Palin Calls Planned Islamic Center Near Ground Zero a 'Provocation'

For those who aren't yet aware, a new Islamic community center is being built and facilitated near Ground Zero where the Twin Towers used to be. The Cordoba Project, framed and named through inspiration from the YMCA and JCC (Jewish Community Center) formats in these respective traditions and called Cordoba after the Spanish city in the middle ages that fostered fruitful relations between all the Abrahamic faiths, is to be a community center designed to serve the local community and reach out to neighboring religions and cultures in the spirit of dialogue and collaboration toward equality, justice, and peace. It's really about improving Muslim-West relations.

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf is the chair of the Cordoba initiative and founded the American Society for Muslim Advancement, which was the first U.S. program focusing on bring together Muslims and non-Muslim through the avenues of academia, policy, current affairs, and culture.

However, though the Cordoba Project is actually a force for good, truth, and justice dedicated to fostering greater understanding across communities, cultures, and religions, Sarah Palin has denounced these efforts as "provocation" and against the "interests of healing" (The Hill, 7/18/10).

I believe Palin has grossly misunderstood the intentions and possibilities of the Cordoba initiative. Rather than spreading rumors and distorted tropes, perhaps she could gain a bit more insight through seeking to better understand and learn from the principles and actions of this very important and peace-making project.

For more, read the whole article by Ben Geman at The Hill.

Evangelical Pastor Tests 1st Amendment

Evangelical pastor, Rev. H. Wayne Williams, is endorsing from the pulpit conservative Republican gubernatorial candidate Gordon Howie (South Dakota), likely hoping to take this issue all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Now, I don't often make posts concerning issues explicitly related to politics and government, but this activity is a blatant disregard of the 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution which guarantees the freedom of practicing any (or no) religion that we choose and freedom from any religion being established as a state religion or being favored over others, and I'm a huge advocate in support of this very important Amendment (in line with the advocacy of the Interfaith Alliance).

The issue is this: the Johnson Amendment of 1954 enacted by Congress states that no 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization can make political endorsements. This is because tax-exemption status amounts to a public subsidy since the rest of the tax-payers shoulder more tax burden of this exemption. Congress determined (appropriately and fairly) that such organizations that benefit from tax-payer subsidies shouldn't be able to endorse political candidates.

So, along with Episcopal priest and U.S. religious historian Randall Balmer, I say to these folks who want to have tax-exemption AND the benefit of political endorsement -- if you want to endorse political candidates, fine, but to make it balanced and fair, give up your tax-exempt status and thus your subsidies from the people, the tax-payers.

The no establishment clause of the 1st Amendment is the very reason why religion flourishes in great and rich diversity in the U.S. When freedom of religion and freedom from religion being tied to the government functions as a legislative principle, then religious plurality and variety and fervor burgeons, which is a wonderful thing and which is a great asset to our nation.

Those of us who are religious leaders certainly, as American citizens, have the right to walk our religious path any way we choose (granted it doesn't infringe on the rights of others) and endorse privately as a citizen any candidate we want. But the Johnson Amendment rightly disallows us from endorsing these candidates on behalf of a non-profit tax-exempt organization. And this has been upheld by the Supreme Court for years.

This is definitely a 1st Amendment separation of religion and government issue. To learn more about this issue, read Randall Balmers post on Religion Dispatches, or visit the Interfaith Alliance website. It's and excellent and informed read.

'UN' of Faith Groups Set Roles in Disaster Relief

For every disaster - be it natural or otherwise - there always comes help from religious groups, setting aside their denominational, doctrinal, and worldview differences to come together and offer physical, emotional, and financial support: food, water, money, and crews of volunteers to come and help out in practical ways.

Tom Breen of the Associated Press writes an article about this often largely unknown hodgepodge of religious communities and their dedication of social action. Read the story here.

New, Intriguing Topics on Interfaith Voices

For those interested in interfaith issues and aren't aware of the Interfaith Voices radio program, there are some intriguing and stimulating topics recently covered on the show.

1) Last week, host Maureen Fiedler interviewed Stephen Prothero, professor of religion at Boston University, who has just come out with a book called God is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World - and Why Their Differences Matter.

This is a very important book and interview. For one, Prothero is a wonderfully clear and interesting speaker and writer. But also, his points are extremely crucial for students, practitioners and leaders of religions and interfaith groups. He argues that there are very significant, very real differences among the world's religions and that we need to start recognizing this.

Indeed, he's right - many of us, especially in the liberal-progressive wings of religions and those involved in interfaith efforts have often been overly focused on the similarities or convergences between faiths. But, we can't ever ignore the beliefs, practices, rituals, myths, and textual traditions that set our religions apart in divergence. Acknowledging and lifting up the similarities is quite necessary for building trust and rapport between religious peoples, but solely focusing on these without recourse to the real distinctions actually does a disservice to the uniqueness and special quality of each religion. This is not to mention the notion that it's the differences that makes each religion so interesting to study, for me. If Confucius was the same as Jesus, if Buddhism was no different than Judaism, if the beliefs of Advaita Vedanta were identical to that of Islam, then studying and engaging the world's religions would be quite boring!

What we need is a good dose of an analogical imagination (to use a term coined by Fr. Dr. David Tracy of University of Chicago Divinity School). That is, rather than the relation between religious perspectives being seen as either totally the same or completely disparate, he suggest the category similarity-in-difference, which is essentially the mode of analogy. Neither a watered-down, lowest-common-denominator kind of sameness, nor an irreconcilable, unrelated disparity, what is needed is a creative, imaginative ability to perceive and understand both simultaneously -- similarity-in-difference.

2) Also, the latest episode is a very controversial topic - don't ask, don't tell and gays in the military. Very provocative stuff. Maureen mediates two opposite positions on the repeal bill in the House currently -- Daniel Blomberg of the Litigation Council of the Alliance Defense Fund (anti-repeal) and Rev. Dr. Welton Gaddy, president of the Interfaith Alliance (pro-repeal). Listen to this show for an excellent crash-course on the topic and to experience religious perspectives on both sides of the issue.

3) And lastly, later in the latest episode there is a brief segment concerned with the 2010 World Religions Summit in Canada, an effort to push the UN to follow through on its commitment to fight poverty, AIDS, and other global difficulties. Maureen interviews Karen Hamilton of the Canadian Council of Churches. She answers tough questions on how to move beyond religious finger-wagging and inspire the UN to get the ball rolling.

All these shows can be streamed and listened to at Interfaith Voices. Check them out!

Building an Interfaith Community in Switzerland

This July, a seminar at the World Council of Churches' Ecumenical Institute in Bossey, Switzerland will bring together over 30 young adults from the Muslim, Jewish, and Christian traditions to address the question: "How can we affirm our identity as Muslims, Jews and Christians not in separation or against each other but in relation to one another?"

Activities will include spiritual and educational exercises as well as sports, recreational activities, and everyday tasks, done in the spirit of togetherness in diversity.

For more info visit the WCC website.

(Image from WCC website.)

Chaplains at the 2010 Winter Olympics

The Salt Lake Tribune has published an article that speaks of the presence of chaplains serving at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The article chronicles the work and feelings of the chaplains for the '10 Games who represent five major religious traditions: Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism.

Many people, religious or otherwise, don't realize that there actually are chaplains for the Olympics and wouldn't think of such a need. However, in the wake of the death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili, it's quite apparent that chaplaincy at the Games is quite important. The head of the interfaith team of Olympic chaplains, Rev. David Wells, relates what happened after the accident when he had to confirm that Nodar was Eastern Orthodox and then arrange for an Orthodox priest who was accompanying the Russian luge team to compassionately fill in as the spiritual support.

All of this simply goes to show how important the spiritual and emotional support of chaplains is for many arenas of life, even the Olympics. Just being a listening, receptive presence can be the most encouraging, nourishing, and supportive activity that chaplains do. And the response of the Olympic chaplaincy team at Vancouver simply confirms the significance of the work of chaplains.

Read the entire story at Faith in Public Life.

Portrait of Dalai Lama on Interfaith Voices

Interfaith Voices radio program will be rerunning a conversation with Pico Iyer, a long-time friend of the Dalai Lama, about the life, teachings, and spirituality of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

If you haven't heard this interview with Iyer by host Maureen Fiedler check it out at Interfaith Voices online. It's an excellent portrait of the Dalai Lama's biography (from how and when he was chosen to his issues with the Chinese government as the leader of Tibet) and Lamaism in Tibetan Buddhism.

Sacred Awakening Series

From Feb. 17 through April 3, 2010 Unity, Gaia Community, Intention Media, Integrative Spirituality, among many others will be sponsoring a teleseminar series called "Sacred Awakening Series: 40 Days with 40 Spiritual Leaders." This teleseminar is free for registration and features such spiritual teachers and leaders as the Association of Unity Churches' own president Rev. James Trapp, Buddhist social activist A.T. Ariyaratne, Hindu gurus Swami Chidanand Saraswati and Dattatreya Siva Baba, Buddhist scholar and teacher Tenzin Robert Thurman, progressive Christians Bishop John Shelby Spong and Matthew Fox, Buddhist monk Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi, Rabbis Lynn Gottlieb and Yehuda Berg, Muslim scholar Abdul Aziz Said, and many more.

I've already signed up for this teleseminar, which should prove to be quite spiritually stimulating. With such a diverse array of spiritual leaders specifically tackling the issue of "how we can live a truly sacred life" participating in this seminar will foster interfaith interaction and learning concerning a central religious issue - spiritual transformation (which is really what living the sacred life is all about). And, for those of us who are part of the Christian heritage, this seminar comes just in time for Lent. Sharing in this interreligious encounter will certainly help engender the spirit of resurrection, rebirth, and renewal of being that the Lenten season is truly, at its core, is all about. I, for one, will be participating in this seminar as a Lenten practice of personal and communal spiritual growth.

Join me in registering for this teleseminar at the online website.

Interfaith Vigil of Prayer, Hope & Action

"Beginning now and until health-care legislation is signed by President Obama, Christians, Muslims and Jews, across the country will be conducting a Vigil of Prayer, Hope and Action organized by Faithful Reform in Health Care (FRHC), a Cleveland, Ohio-based interfaith coalition." (Faith in Action, 1/13/10)

Read more of the story at Faith in Public Life.

New Thought Orgs Join Together at Parliament of World Religions

The Parliament of World Religions, which just met Dec. 3-9 this past year in Melbourne, is the largest interfaith gathering in the world. During the Parliament's proceedings, various New Thought organizations (including Unity School of Christianity) came together as a larger movement of spiritual traditions to convey New Thought perspectives on many of the critical social and environmental issues and to present a unified and cohesive identity on the international stage.

Also, as it turned out, there was held a Pre-Parliament Conference where The Association for Global New Thought, The Association of Unity Churches Intl, Unity School of Christianity, Agape International Spiritual Center, Affiliated New Thought Network, The International New Thought, Alliance, and others assembled to exchange ideas and learn from each other.

This shows an incredible move to interact and dialogue within the larger New Thought outlook on the world. It's an effort that shows great interest in developing mutual support and further understanding in the process of spiritual transformation. However, as a caveat, while dialogue among New Thought groups is wonderful we must be sure, as with any dialogue, that each distinct group doesn't get watered down into a generalized lowest-common denominator, doesn't loose its specialness and uniqueness. In other words, lets not emphasize unity at the expense of diversity, but rather promote a unity-in-diversity which recognizes common ground and connectedness while also affirming the differences and plurality of our situation. The Agape Center's beliefs, ideas, practices, and governance are not the same as Unity School of Christianity which is, in turn, not identical to the Association of Global New Thought. While their worldviews maintain many commonalities they are nontheless discrete traditions with differences in belief and practice. (In fact, these principles may also apply to the unity-in-diversity among individual people. More on this at a later time.)

For more information about the pre-Parliament New Thought Delegate Conference, visit www.agnt.org/powr.

Find information on the Parliament of the World's Religions at www.parliamentofreligions.org.

Watch this AGNT video for the 2009 Parliament of the World's Religions.

Harvey Cox and Thomas Dyer on Interfaith Voices

This week's program of Interfaith Voices ("a public radio show promoting religious harmony and interfaith understanding") includes a feature of Harvard theologian, Harvey Cox, and Buddhist military chaplain, Thomas Dyer.

Harvey Cox, Hollis professor of Divinity at Harvard University, looks inside the idea of ‘spritual but not religious’, and discovers that modern believers are abandoning creeds and doctrine for practices that emphasize a direct experience with the divine in his new book The Future of Faith. He speaks of this current development as Christianity, and religion in general, entering the "age of the Spirit." This is an idea that would resonate significantly with Unity ministers, students, and churchgoers of all stripes. One of the central tenets within Unity circles is that creeds, dogmatic statements, and static belief are not the cornerstones of authentic faith. Rather, it is first-hand experience of the Divine or Sacred or Spirit that promotes faith and engenders spiritual growth.

And Thomas Dyer is the first Buddhist military chaplain. A former Southern Baptist minister, Dyer is now a practicing Buddhist that has entered the military as as spiritual guide and counselor for Buddhist and non-Buddhist soldiers alike. With the increasing number of Americans becoming interested in Buddhism it is completely understandable how eventually a representative of the growing American Buddhist traditions would be included in military chaplaincy. Interfaith Voices conducts an intriguing interview with chaplain Dyer.

Check out these features and more at Interfaith Voices.

Harvard's "Humanist" Chaplain on State of Belief

As a follow-up to my last post concerning Greg Epstein, Harvard University chaplain, and the notion of "humanistic" or "atheistic" chaplaincy as a viable mode of spiritual service, I'd like to bring to attention Epstein's presence as guest on this past weekend's program of State of Belief.

State of Belief is a radio program hosted by Rev. Welton Gaddy and sponsored by the Interfaith Alliance, an NGO dedicated to the upholding and maintaining of 1st Amendment religious rights and concerns.

Check out last week's program with Greg Epstein as guest here.

Common Tables "eLerts"

Common Tables, an organization that promotes and facilitates grassroots-style interfaith dialogue, has come out with a new feature called the "eLert." It's essentially a mass email list that sends people an email notification that brings attention to significant holidays from all the major world religions as they occur, along with a brief explanation.

Sign up for Common Tables' "eLert" here.

Journal of Inter-religious Dialogue Releases Its Second Issue

The Journal of Inter-Religious Dialogue has just released its second issue of peer-reviewed scholarly articles called "Engaging the Taboo: Gender, Sexuality, and the Body in Our Religious Traditions." This topic is very crucial in today's milieu and is an extremely important issue to be dealt with within and among the religious traditions of the world.

The Journal offers a novel way of establishing long-term dialogue and collaboration between religious communities and individuals with a compelling and scholastic methodology.

The Journal is available to read online in a free web platform.

New Book about Delving into Another Religion

There's a recent book out by Benyamin Cohen called My Jesus Year: A Rabbi’s Son Wanders the Bible Belt in Search of His Own Faith which details his journey into another faith. Cohen, who is Jewish, took one year and went church-hopping throughout the Bible Belt to learn more about Christianity and perhaps to see how Christianity might influence him as a Jew.

He states, "I want Jesus to make me a better Jew." Interestingly, when he attended these many churches in the South, he went wearing a yarmulke and without any hint of hiding the fact that he was Jewish. Surprisingly, he wasn't driven away with pitchforks or anything. There were certainly interesting conversations that surely involved stereotypes, confusion, and misunderstanding, but this is all part and parcel of interfaith encounter. He ultimately comes to an understanding that people of faith come in all shapes and sizes and that we have much to learn from one another through dialogue and mutual participation in each other's practices.

I think this is a decent model for anyone interested in learning more about another's faith and transforming one's own. It's always good to start with reading about other beliefs, cultures, practices, etc. but we can't stay there. To really delve deep into another faith we must practice with the other, worship with the other, pray and meditate with the other, otherwise we're only scratching the surface of the wisdom and truth that could be disclosed in that encounter.

Read a book review by Benjamin Weiner, "A Jew in Church? No Big Deal."

Image from Religion Dispatches.

Speakers and Programs Announced for the Parliament of the World's Religions in Melbourne

"Chicago, Illinois (September 24, 2009) -- In its role as a leading force for interreligious harmony, global peace and environmental sustainability, the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions announces over a dozen new speakers at the 2009 Parliament of the World Religions. The Parliament will be held in Melbourne, Australia, December 3 - 9, 2009.
In addition to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, NPR journalist Margo Adler and Obama administration official Dalia Mogahed, newly confirmed presenters include Buddhist teacher, author and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh; Yale Professor Mary Evelyn Tucker; Native American leader Chief Oren Lyons; and Timorese spiritual activist Constantino Pinto." (RNS)

With over 500 speakers, events, and workshops the Parliament of the World's Religions, which gathers every 5 years in a different city, is the largest and most diverse interreligious meeting in the world. The Parliament addresses issues that are of significant concern to humanity and the planet as a whole and seeks to find answers to these problems through dialogue and co-working with each other, recognizing the importance of our religious and spiritual traditions and values in the process of addressing these issues. This particular Parliament in Melbourne seems to have gathered a focus on climate change and how the religious traditions are able to help solve this increasing problem.

To learn more go to Parliament of World Religions website.

Dalai Lama Featured on Interfaith Voices

This week on Interfaith Voices radio program, Pico Iyer, who is a journalist for Time magazine, talks about His Holiness the Dalai Lama as a long-time friend. Topics range from how the Dalai Lama was chosen, his childhood, his religious and political leadership of Tibet, and Tibet's relationship to China.

This interview with Pico Iyer is an intriguing and informative piece for those interested in Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama, and/or interreligious understanding.

Listen at Interfaith Voices.

Odyssey Networks Launches "A Million Prayers for Peace" Online Campaign

"Partners with United Nations to Support International Day of Peace -- Odyssey Networks, the nation's largest coalition of Christian, Jewish and Muslim faith groups dedicated to building bridges of understanding through media, has launched a multimedia campaign to secure one million pledges to pray for peace on September 21-- the United Nations International Day of Peace."

Read more at Odyssey Networks website.

Obama Administration To Highlight Interfaith Volunteerism

"The White House will announce an effort Tuesday to highlight interfaith volunteerism. President Obama's United We Serve initiative is designating this week, Aug. 31 through Sept. 6, "Interfaith Service Week," administration officials said, with a series of service projects across the country.

In speeches, interviews and administration initiatives, Obama has advocated the idea that interfaith efforts should move beyond words and into action. In his speech from Cairo this summer, he said, 'faith should bring us together. And that's why we're forging service projects in America to bring together Christians, Muslims, and Jews... .Around the world, we can turn dialogue into interfaith service, so bridges between peoples lead to action--whether it is combating malaria in Africa, or promoting relief after a natural disaster.'" (Faith in Public Life)

I've supported most policies and platforms of the Obama campaign and administration thus far, but this is one that I highlight above all others. It exemplifies an embrace of religious and cultural diversity in this nation and the world as well as an attempt to bring people together to move from discussing ideas to actively working toward better living conditions and general well-being.

William Wan of the Washington Post has the story at Faith in Public Life.

Bishop John Shelby Spong on Interfaith Voices

This week the outspoken, intriguing, and often controversial Episcopalian Bishop (retired) John Shelby Spong will be the main guest on the Interfaith Voices online radio program.

Bishop Spong is a prolific writer, publishing books and giving talks on important topics sensitive to an audience interested in reinterpreting and revisioning traditional Christian doctrines and practices. The titles of some of his past books speak to his forward-thinking concerns: Rescuing the Bible From Fundamentalism, Living in Sin?: A Bishop Rethinks Human Sexuality, A New Christianity for a New World, and Why Christianity Must Change or Die. His relentless progressive perspective has given support and a significant voice to openminded and inclusive Christian communities throughout the world.

His most recent book is called Eternal Life: A New Vision, which is on rethinking images and notions of heaven, hell, and the afterlife from a Christian context and understanding.

Listen to Bishop Spong on Interfaith Voices.

(Image from University of North Carolina Chapel Hill website.)