Interfaith News Roundup - May 2023

Join CEIE's virtual Winter Workshop Series on the Art of Spiritual Direction (Jan. 19, Feb. 16, & March 16, 2023)

MAJOR INTERFAITH STAKEHOLDERS

The Next Parliament: August 14-18, 2023 in Chicago, IL

A Religious Response to Violence

Our Muslime Neighbor Initiative

Interview with Henry Yampolsky

Practicing Spirituality with Native Americans

Practicing Spirituality at Work

Announcing URI's New Executive Director: Jerry White

URI Responds to COVID-19

SOULJOURN – Exploring L.A.’s Religious Diversity

Paul Chaffee

February 27, 2023

March 2023

Interfaith News Roundup - March 2023

Paul Chaffee

February 27, 2023

March 2023

by Paul Chaffee

Christians, by the Numbers – Muslims in the News – Interfaith Complexities – Paying Attention to Right-wing Christians – Religicide – What’s Possible … What to Consider

Paul Chaffee

January 31, 2023

February 2023

Interfaith News Roundup - February 2023

Paul Chaffee

January 31, 2023

February 2023

by Paul Chaffee

Women Finally Welcome – Church & State – The Dark Side of Religion – Interfaith Solutions – Heads Up!

Paul Chaffee

December 30, 2022

January 2023

Interfaith News Roundup - January 2023

Paul Chaffee

December 30, 2022

January 2023

by Paul Chaffee

Calling Out the Media – Troubled Waters – Hopeful Signs– Again, of course, Climate – Whose Human Rights? – By the Numbers – Finally …

Paul Chaffee

December 4, 2022

December 2022

Interfaith News Roundup - December 2022

Paul Chaffee

December 4, 2022

December 2022

by Paul Chaffee

Interfaith News Notes – Climate – The Critical Issue – Religion & Government– The Christian Nationalism Scandal – New Resources – In Memoriam

The Interfaith Observer

October 31, 2022

Interfaith News Roundup - November 2022

The Interfaith Observer

October 31, 2022

by Paul Chaffee

Unexpected Stories – The Big Issue, as Usual – Indigenous Spirituality, Indigenous Land – “Why Do the Nations Rage?”– Getting to Know Each Other – Resources

The Interfaith Observer

October 4, 2022

Interfaith News Roundup - October 2022

The Interfaith Observer

October 4, 2022

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

The Interfaith Observer

December 20, 2019

Journal 2019

November 2019 - Tools for Interfaith

The Interfaith Observer

December 20, 2019

Journal 2019

Exploring Interreligious Relations and Interfaith Culture

November 15, 2019

Featured

The Gifts of Interfaith

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…

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Rejuvenating the North American Interfaith Network

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…

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Tools for Interfaith

Featured

Look Well to the Growing Edge

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…

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Starting with Kids

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…

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“Play” as a Tool for Community Formation

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…

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Religious Literacy at Work

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…

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A Goldmine of Possibilities

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.

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The Lean Interfaith Nonprofit

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…

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Skillsets to Overcome Religious Bigotry

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.

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Being Christian in Interfaith Relationships

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.

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Spontaneous Interfaith Support: Using Social Media

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…

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Being Able to Empower Each Other

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.

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Featured Videos

A Prayer Beyond Borders

What is the SINE BHAG?

Header Photo: Unsplash

Featured

Skillsets for Interfaith Relationships

What does it take to create and nurture healthy interfaith culture? Good intentions and an open heart are surely necessary.

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Featured

Interfaith News Roundup - November 2019

News from Around the World – Christians in the United States – For the Sake of the Family – Great Good News – In Memoriam

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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

“Let’s Get Lifted”: A Mindset for Building Critical Interfaith Sisterhood in Higher Education and the “Desire to Reflect Humility”

We are not all the same, and in our difference, we are divine

Parliament Joins Dialogue on Ecological Civilization, Urgent Ecological Crises, and Tangible Steps Forward

Religica Spotlight: We All Have Special Needs - Are You Ready?

How do we Live Well Together?

10th World Assembly of Religions for Peace

Interview with Sarah Taylor

Advent and Holiday E-Courses

Living Your Legacy: Seeds, Blossoms, Fruits - 2019

URI News from Uganda, Kenya, Burundi, DRC, and South Sudan

Notes From a Working Visit to Brazil

Secular Students Are Determined to Be “Better Together”

The Interfaith Observer

December 13, 2019

Interfaith News Roundup - December 2019

The Interfaith Observer

December 13, 2019

The Vargaries of Religious Violence – Hard to Believe! – Back Home

The Interfaith Observer

November 15, 2019

Journal 2019

October 2019 - Rediscovering Spirituality

The Interfaith Observer

November 15, 2019

Journal 2019

Exploring Interreligious Relations and Interfaith Culture

October 15, 2019

Rediscovering Spirituality

Featured

Love in a Time of War

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…

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Stumbling into a Spiritual Strategy to Combat Nuclear Weapons

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…

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Bhakti – The Path of Devotion in India and the West

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…

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Doctrine, Ritual, and Spiritual Development

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…

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When Your Path Finds You

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.

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Introducing InterSpiritual Meditation

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…

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Mastering the Delicate Art of Rebuke

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…

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Spiritual Practice in Apocalyptic Times

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…

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Spirituality Is Resistance

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…

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Dwelling Within the Sacred

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…

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Featured Videos

Spiritual Activism: A Conversation with Ruby Sales

Sunni Patterson: "Wild Women"

Header Photo: Unsplash

Featured

Paying Attention to Spirit

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.

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Featured

Interfaith News Roundup - October 2019

Of the Earth – Evolution of the Roman Catholic Church – As the World Turns – Great Good News – In Memoriam

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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

We Are Not All The Same and in Our Difference We Are Divine

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

Interview with Dani Antman

Promises of the Heart

URI North India & Afghanistan - Celebrating Peace

Our Diversity Matters: Our Ongoing Peace Project in Cameroon

Secular Students Are Determined to Be “Better Together”

The Interfaith Observer

November 14, 2019

November 2019

Interfaith News Roundup - November 2019

The Interfaith Observer

November 14, 2019

November 2019

News from Around the World – Christians in the United States – For the Sake of the Family – Great Good News – In Memoriam

The Interfaith Observer

October 29, 2019

Journal 2019

September 2019 - Redefining Interfaith Hospitality

The Interfaith Observer

October 29, 2019

Journal 2019

Exploring Interreligious Relations and Interfaith Culture

September 15, 2019

Redefining interfaith hospitality

Featured

Religions for Peace Looks to its Future

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…

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A New Day for Interfaith Relations

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…

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An Excerpt from "The Hundred-Year Walk – An Armenian Odyssey"

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.

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The Fine Art of Interfaith Dialogue for World Peace

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.

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Embracing the Space Between Stories

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.

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On Atheists and Theists Together at the Interfaith Table

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.

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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 what ‘the other side’ was up to.

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For Evangelicals and Muslims, the Best is Yet to Come

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…

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Guru Ka Langar: The Sikh Ethos of Sharing Hospitality

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.

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You Don't Like Pasta?

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.

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"Who Isn't at the Table?"

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.

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Featured Videos

SOUFRA Official Trailer

Interview: Azza Karam, President of Religions for Peace

Header Photo: Unsplash

Featured

Past Gifts for Tough Times

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…

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Featured

Interfaith News Roundup - September 2019

The Big Picture – Religion, Politics, and the Law – Interfaith Digs Deeper – New Role for an Interfaith Veteran

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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

(W)holly identity

The Three Pillars of the Activist Theology Project

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

Interview with Eiman Al Zaabi

The Spirituality of St. Francis

Russia Today - Building Bridges - Blog Series

Interfaith Youth Camp Brings Together Teenagers from Bulgaria and the Netherlands

Secular Students Are Determined to Be “Better Together”

The Interfaith Observer

October 14, 2019

Interfaith News Roundup - October 2019

The Interfaith Observer

October 14, 2019

Of the Earth – Evolution of the Roman Catholic Church – As the World Turns – Great Good News – In Memoriam

The Interfaith Observer

September 18, 2019

Journal 2019

July 2019 - Interfaith Disaster Response – Part 2

The Interfaith Observer

September 18, 2019

Journal 2019

Exploring Interreligious Relations and Interfaith Culture

July 15, 2019

Interfaith Disaster Response - Part 2

Featured

Religion, Risk, Resilience, and Disaster Response

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….

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Collaborative Interfaith Disaster Response

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.

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What Makes a Community Resilient?

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…

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We Can Do More Together

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.

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Khalsa Aid – Sikhs Offering Balm

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…

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Attack Response

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…

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An End to Vigils

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…

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Protecting Habitats for Our Souls

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.

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How Do I Get Involved?

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.

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Featured Videos

Building Resilient Communities: A Moral Responsibility

Weather History: Hurricane Camille 1969

Header Photo: Unsplash

Featured

Disaster and the Task Ahead

by Paul Chaffee, Editor

The most important shift in the world of disaster response today relates to our communication capabilities.

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Featured

Interfaith News Roundup - July 2019

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

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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?

Women and the Criminal Justice System

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 Religion of Sports: Birth of a Religion

The Interfaith Observer

September 12, 2019

September 2019

Interfaith News Roundup - September 2019

The Interfaith Observer

September 12, 2019

September 2019

The Big Picture – Religion, Politics, and the Law – Interfaith Digs Deeper – New Role for an Interfaith Veteran

The Interfaith Observer

July 15, 2019

Journal 2019

June 2019 - Interfaith Disaster Response

The Interfaith Observer

July 15, 2019

Journal 2019

Exploring Interreligious Relations and Interfaith Culture

June 15, 2019

Featured

On Developing Holy Envy

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.

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Interfaith Disaster Response

Featured

Who is to Blame for Disasters?

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).

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How Do I Get Involved?

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.

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Engaging Faith Communities in Disasters

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…

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Creating Sacred and Safe Spaces

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?

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Can Interfaith Activities Make Difference?

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:

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The Power of Interfaith Relationships

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.

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When Dialogue is Not Enough

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…

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Preparing for Religiously Motivated Disaster

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…

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Protecting the Earth Through Interfaith Education and Activism

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?”

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Featured Videos

3 Lessons of Revolutionary Love in a Time of Rage

One Home

Header Photo: Unsplash

Featured

Doing Better at Caring for Each Other

by Paul Chaffee

Safety is already on the agenda of most of the hundreds of interfaith nonprofits across the US and globally.

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Featured

Interfaith News Roundup - June 2019

All About Religious Freedom and Violence – Catholic Problems Pile Up – Good Things Happening

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Religious Accommodations and Policies on Campus

TIO'S SUPPORTING PARTNERS

Putting Plural in Pluralism

BAIC — Bay Area Interfaith Connect

ICNY's Hanadi Doleh speaks at Post Eid ul-Fitr Celebration

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

The Power of Reflectiont

URI Member Action on Disaster Flood Relief in Kerala