Michael Pappas, director of the San Francisco Interfaith Council, and Rita Semel, founding member and Executive Vice-Chair of the Board, talk with host Daniel Homsey, Director of the SF Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services about the Council and its work in the community with homelessness, disaster relief, hunger and other needs. Produced by Neighborhood Empowerment Network and Access SF TV.
Calling Democrats “people of faith,” the Democratic National Committee today announced a huge interfaith gathering to kick off the convention in Denver on August 24.
Its the first time the Democrats have brought together so many people of different faiths at one of their national conventions — and heralded musicians will share in the gala, officials said.
The gathering will be at 2 p.m. Sunday, August 24, at the Wells Fargo Theater, inside the Colorado Convention Center.
Sharing the dais will be an evangelical bishop; a leader of an Islamic society, a Catholic nun and a Jewish rabbi.
Well, it’s really the Abrahamic traditions, but it is something of a start. . .
Eboo Patel, founder of the Interfaith Youth Core and author of Acts of Faith, writes a regular column for the “On Faith” section of the Washington Post. In a recent post, he describes a meeting with 3,000 young people at the United Church of Christ’s national youth event. At one point, he asked those present:
“How many of you know someone from a different religion personally - a Jew or a Muslim or a Hindu?”
Almost every hand in the room went up.
This is the new reality in this country where individuals will not only have to ponder what it is to be a good Christian, but how to be Christian in a society that includes Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and those of no faith at all. Patel reminds us of the prophetic words of comparative religions scholar Wilfred Cantwell Smith, who wrote in his book The Faith of Other Men that “The religious life of mankind from now on, if it is to be lived at all, will be lived in a context of religious pluralism.”
Patel offers some resources and guidance for those who want to engage with this new Interfaith Generation in productive ways. Take a look!
In mid-July, King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia convened an unprecedented multifaith gathering in Madrid, Spain. He had previously met with 500 Muslim scholars in Mecca in June, resulting in an invitation to dialogue titled “The Makkah Appeal for Interfaith Dialogue.” Subsequently, the meeting in Madrid included some 250 representatives, not only Jews, Christians, and Muslims— the “People of the Book,” but for the first time including leaders of Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, and other religious traditions. Together, they issued “The Madrid Declaration,” calling on all to reject “the clash of civilizations,” to enhance common human values, share a culture of tolerance and dialogue, seek international guidelines for dialogue, and to respect diverse religions and their symbols.
Despite some cogent criticism of the specifics of the gathering (see especially notes by Dr. Shanta Premawardhana of the Council of Churches and Rabbi Michael Lerner below), participants agreed that it had been a significant step in establishing ties of respect and honesty among religious leaders. They have committed themselves to continued meetings and dialogue.
This week, more than 150 Muslim and Christian leaders gathered at Yale University to carry on the dialogue that was begun with the publication of A Common Word Between Us and You by a group of distinguished Muslim scholars and the subsequent responses from Christian leaders around the world. The conference is being sponsored by the Yale Reconciliation Project and His Royal Highness Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad of Jordan. The Monday night keynote address was given by Senator John Kerry, as he stressed the pressing need to find common ground:
In a world where today a Catholic, a Protestant, a Russian Orthodox Christian, a Confucian ex-Communist, a Hindu, a Muslim, and many assume a Jewish finger sits on a nuclear button, it’s a delusion to think we can retreat to our safe spaces. . . The reality is that our faiths– and fates– are inextricably intertwined. The poet Auden said it best, “We must love one another or die.” It’s a delusion to think we have any choice but to find a way to live together.
He noted the tremendous difficulties that accompanied the American experiment of creating a society where there exists a pluralism of viewpoints, goals, and religious orientations, and declared:
From many faiths, one shared country. That achievement rests on our solution to the age-old question: Who defines the truth in public space? Our experiment has succeeded because we’ve allowed for different notions of truth in public life. Many believe that to do otherwise is to invite permanent war.
and then Kerry challenged those present:
Can our great faith traditions come together and forge a consensus on the conditions of life that will empower people to find their own fulfillment? It seems to me that we cannot move forward as a planet if we do not come to some rough consensus on what these broad rights are. Beyond that we must find ways to secure these goods for everyone on our planet while simultaneously discussing, arguing and sharing our particular understandings of God and God’s call for how we are to live our lives.
As the conference unfolds, Yale will make video of the sessions available online. As of today, you can find Kerry’s keynote; the welcome; a keynote address from Grand Mufti Mustafa Ceric; a Conference panel on Loving God with Ayot Mohaghagh Damad, Naim Travna, and David Ford; and a panel on Loving Neighbor with Mustafa Cherif, Martin Accad, and Tokunboh Adeyemo. More videos will be posted when available.
NAIN Connect 2008, the annual gathering of the North American Interfaith Network, begins this Thursday, July 24-28 in San Francisco. This is a unique opportunity not only to meet interfaith activists from across North America, but to show off what’s been happening in our own communities around the San Francisco Bay Area.
More than 20 workshops, together with plenary sessions featuring people engaged in grass-roots interfaith work from across North America will explore these themes: “Multifaith Challenges We Face,” “Gifts We Bring,” and “Making a Difference.” Host for the conference this year is the Interfaith Center at the Presidio.
ONE-DAY SATURDAY PASS:
On Saturday, July 26, those securing one-day passes for $50 will be welcome to three of approximately 18 workshops, starting at 10:30 am, 1:30 pm, and 3:30 pm. To find a listing of workshops and when they are offered, go to www.nain.org/2008 and click on workshop schedule. Reservations not required. Pay when you come.
Sydney, Australia, is hosting the World Youth Day– the week-long international gathering of Roman Catholic youth– this week (July 15-20). The Community Relations Commission of New South Wales is inviting participants to discover how Australia is working to be a successful multi-faith society. On Wednesday, there will be a multi-faith prayer service with leaders from Buddhist, Orthodox Christian, Jewish and Islamic communities.
Stepan Kerkysharian, Chairman of the Commission, said, “Some of [those] coming from turbulent societies will see how wonderful it is for people of different religions to live together committed to their own country and that’s the message we want them to take back.”
Melbourne, Australia, will be the host for the next Parliament of the World’s Religions in December of 2009.
In response to a question about religiously motivated violence, the Dalai Lama replied that it is “totally wrong, unfair” to label Islam as a violent religion. Also, when asked why Americans are so anxious and troubled, he joked, “I’m the wrong person to ask. You should ask Americans!” He was speaking at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania.
Saturday, August 2- Saturday August 9, 2008
For 26 years, Gandhi Camp has been offering a Peace Camp for youth ages 10-18. Attendees practice service and teamwork through the Gandhian principles of truthfulness, non-violence and self-help. Teaching Gandhiji’s principles will be Dr. S.N. Subba Rao, Director of National Youth Project in India.
Vedanta Society Retreat, Olema. $345 per person; discounts for early registration and siblings. Location: The Vedanta Society Retreat, 2200 acres in midst of coastal mountains and majestic redwoods. Olema is a spiritual retreat with separate retreat houses for boys and girls with attached showers and restrooms.
For more information see the website, or contact the India Community Center: (408) 934.1130, Abhay Bhushan: akbhushan@aol.com, (650) 424-8110; or Jyothi Lulla: sulochina.lulla@kp.org, (408) 851-9164, (408) 395-0968.
Here’s an effort to bring together the diverse communities of Silicon Valley. Many vital community service agencies will be on hand. Fair Attractions include Singers Tuan Vu and Manuel Romero Jr./ Mariachi Tequila; Taiko San Jose; FREE Hot Dogs & Drinks (First 2000 Residents); FREE Green Vision Bags (One per Family); Mini Job Fair (Courtesy of CET) FREE Grand Prizes & Raffles. Free event.
For more information, call 408-595-4800.
Date: Sunday, June 29, 2008, 11:00 am- 4:00 pm
Location: 1650 Senter Rd, San Jose CA - History/ Kelley Park San José.