January 15, 2012
Photo: Marcus Braybrooke
“Meaning making,” a particularly human activity, can stretch us to our intellectual, spiritual limits. But it is much more, influencing our behavior, capable of calling for the ‘best’ we have, and sometimes asking us to put our lives on the line. In the photo on the right, Paul Knitter, Maha Ghosananda, Irfan Khan and members of the International Interfaith Peace Council in the village of Acteal, Mexico, protest the massacre of 45 children, women, and men. Professor Knitter’s contribution to vital meaning making among all religious, spiritual traditions, is profiled in this issue.
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EDITORIAL
“Meaning” Brings Everyone to the Table by Paul Chaffee
REVIEWING THE YEAR
2011 Look Back in Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, December 21, 2011
Obama Hosts Religious Tolerance Conference for Muslim Governments – Pope Calls for “Shared Responsibility” Among Religions – U.S. Military Welcomes its First Hindu Chaplain – Faith Communities Educating Each Other in Singapore – Muskegon, Michigan, Dedicating a Year to Interfaith Understanding – Australian Interfaith Activists Oppose Domestic Violence – 35 Acres Purchased for Multifaith Neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska – Praying Together a 5-Year Tradition in Edmonton Abrahamic Communities – Haifa's Holidays Embrace Religious Differences – Muslim, Hindu, Christian Children Celebrate Together at One Pakistan School
Mussie Hailu in Mogadishu, Somalia, and Durban, South Africa
Meaning Making
FOUNDATIONAL DOCUMENTS
The Oneness of the Human Family by Marcus Braybrooke
PAUL KNITTER & 21ST CENTURY RELIGION
Pluralism - A Home For All Of Us by Paul Chaffee
INTERFAITH SKILL-SETS
When Wiccans & Evangelical Christians Become Friends by Don Frew
COMPARATIVE THEOLOGY
As Iron Sharpens Iron, So Does One Tradition Sharpen Another by Benjamin DeVan
INTERSPIRITUAL STUDENTS
Indian Spirituality at T Mobile Los Angeles by Ruth Broyde Sharone
“How Do I Make Meaning Out of Life?:
SEVEN INTERRELIGIOUS LEADERS RESPOND
How I Make Meaning in Life by Jim Burklo, Christian
Ice-breakers, Dancing, and Meaning Making by Vanessa Gomez, Humanist
What is Most Meaningful in My Life as a Buddhist by Rita Gross, Buddhist
Starting with Moksha and Karma Yoga by Samir Kalra, Hindu
One Thousand Words on “Meaning” by Nancy Fuchs Kreimer, Jewish
Faith and the Journey toward Meaning by Craig Phillips, Muslim
The Fiery Force that Sparkles in Everything by Yoland Trevino, Mayan
EIGHT YOUNG ADULTS RESPOND
State of Formation Weighs in on Meaning
Internal Diversity & Intra-Faith Conversations by Simran Jeet Singh, Sikh
Finding Meaning Within Judaism by Lauren Tuchman, Jewish
Meaning Making: The Religion that lets you live and let live by Sai Santosh Kolluru, Hindu
The Ocean of My Words by Phillipe Copeland, Baha'i
Meaning and meaning: An Important Difference by Kile Jones, Atheism, Secular Humanism, and Unitarian Universalist
The Search for Meaning by Myriam Francois-Cerrah, Muslim
Meaning vs. Hope by Yaira Robinson, Jewish
Making Sense of the Bible: What Grandma and Seminary Taught Me by Kit Evans, Christian
RESOURCES
New Harvard Journal Focuses on Comparative Theology by Sandy Westin