Religions for Peace - USA July 2006 E-Newsletter

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In This Issue:

From Our Executive Director…

RFP-USA’s Hope for Children Project begins in New Orleans
The first in a series of camps and trainings aimed at helping the young people of the hurricane-ravaged South Central region is underway in mid-July.  For example, over 50 children have subscribed to a day camp at an Islamic cultural center in the Gretna region of New Orleans. 

Hope for Children aims to assist in addressing the psychological, social, and spiritual needs of the child victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita through a unique multi-religious approach of day camps for children and trauma awareness and resilience training for adults and young adults.

This one-year project is being done in a multireligious fashion through a new partnership with the Camp Noah project of the Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota, the Louisiana Interreligious Disaster Recovery Network, and the Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience (STAR) program at Eastern Mennonite University. For more information, please write to hopeforchildren@rfpusa.org.

RFP-USA presents at North American Interfaith Network; Ghaznavi joins NAIN Board
Ms. Kinza Ghaznavi, Director of Development and Information Management of Religions for Peace-USA, will be representing RFP-USA on the Board of the North American Interfaith Network from 2006-8, as Executive Director Bud Heckman’s term ends.  Headed for graduated studies at George Washington University in the fall, Ms. Ghaznavi presented on the Native American reconciliation-focused Return to the Earth Project as a young adult scholarship recipient at the 2006 NAIN Connect meeting in Vancouver in late June. 

Ms. Ghaznavi, a Muslim woman of Pakistani descent, was joined at NAIN by Ms. Naomi Greenspan, staff person with the Union for Reform Judaism’s interreligious affairs office and co-chair of the Religions for Peace North American Interreligious Youth Network. 

NAINConnect:  2006 in Vancouver and 2007 in Richmond, VA

Inspirational, focused on fostering relationships, and supporting common action describe this year’s NAINConnect attended by fifty participants and some co-registrants from the concurrent World Peace Forum in Vancouver, Canada.  Barry Cooke and Judith Hardcastle from the Multifaith Action Society of Vancouver, B.C. hosted the gathering. 

The keynote from Rt. Rev. Michael Ingham, Episcopal Bishop of Vancouver and interfaith activist, surveying the challenges and opportunities facing the interfaith movement set the stage for the conference.  His subtext was the difficult but critical task of addressing intra-faith relationships with what we have learned about interfaith relationship-building.

Young adults were incorporated into the program by way of the ‘How To’ sessions where they each presented a topic or project of interest to them from Interfaith concerts, to How to get young adults involved in Interfaith work.  The young adult scholarship program brought together five scholarship recipients. Nearly 20 percent of Vancouver registrants were in the under-30 category, and an auction on the last day generated over $900 to fund young-adult involvement.

NAINConnect 2007 will be held in Richmond, Virginia, July 12-16, with a focus on “Embracing Religious Freedom.” The program is largely designed and organized already, with a whole day of programming focused around young adults - the future leaders of the interfaith movement.  In 2008, NAINConnect goes to San Francisco, and the tentative theme is “Hearing the Interfaith Voice in North America.”

DC-NYC-PA 9/11 Unity Walk
On the 5th Anniversary of 9/11, Religions for Peace-USA has agreed to join partners in Washington, DC and Shanksville, PA for a Unity Walk to honor the significance of this day in American history. Save the date. RFP-USA will be working with New York City partner agencies to sponsor the walk and promote interfaith appreciation and understanding. Please contact kane@rfpusa.org if you are interested in partnering or organizing the NYC walk and look for details on the locations and routes forthcoming. If you want to organize in your own community, look to the site established by Interfaith Works for the original 9/11 Unity Walk for ideas and models and information on this year’s approach. In 2005, there were 1500 participants in the DC walk.

Building an American Muslim Seminary – Zaytuna Institute
A June 18, 2006 article in the New York Times by Laurie Goodstein (see “US Muslim Clerics Seek a Modern Middle Ground”) announced the effort to build a “Muslim seminary” in California in the midst of reporting on work and following of the two rising stars from the US  in the Muslim world.

Sheik Hamza Yusuf, a Muslim convert of Greek Orthodox upbringing, and his counterpart, Imam Zaid Shakir, also a convert, have spent many years being trained by traditional Muslim scholars in the Middle East and North Africa.  But now they are working to find a middle ground for young American Muslims.   They believe a key will be the revitalization of Islamic education, including the fostering of seminaries, as the one emerging from their popular Zaytuna Institute in Hayward, California.

Having Muslim research and teaching activity that spreads back more than a century, Hartford Seminary in Connecticut already provides a certificate program for those serving as Muslim chaplains, but the imams of most mosques in the US have received their training overseas in Arabic-speaking centers.  Having a seminary in the US, especially an accredited one, will be a big step toward creating acceptance for the integrity of American Muslims in their own cultural milieu and fostering constructive alternatives to extremists.

Student Peace Alliance and a Department of Peace and Nonviolence
The Peace Alliance Foundation and the International People's Initiative for Ministries and Departments of Peace are working cooperatively to gain congressional support for a US Department of Peace and Nonviolence.  They are asking candidates two pertinent questions: 1) What is your plan to reduce violence domestically? and 2) What is your stance on legislation presently in the House and Senate calling for a US Department of Peace and Nonviolence?

Following the recent Victoria Summit and the World Peace Forum, they are focusing on creating the infrastructure for a Student Peace Alliance (SPA), led by youth and coordinated and supported by a youth/adult partnership model.  The SPA will formally launch at a DC-based Conference during February 2-5, 2007.

5th Fosdick Preaching Convocation
Honoring the 100th anniversary of the birth of Riverside’s founding minister, Harry Emerson Fosdick, the Fosdick Preaching Convocation is an celebrating its 5th gathering in October with a host of renowned preachers.

To celebrate the inauguration of Riverside Church 75 years ago, founding minister Harry Emerson Fosdick wrote a hymn that challenged people of faith everywhere. “God of Grace and God of Glory” has become a beloved hymn, and many voices over the years have sung its familiar refrain, “grant us wisdom, grant us courage, for the living of these days.”

The 5th Fosdick Convocation on Preaching will face anew the questions with which Dr. Fosdick challenged the nation in 1930:   What wisdom do we need for the facing of this hour? What fears must we unbind for the living of these days? How do we overcome weak resignation to the evils we deplore? How do we stop our warring madness? How do we transform a culture rich in things and poor in soul?

For more information, visit www.fosdickconvocation.org.

Faith in Public Life:  A Resource Center for Justice and the Common Good
Faith in Public Life, which we tipped you off to last month, has formerly launched! Religious leaders from diverse faiths created Faith in Public Life to increase the visibility, effectiveness and reach of faith movements that share a call to pursue justice and the common good. Visit them on the web at www.faithinpubliclife.org

Our 2006 Summer Interns

Ms. Stephanie Roer, Associate for Public Relations, is a junior at Wesleyan University and a double major in Religious Studies and Dance. She enjoys working in an activist environment where the people she interacts with share the same ideals of peace and justice. Stephanie tells us that she is inspired by those who encourage interfaith dialogue as a pathway towards these ideals, which is why I am so happy to be working with the RFP-USA staff. At RFP-USA I am continuing to learn that passionate people coming together, taking action, and spreading
awareness does in fact lead to positive changes.

Ms. Anne Hillman, our summer Associate for Interfaith Relations, is in her senior year at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN. She is a double major in religion and music. When asked about why she chose to intern at RFP-USA she said, “This internship is important to me because I want to be involved in the interfaith field as my career.  And I am getting valuable hand on experience which is helping me to understand what interfaith work really is on a day to day basis.” Anne plans to attend graduate school after graduating from St. Olaf.  

Mr. Kane Koller, a student of Religious Studies and Archeology at Cornell University is our summer associate for interfaith relations.  He is working to develop the 9-11 Unity Walk in NYC, among other projects.  Kane hopes to go to graduate school and become an academic. 

Ms. Maria Vanikiotis (not pictured), a New Yorker entering her third year at Brandeis University this fall, is interested in peace work on a global scale and is spending her time at RFP working on interfaith initiatives and programs with the United Nations. She is currently leading a team of interns in the analysis of past UN resolutions related to inter-religious understanding and the newly launched Tripartite Forum on Interfaith Cooperation for Peace at the United Nations.

Confronting Violence and Advancing Shared Security:  RFP-USA Sends Large Delegation to VIII World Assembly of Religions for Peace

The VIIIth World Assembly of the World Conference of Religions for Peace (Religions for Peace) will be held in Kyoto, Japan on August 26-29 2006 under the theme "Religions for Peace: Confronting Violence and Advancing Shared Security."  The Assembly will be preceded by special events - a Women's Assembly and the Youth Assembly, which begin as early at August 21.

Visit the Assembly website for more information and to stay posted on the details as the world's top religious leaders gather.  Preparatory study documents on the three sub-themes - resolving conflict, building peace, and advancing sustainable development - are currently available.  

If you are an official delegate or requested to be an observer, please note that July 14, 2006 is the final day to complete conference registration and arrange preferred travel and housing.

The VIIIth World Assembly promises to be the most representative and senior gathering ever of religious leaders from the world's major faith traditions.  It will include a chapter delegation of over two dozen from the United States led by officers and officials delegates:  V. Rev. Leonid Kishkovsky (Orthodox Church of America), Ms. Judith Hertz ( Union for Reform Judaism), Dr. Tarunjit Butalia (World Sikh Council-America Region), Rabbi Amy Small (Jewish Reconstructionist Federation), Fr. John Pawlikowski (ICCJ, Roman Catholic), Ms. Anna Kelsey-Powell (United Methodist), Rev. William Sinkford (Unitarian Universalist), among others. In addition, individual traditions such as Rissho Kosei-kai, the International Shinto Foundation, and The United Methodist Church – are sending several delegates to each of the three Assemblies.

With over 50 member religious communities and over 90 members on its three councils, Religions for Peace-USA, wishes to occasionally spotlight individual members or communities. This issue features the Rissho Kosei-Kai (Engaged Buddhist Community).

Rissho Kosei-Kai, was founded in 1938 and now has a membership of six million.  Its name means “Society for Righteousness and Friendship”, and emphasizes both the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha and everyday practice of those teachings.  As a lay organization, its members are not officially ordained monks and nuns, but are devoted to application of the teachings in their everyday lives. 

Though mainly a Japanese organization, Rissho Kosei-Kai has offices in Hawaii, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York, as well as Sao Paulo, Brazil and Taipei, Taiwan.  The New York office actively works with Religions for Peace-USA.   

Rissho Kosei-Kai was founded by Nikkyo Niwano and Myokyo Naganuma.  Both were active in social services, such as disaster relief and peace activities.  Reverend Niwano is the founder of the Niwano Peace Prize, awarded by a committee consisting of Buddhists and other religious leaders.  Rev. Niwano was also one of the few non-Christian observers at the Second Vatican Council.  Unsurprisingly, Rissho Kosei-Kai is famed for its open-mindedness and emphasis on interreligious dialogue.  As Rev. Niwano put it, “All life springs from the same source, the universal truth. Thus all people belong to one family, transcending ethnic, religious, and national boundaries”.   

A strong history of cooperation with other religious groups, NGOs, and the United Nations have always been a part Rissho Kosei-Kai’s activities.  It has brought together communities in Japan through the Brighter Society Movement of the 1960s, promoted the Donate A Meal campaign since 1974, and in 1978 established the Niwano Peace Foundation.  Rissho Kosei-Kai is also a part of the International Association for Religious Freedom, the Asian Conference on Religion and Peace, as well as the World Conference on Religion and Peace.  In fact, Rev. Nichiko Niwano, current leader of Rissho Kosei-Kai and Nikkyo Niwano’s son, is President of WCRP/Japan.   

In this section we feature interesting, replicable projects of our member religious communities or thought-provoking publications for our common mission.

Bill Moyers’ New PBS Series:  Faith and Reason
If you hadn’t noticed, a new seven week series was launched by Bill Moyers on PBS on June 23.  Don’t worry, episodes are available online. Read on. Bill Moyers and the renowned authors/storytellers who are his guests confront the most pressing questions facing a world divided over God and religion.

You can find more information at the Religion News Service website. “Bill Moyers on Faith & Reason” will be supported by an extensive companion Web site at www.pbs.org/moyers where visitors can interact, give feedback, and discuss the issues presented in the series. After the broadcast, each episode will be available in its entirety for viewing online.

The authors featured in Bill Moyers on Faith & Reason include: Martin Amis, Margaret Atwood, Mary Gordon, David Grossman, Colin McGinn, Richard Rodriguez, Salman Rushdie, Anne Provoost, Jeanette Winterson.

Interactive Golden Rule Movie
Scarboro Missions is proud to announce the publication of the Golden Rule Interactive Movie which can be accessed free of charge on their website.

Joining their cadre of resources on the Golden Rule, this dynamic and animated presentation features the Golden Rule in thirteen religions and includes a brief overview of each religion.  The interactive movie appeals to both students and teachers because it features visual effects, images, and music.  For more, visit here.

The Hindu World
Edited by Sushil Mittal and Gene Thursby, “The Hindu World” is a mammoth single volume work – a comprehensive guide to Hinduism both as culture and as a religion.  In twenty-four chapters written by leading international scholars it provides a sweeping and critical guide to the various literatures, traditions, and practices of Hinduism.   Contributing international scholars include: Laus Klostermaier, Gavin Flood, John Grimes and Julius Lipner.  It covers: Hinduism's place in the study of religions; traditions from the Vedic age to the Bhakti movement and beyond; Hindu life, law, politics and arts; and history and modernization. (672p, Routledge, 2004).

World Religions – A Guide to the Essentials
There is a glut of “introduction to world religions” books available today.  This one finds its niche by being concise and affordable, comparably speaking.  Each chapter provides information about the history, beliefs, and practices of the major world religions, making chapters easy to navigate and providing some comparative information.   Attention is given to practices - prayers, observances, rituals – helping readers to see the subjects as “living religions.”  500 illustrations are included in an accompanying CD, rather than in the text.  (350p, Hendrickson Publishers, 2006)

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