At the recent Religion Communicators Council convention in New York City, Daniel Sieberg of Google News Lab gave attendees a peek at some of the cool tools that Google has in its carousel. Most of us use the Google Search and Maps features regularly, but there is much more under Google’s hood. Several tools got me thinking about how we could significantly improve the enterprise of interfaith cooperation.
Featuring Vicki Garlock and Bud Heckman
The best gift in editing this publication for the past five years has been getting acquainted and working with hundreds of interfaith leaders, young and old, women and men, from dozens of different national, religious, and spiritual affiliations.
Serve2Unite Takes on Violence Fearlessly
“We defy hate and violence with peace and love. We bring people together. We celebrate the positive global human qualities that everyone shares, and no one can stop us.”
Obama’s Interfaith Vision and the Restlessness of Our Wretched Refuse
Many people are very discouraged by the current climate of anti-Muslim and anti-“other” rhetoric that so fills the airwaves. However, the larger reality is that we are progressing as a nation towards a more positive appropriation of our rich religious diversity. It comes with fits and starts, albeit. But don’t be fooled to think otherwise. It is the way human social progress works.
Five Reasons that ‘Interfaith’ Is Not a Movement (Yet)
Without much general public notice, we have just passed the 50-year mark since the Second Vatican Council issued Nostra Aetate, forever changing the way religions and people of faith see and constructively interact with one another. Nostra Aetate continues to have a ripple effect, inspiring people and organizations to become intentional and strategic about advancing relations between faiths.
A Bible-Based, Interfaith Sunday School Curriculum
Faith, then, is a quality of human living. At its best it has taken the form of serenity and courage and loyalty and service: a quiet confidence and joy which enable one to feel at home in the universe, and to find meaning in the world and in one’s own life, a meaning that is profound and ultimate, and is stable no matter what may happen to oneself at the level of immediate event.
Meditation for Kids
The oldest child in the room happened to be my son. He was seven years old at the time. The youngest child was only 4 years old. All the kids, along with a few teachers, were sitting on green meditation cushions arranged in a circle with their eyes closed. Actually, eyes were closed intermittently since there was a fair bit of peeking. “Place a hand on your belly,” she said, “and see if you can feel your breath. When you take a breath in, your belly should move out. When you let your breath go, your belly should move in.”
Seeking Peace through Art for Children
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, Fauzia offers a very long list: that girls will be valued as much as boys, that impoverished children have opportunities to read and to create art, that Pakistan will cherish its religious heritage and diversity, that visually-impaired kids will have safe places to play, and that all Pakistani children have access to clean air and water. It’s tempting to wonder how one woman, even one as creative and energetic as Fauzia, might accomplish all that in a single lifetime. She is the first to admit that her work is never finished, but a quick dip into the inspired waters of the Funkor Child Art Center shows how, in little more than a decade, thousands of children have been lifted up and served.
The Interfaith Movement’s Evolution and Future Challenges
Bud Heckman, a frequent TIO contributor, has worked with many leading interreligious organizations, foundations, academic institutions, and community-based organizations.
Helping Kids Connect to the Earth
The best way to minister for the Earth is to help kids feel connected to the Earth. We have found the same thing to be true for adults. When you connect to the Earth, you connect with your ancestors. You connect with others and with the deepest part of yourself. You connect with all of life. That’s why we regularly celebrate the Pagan wheel of the year in our Sunday school program at Jubilee! Community Church in Asheville, North Carolina.
Let’s Get this Party Started!
Humans may be hard-wired for collaboration. Of all the great apes, humans are the only ones who regularly collaborate in food-seeking situations. In fact, developmental research suggests that this evolutionary approach to resource gathering may underlie our tendency to share resources more equitably amongst ourselves. Even three-year-old children will share toy rewards if they are received through collaborative efforts (Nature, 2011). Despite that, interfaith collaborations that involve children are still in their infancy stage. Like the 10-month-old tentatively taking those first steps without holding on to anyone’s fingers, those of us doing interfaith work with kids are still feeling our way.
Changing the Face of Our Nations
“The camp was a life-changing experience for me. It was the most fun I’ve ever had. It was the most eye-opening experience I’ve ever had. And I made some of the best friends I will ever have.”
– Tamar, American 14-year-old
Funding for the Interfaith Movement
Dealing with Tough Issues: Creating a Movement toward Social Cohesion and Peace
Why the ‘Interfaith Movement’ Must Rebrand
If I ask you what the human rights, civil rights or environmental movements are about, you likely can give a semi-coherent description that sounds something like what your neighbor might say if we asked her as well. The interfaith relations movement, on the other hand, has no defined brand. (Some people working squarely within the movement actually even giggle a bit when I try to even use the term “interfaith movement.”)