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Interreligious Literacy and Why It Matters

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

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

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

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

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)

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

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

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

September 2022 Interfaith News Roundup

by Paul Chaffee

Stories from Institutional Religion – The Far Reaches of Faith and Practice – In Memoriam

Passing the Baton

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

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

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)

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?

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

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

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

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

“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

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…

Interfaith Cooperation: From Local to Global

Interfaith Cooperation: From Local to Global

by Samira Barucija

War is injustice made to humans and injustice made to God. It has been 24 years since the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina ended. Some might expect that the…