrations of interfaith solidarity through social media in recent years came during the Standing Rock protests in 2016. This protest was part of the interfaith indigenous…
by Paul Chaffee
The digital tools that began raining down back in the eighties have been an enormous boon to religion and multifaith organizations and how we communicate.
Header Photo: Unsplash
What does it take to create and nurture healthy interfaith culture? Good intentions and an open heart are surely necessary.
News from Around the World – Christians in the United States – For the Sake of the Family – Great Good News – In Memoriam
February 1-7, 2020: A Grand Adventure of Spirit and Harmony in the Holy Land
Faiths Together for the Future by Marcus Braybrooke
TIO'S SUPPORTING PARTNERS
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ICNY's Interfaith Matters Blog
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We are not all the same, and in our difference, we are divine
PARLIAMENT OF THE WORLD'S RELIGIONS
Religica Spotlight: We All Have Special Needs - Are You Ready?
10th World Assembly of Religions for Peace
Living Your Legacy: Seeds, Blossoms, Fruits - 2019
URI News from Uganda, Kenya, Burundi, DRC, and South Sudan
Notes From a Working Visit to Brazil
by Mirabai Starr
Here in the mountains of northern New Mexico where I have spent most of life, the winter solstice season is marked by fire. During Advent, families and businesses fill small paper bags with…
by William E. Swing
Starting in 1983, I have done what I could to respond to the existence and threat of nuclear weapons. Read books and relevant news, watched movies and TV documentaries, written articles…
by Philip Goldberg
As growing numbers of Americans know, the Hindu tradition delineates four basic pathways to spiritual liberation, expressed as four types of yoga: jnana yoga, the path of mental discernment; karma yoga, the…
by Rachael Watcher
Doctrine – the codification of beliefs, teachings, and practices – is an important element for established institutional religions. It clarifies what a religion expects of its followers, how to behave…
by Adeola Fearon
Spirituality, a sense of something more, its magnetic. You’re drawn to every sensation before there is consciousness of what it is, what to call it, or how to explain it.
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Header Photo: Unsplash
by Paul Chaffee, Editor
Hundreds of thousands of pages have been written detailing the history and doctrines of our particular religious traditions, most of them demonstrating how different we are from each other.
Of the Earth – Evolution of the Roman Catholic Church – As the World Turns – Great Good News – In Memoriam
Interfaith Bridges Research Project: Invitation to Participate
Religica Delves Deep into the Climate Crisis
Golden Rule Day 2020: Call for Video Submissions
TIO'S SUPPORTING PARTNERS
Decolonizing Religious Diversity
INTERFAITH CENTER AT THE PRESIDIO
ICNY's Interfaith Matters Blog
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We Are Not All The Same and in Our Difference We Are Divine
PARLIAMENT OF THE WORLD'S RELIGIONS
A Powerful Vision for Interfaith Cooperation: The Interfaith Rainforest Initiative
Religica Spotlight: We All Have Special Needs - Are You Ready?
Wild Souls: Why Humans and Wilderness Need Each Other
10th World Assembly of Religions for Peace
URI North India & Afghanistan - Celebrating Peace
Our Diversity Matters: Our Ongoing Peace Project in Cameroon
News from Around the World – Christians in the United States – For the Sake of the Family – Great Good News – In Memoriam
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…
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…
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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…
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.
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.
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.
Header Photo: Unsplash
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…
The Big Picture – Religion, Politics, and the Law – Interfaith Digs Deeper – New Role for an Interfaith Veteran
October 6, 2019: Film Explores the Spiritual Journeys of American Millennials
March 17-21, 2020: Religion Communication Congress on Communicating Faith in the Public Square
Tools for Supporting Asylum Seekers and Refugees
TIO'S SUPPORTING PARTNERS
INTERFAITH CENTER AT THE PRESIDIO
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The Three Pillars of the Activist Theology Project
PARLIAMENT OF THE WORLD'S RELIGIONS
A Powerful Vision for Interfaith Cooperation: The Interfaith Rainforest Initiative
Religica Spotlight: We All Have Special Needs - Are You Ready?
Teaching Children to Cope in Angry Times
10th World Assembly of Religions for Peace
The Spirituality of St. Francis
Russia Today - Building Bridges - Blog Series
Interfaith Youth Camp Brings Together Teenagers from Bulgaria and the Netherlands
Of the Earth – Evolution of the Roman Catholic Church – As the World Turns – Great Good News – In Memoriam
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….
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.
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…
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.
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…
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…
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…
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.
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.
Header Photo: Unsplash
by Paul Chaffee, Editor
The most important shift in the world of disaster response today relates to our communication capabilities.
Startling International Developments – Discouraging Religious Numbers in the West – Encouraging News – From Rome – Training to Become a Religious/Spiritual Leader – Concerning the Earth – URI Returns to Stanford
One Planet, ONe Family: Gathering on Climate Change in Juneau, Alaska, September 12-15
Addressing the Pressing Issues of Our Time: Global Week for Peace, Climate Protection, SDG's, Nuclear Abolition, September 21-26
TIO'S SUPPORTING PARTNERS
What Do Your Stones Say About You?
INTERFAITH CENTER AT THE PRESIDIO
ICNY's Interfaith Matters Blog
ICNY's Interfaith Matters Podcast
Women and the Criminal Justice System
PARLIAMENT OF THE WORLD'S RELIGIONS
Peace, People, and Planet: Interfaith Commitments from the G20 Interfaith Forum
Religica Spotlight: Women in Leadership
What it Means to Live for the Future
Religious violence is on the rise. What can faith-based communities do about it?
Interview with Radhanath Swami
Contemplative Photographers Practice Group - Year 5
The Accelerate Peace Conference
Call for Entries: Smartphone Short Film Festival
The Big Picture – Religion, Politics, and the Law – Interfaith Digs Deeper – New Role for an Interfaith Veteran
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.
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).
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.
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…
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?
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:
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.
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…
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…
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?”
Header Photo: Unsplash
by Paul Chaffee
Safety is already on the agenda of most of the hundreds of interfaith nonprofits across the US and globally.
All About Religious Freedom and Violence – Catholic Problems Pile Up – Good Things Happening
Religious Accommodations and Policies on Campus
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ICNY's Hanadi Doleh speaks at Post Eid ul-Fitr Celebration
PARLIAMENT OF THE WORLD'S RELIGIONS
The Faith and Climate Webinar Series
Accelerating Peace for a World Free of Nuclear Weapons
Religica Spotlight: Women in Leadership
The Violent Past is the Violent Present
Religious violence is on the rise. What can faith-based communities do about it?
Interview with Gurvinder Singh
URI Member Action on Disaster Flood Relief in Kerala
Startling International Developments – Discouraging Religious Numbers in the West – Encouraging News – From Rome – Training to Become a Religious/Spiritual Leader – Concerning the Earth – URI Returns to Stanford
by Victor Kazanjian
Imagine watching the news or viewing your Facebook feed each day and seeing thousands of positive stories of people from different religions, spiritual practices, and indigenous traditions working together…
by Sally Mahé
At the birth of the United Religious Initiative (URI) 20 years ago, Appreciative Inquiry (AI), a transformational philosophy and methodology for positive change, served as midwife.
by Azza Karam
URI envisions a world at peace, sustained by engaged and interconnected communities committed to respect for diversity, nonviolent resolution of conflict, and social, political, economic, and environmental justice.
by Nicholas Porter and Jack Karn
Across the world millions of Christians, Jews, and Muslims pray for the peace of Jerusalem each night. It is an ancient prayer with modern aspirations…
by Abraham Karickam
Those of us in South Asia came to know about the birthing of a new international interfaith organization destined to change the world during the voyage of Bishop William Swing around the world in 1996.
from URI CC’s
Becoming a URI Cooperation Circle (CC) entails being a group of at least seven people, representing at least three religious traditions, and committed to a Charter whose purpose is…
by URI Members
The United Religions Initiative enjoys a kind of latitude and scope that invites the whole world in, but does so while honoring each of us and where we come from. That approach makes it a very personal
by Paul Chaffee
In The Coming United Religions (1998), William Swing wrote “I began a long and inward journey in February 1993. During a 24-hour period in my life, I moved from…
Header Photo: Unsplash
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.
Tips for Engaging Young Adults in Your Work
Convergence on Campus Spring Webinar Series
TIO'S SUPPORTING PARTNERS
INTERFAITH CENTER AT THE PRESIDIO
BAIC — Bay Area Interfaith Connect
ICNY's Interfaith Matters Blog
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“Building the Beloved Community” in the Fight for Fair Housing
PARLIAMENT OF THE WORLD'S RELIGIONS
Coming Soon...The Faith and Climate Webinar Series and WebForum
Religica Spotlight: Women in Leadership
Making a Place for the ‘Nones’ Around the Multi-Faith and Belief Table
Religious violence is on the rise. What can faith-based communities do about it?
One Love: Navigating Life by Heart
Toolkit & Video: Strategies to Support Youth Engagement and Leadership in Interfaith Work
URI Groups Accept World Interfaith Harmony Awards
by Kehkashan Basu
Kutupalong – a beautiful, lyrical name. It could possibly describe a flower, a river, or an exotic bird. In fact, it is none of these three. Its claim to fame or rather infamy comes from the fact that it is the world’s largest refugee camp.
by William Swing
What do the following tragedies have in common? 1 - The Columbine High School shooting of April 1999. 2 - The Virginia Tech mass killings of April 2007. 3 - The Boston Marathon bombing of April 2013. 4 - The Jewish Community Center murders of April 2014?
Religion News Service Press Release
On October 16, Faith Communities Concerned about Nuclear Weapons, a group of diverse faith-based organizations and individuals committed to a nuclear-weapon-free world
by Jonathan Granoff
The destructive capacity of nuclear weapons is beyond imagination, poisoning the Earth forever. These horrific devices place before us every day the decision whether we will be the last human generation.
by Michael Ramos
The Trappist monk, Thomas Merton, who passed away fifty years ago last year, is remembered largely for his prolific spiritual writing from the cloistered monastery. Yet his writing on nuclear weapons and peace still…
by Paul Chaffee
Jesus warned about those who have eyes but cannot see. His injunction resonates today when considering the general ignorance of the dangers of nuclear weapons, a risk of even greater consequence than climate change.
by Jerald Ross
The very first resolution passed by the United Nations, in January 1946, called for the elimination of atomic weapons. The bedrock treaty for the control and eventual elimination of nuclear weapons…
by Tarunjit Singh Butalia
I’d just returned from a visit to South Asia. Right before my visit, the tensions between nuclear rivals India and Pakistan were at an all-time high, with each side portraying the other as evil and the enemy of its people.
by Lidiia Batig
Our post-modern world is full of challenges, innovations, and opportunities. One of the most important is nuclear disarmament. I interviewed Rabbi Jack Bemporad…
by Vicki Garlock
Thanks to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the world now possesses “only” about 14,500 nuclear weapons, down from over 70,000 weapons, the estimated peak in the mid-1980’s.
by Megan Anderson
Nuclear disarmament is a nebulous concept for most of us. The threat of nuclear destruction is ever-present, but not something we think or talk about much. Part of the reason, perhaps, is that we feel helpless to do anything about it.
by Dorianne Laux
We were talking about poetry. We were talking about nuclear war. She said she couldn’t write about it because she couldn’t imagine it.
Header Photo: Unsplash
by Paul Chaffee, Editor
Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) is a military term referring to opposing nations each having nuclear weapons. The argument for maintaining nuclear weapons is…
TIO'S SUPPORTING PARTNERS
When is the Right Time to Write about Jewish Holidays?
INTERFAITH CENTER AT THE PRESIDIO
BAIC — Bay Area Interfaith Connect
ICNY's Interfaith Matters Blog
ICNY's Interfaith Matters Podcast
“Building the Beloved Community” in the Fight for Fair Housing
PARLIAMENT OF THE WORLD'S RELIGIONS
Strength in Numbers: The Million Tree Project
Religica Spotlight: Women in Leadership
The Beauty and Power of Hospitality
Religious violence is on the rise. What can faith-based communities do about it?
Interview with Maurizio and Zaya Benazzo
Call to Conscience: A Ban on Nuclear Weapons
Nuclear Weapons and the Moral and Spiritual Compass
by Cynthia Lindner
This autumn, visitors to the Art Institute’s Bucksbaum Gallery for Photography on the ground floor of the museum’s Modern Wing are met by empty white walls: there’s not a single photograph hanging in this gallery dedicated to their display.
by Andrew Smith
I learn best by listening to people’s ideas over a good cup of coffee. One such conversation sparked ideas that inspired a whole series of interfaith dialogues that have taken place over the past few years.
by Libby Byrne
The gift of art helps us to see more clearly what is really there in our human experience. With this in mind, is there a relationship between the way we see art and the way we imagine religious communities might be inclusive for people with disabilities?
by Vicki Garlock
Sometimes, a story is told more easily through art. That’s certainly the case for this Bulgarian-based interfaith and cultural exchange camp – the brainchild of Angelina Vladikova and Svetlana Karadzhova…
by Daniel Tutt
This past year I’ve been leading a new initiative at Unity Productions Foundation (UPF), whose mission is to counter bigotry and create peace through the media. Its documentary film The Sultan and the Saint is…
by Vy Vu
Audre Lorde once said: “The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house.” This is why we constantly have to learn the process of decolonizing our body and our tools.
by Anya Dunaif
In the fall of 2010, New York City’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts launched a new annual event called the White Light Festival, focused on encouraging people to experience transcendence and spirituality through live performances.
by Rev. Andre van Zijl
Art is an interculturally unifying language for communicating human and spiritual experience beyond words. We all hunger for connection and community. We do well to dance, sing, write, paint, and sculpt our way…
Header Photo: Pexels
by Paul Chaffee, Editor
Drums and flutes are among the oldest tools empowering human beings to explore who we are. We have historical evidence that drums go back at least 7,500 years and probably much earlier.
Glimmers of Light from the Arabian Peninsula – Good News, Bad News – Sexuality Preoccupying Christians – Warms the Heart
Today we grieve with those affected by the mosque shootings in New Zealand. We grieve for the 49 lives lost and the pain of those who remain. We grieve for the fear and loss of a sense of safety that live on in the aftermath. And we grieve for the hatred that seeps into hearts leading to tragedies like this one.
TIO'S SUPPORTING PARTNERS
INTERFAITH CENTER AT THE PRESIDIO
BAIC — Bay Area Interfaith Connect
ICNY's Interfaith Matters Blog
ICNY's Interfaith Matters Podcast
PARLIAMENT OF THE WORLD'S RELIGIONS
Coming Soon: The Climate Commitments Project Web Hub
Religica Spotlight: Women in Leadership
The Practice of Contemplative Photography
Celebrating Women’s Day in Pakistan
by Ruth Broyde Sharone
The iconic image of a male storyteller addressing an enraptured audience pressed shoulder to shoulder around a glowing campfire may soon be replaced by hijab and sari-clad young women holding their smart phones.
by Bee Moorhead
As the saying goes, “Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.” Talanoa Dialogue just might change that.
by Elizabeth Dabney Hochman
The next generation is growing up online. We have seen countless studies about the amount of time kids spend engaging with digital media and the effects it has their development.
by Jenifer Miller
With my calligraphy pen I write the name of the tiny beloved baby boy, on the inside of a Comfort Angel, and hand it to his father, for safekeeping.
by Andre van Zijl
We enter a completely darkened room which is set up with a foot-wide border of white muslin covered by unlit candles alternating with round black river stones.
by Marcus Braybrooke
Recently a Muslim was invited to give an Oxford University sermon. The invitation attracted a number of protests. “He does not believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ!” some declared.
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 interfaith efforts. But we need to do more, and we need to do it better.
by Don Frew
I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard someone in a group say “We even have a Witch” and point to me to emphasize how inclusive they are. So, in terms of diversity, I occupy a place at one extreme end of the interfaith spectrum.
by Tarunjit Singh Butalia
As a kid growing up in North India, I was thrilled whenever both my parents went out since I would have the full attention of my frail and aging grandmother.
by Sister Zeph
I was lying down, dreaming of a world where there is no hate; where everyone is smiling; where people dance in the roads with joy. A world where there is respect and equality for all. Then, suddenly, my younger sister Rahat’s phone began to ring.
by Kyle Lemle
We’ve all read the numbers and heard the forecasts: 350 ppm of carbon, three meters of sea level rise, or three degrees Celsius.
by Ben Bowler
One of the biggest problems with discussing religion is the definition of the term. Few words have such breadth and depth of meaning and even fewer words can spark such passionate debate.
Header Photo: Unsplash
by Paul Chaffee, Editor
Historians looking back at 2018 will have little difficulty describing the mayhem and trauma the world was facing.
Caught My Eye! – Gratifying Stories You May Have Missed – Mussie Hailu Tapped to Direct URI’s new Office of Global Partnerships
TIO'S SUPPORTING PARTNERS
INTERFAITH CENTER AT THE PRESIDIO
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Sermons for Safe Streets – A Call to Action for Faith Leaders
PARLIAMENT OF THE WORLD'S RELIGIONS
UN Environment Accredits the Parliament of the World's Religions New CSO-Affiliate
Religica – Belonging and Beginning Anew
Interview with NaRon D. Tillman
Practicing Spirituality with Anthony de Mello
Grassroots Leaders from Across U.S. Reflect on Visit to the UN
Glimmers of Light from the Arabian Peninsula – Good News, Bad News – Sexuality Preoccupying Christians – Warms the Heart
A TIO Report
Towards a Global Ethic – An Initial Declaration is a cornerstone of the modern interfaith movement. The text was drafted by German theologian Hans Küng at the request of the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions.
by Cody Nielsen
Higher education may be the most important invention of the second millennium. Consider for a second that, alongside the Gutenberg press, higher education holds a value…
by Marcus Braybrooke
Sympathy, empathy, compassion; my dictionary treats them as synonyms. Contributors to the important new book Confronting Religious Violence, however, suggest there are important differences.
A TIO Interview by Megan Anderson
This month, TIO “sat” down via Zoom with Matthew Fox and Lama Tsomo to talk about compassion and the role it plays in our world today.
Tarunjit Singh Butalia
A fundamental value underlying nearly every religious tradition is compassion and love for our fellow human beings. Compassion is not just about the role it plays in our traditions but…
by Habīb Todd Boerger
In considering the topic of compassion, I am reminded that each of the Abrahamic faiths directs us to love and care for others – those who are poor, those who are needy, neighbors and strangers – as we love and care for ourselves.
by Lidiia Batig
In 2013 the history of Ukraine changed dramatically. Communities had been betrayed by state power, by their own politicians, and even their president.
by Chris Highland
One sunny Bay Area afternoon I was walking down a sidewalk under shade trees with my class of developmentally disabled adults.
by Rachael Watcher
On November 8th at around 6 am a fire, allegedly started by a faulty Pacific Gas & Electric line, began at Pulga on Highway 70 in Butte County, northern California.
by Vicki Garlock
Compassion has become quite the buzzword of late. The Dalai Lama talks about compassion, of course. That’s to be expected. But when TV stars, musicians, authors, scientists, and even politicians…
by Kevin Singer
My Dad grew up in a Jewish family. When he was a child, he was targeted with insults because of his family’s background. As a result, he was not fond of religion.
by Mark Waters
“Will I get shot if I come to Texas?” The prospective Chinese student’s query was neither melodramatic nor overstated.
by Sabrina N. Jafralie
My journey with religion and interfaith started before I was born. I am the child of parents who are culturally, racially, and religiously different.
by Ruth Broyde Sharone
Is the world becoming more compassionate or more hateful? This prickly question is eloquently answered in the opening paragraph of Charles Dickens’ classic tale of revolution in France, A Tale of Two Cities.
by Karimah Stauch
Tonight I want to share with you my tears, the cry of the deepest longing for peace. Sometimes the tensions inside are just so high…
Header Photo: Unsplash
by Paul Chaffee, Editor
In preparing each month’s TIO, we typically invite two or three more contributors than we usually publish, on the safe assumption…
Convergence on Campus Spring Webinar Series
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Does your campus think about Christian privilege?
INTERFAITH CENTER AT THE PRESIDIO
BAIC — Bay Area Interfaith Connect
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PARLIAMENT OF THE WORLD'S RELIGIONS
As I Step Down - A Letter to Friends of the Parliament
The Practice of Compassion: A Multifaith Guide
Interfaith Seudah Shlishit in London
by Tarunjit Singh Butalia
On August 20-23, 2019 I was on a weeklong, exciting and inspirational visit to Lindau, Germany to participate in the 10th World Assembly of Religions for Peace. I was one of a five-member delegation from…