Religions for Peace - USA February 2007 E-Newsletter

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In This Issue:

From Our Executive Director…

RFP-USA Presents Interfaith Academies for Religious Leaders
The United States today is an increasingly multi-religious society, and many who are engaged in religious formation, training, and ministry are seeking opportunities to dialogue with people outside their religious tradition. The Interfaith Academies for Religious Leaders are intensive study programs for people engaged in or training for leadership in various religious traditions. The Interfaith Academy for Emerging Religious Leaders and the Interfaith Academy for Religious Professionals provide a forum where people from diverse religious traditions can learn about each other’s faiths with and from each other.

The Academies will involve lectures, seminars, and readings on a variety of religious traditions, as well as group visits to various places of religious observance. Most importantly, participants will have the opportunity to build relationships and learn from one another through conversation in the classroom, in dormitories, and at meals.

To download an application or for more information, please visit here or send an e-mail to: interfaithacademy@rfpusa.org.

Now Showing: “Control Room” – A FREE Movie Event Toolkit
With our friends at the Stanley Foundation, we are offering an event toolkit based on the documentary “Control Room.” It is yet another free movie/discussion kit for you. Control Room is a documentary featuring Al Jazeera's coverage of the current Iraq conflict. The movie will be included in a "Now Showing...Control Room" event toolkit. In addition to the Control Room DVD, the toolkit will include a discussion guide, the "24/7: The Rise and Influence of Arab Media" radio documentary, a recent issue of the Stanley Foundation’s quarterly magazine Courier focusing on Arab media, as well as the Open Media and Transitioning Societies in the Arab Middle East: Implications for US Security Policy report, and other materials.

Sign up now to receive the toolkit and find out how your organization can partner with the Stanley Foundation and Religions for Peace-USA. Once you have hosted a "Now Showing...Control Room" event, please fill out a brief survey.

PeaceMaker: A Video Game to Support Peace – Now Available for Download
PeaceMaker is a role-playing video game in which players, acting as either the Israeli Prime Minister or the Palestinian President, try to establish a stable resolution to the conflict and win the Nobel Prize before his or her term in office ends. Players must react to events, such as military actions and suicide bombings, and actors, such as the U.S., the U.N., and other internal and external forces. The key to success is to gain momentum and create a win-win situation.

PeaceMaker is currently available in English, Arabic and Hebrew, although more translated versions are expected to be released. The game has no official age rating, but it is recommended that parents consider it as a PG-13 rating due to violent news videos and graphic images.

For more information, and to download the game, visit here.

Shinto Retreat at Tsubaki Shrine
Registration for the Shinto Retreat in Great Falls, WA from June 25-27, 2007 has been extended to May 1st. The retreat, entitled, “Shinto Retreat at Tsubaki Shrine,” is sponsored by the US Chapter of International Association of Religions Freedom (IARF). Participants will learn about Shinto through lectures, meditation and ceremonies, including Misogi Shuho, the water purification ritual, and have time for personal reflection.

For registration, retreat schedule, and accommodations please contact: Nyla McCulloch at the US Chapter of IARF
by mail: 1 West Water Street,Wakefield, MA 01880
by phone: 781-245-8185
by e-mail: nylamcculloch@earthlink.net

Call for Papers on Muslim Peacebuilding, Justice, and Interfaith Dialogue
The Second Annual Conference of Muslim Peacebuilding, Justice, and Interfaith Dialogue (MPJID) will be held on May 5-6, 2007 in Washington D.C., hosted by the Salam Institute for Peace and Justice and co-sponsored by the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), and Muslim Network for Peacebuilding, Justice, and Interfaith Dialogue.

This conference aims to create an opportunity for Muslim scholars and practitioners to convene to discuss and clarify main concepts and approaches to peacebuilding, conflict resolution, human rights, democratization and development rooted in the Islamic tradition; to contribute to effective policy development in the Muslim world in the fields of governance, conflict resolution, and peacebuilding; and too provide a platform for Muslim Peacebuilding practitioners to share their experiences on the ground with the wider community of Muslim and non-Muslim scholars and practitioners in order to contribute to theory building and practice of conflict resolution in the Muslim world.
Paper presentations on these panels and short workshops related to these themes are welcomed; suggestions for other panel topics are also welcomed. The deadline for submissions is March 15, 2007.

The People Speak
Here are a few things to look forward to with The People Speak.

1. Green House Oscar Parties: A toolkit is currently available online that provides tips to host an enviro friendly party and hopefully watch Al Gore win an Oscar. The Academy Awards will be televised on ABC at 8pm ET on Sunday February 25th, 2007.

2. A polling feature has been added to find out what people think Ban Ki-Moon's highest priority will be as the 8th UN Secretary General.

3. NEW An Ask the Expert with Richard Moss. The Senior Director of the U.N. Foundation Climate Program will be taking questions on climate change. A link to the forum where people can ask questions is here. The best questions will be taken after two weeks and a video will be shot with Mr. Moss at that time.

"Speaking of Faith"
Krista Tippett , host of the program “Speaking of Faith” on American Public Media, will be in New York on Wednesday March 7th, 7 PM, at the Barnes and Noble on Broadway and 82nd Street. Krista will be talking about her new book, Speaking of Faith -- and her journey as a thinker, journalist and national radio conversationalist. Please join us, and please spread the word to others who you think would want to attend. Krista is looking forward to meeting members of her large, extremely diverse and loyal NYC audience.

For more details contact Barnes and Noble at (212)-362-8835.

What are Religious Women Doing with Difficult Religious Texts and Traditions and Why?
A Multi-Religious Panel Discussion with be conducted with Muslim, Christian, Orthodox Jewish, Sikh, and Hindu women sharing experiences with religious texts and empowerment at:

The Tillman Chapel Church, Center for the United Nations
Tuesday February 27th 1:00pm-3:00pm.

For More information, call the Office of the Chaplain 212-682-3633, ext.3127 or chaplain@gbgm-umc.org. Cosponsored by World Conference of Religions for Peace and Ecumenical Women 2000+.

Our New Staff

Religions for Peace-USA would like to welcome the following individuals to their staff:

Ms. Elizabeth Filardi is a senior at New York University, majoring in both history and politics. She will be attending law school next year. She is currently working on a College Interfaith Directory, The Return to the Earth Project, and will be a coordinator for our North American Young Adult Network. Elizabeth is excited to work with an organization like RFP-USA. This opportunity will allow her to experience working in a non-profit religious organization.

Ms. Briana Kramer is a senior at Hunter College studying religion and psychology. Raised according to no religious tradition, she uncovered a fascination with religion in college. Along with this fascination grew a genuine respect for the world's religious traditions. Briana hopes to use her position as Associate for Interfaith Education to communicate these attitudes to others. In addition, Briana spent her high school years as a t-shirt design enthusiast, and hopes to parlay her skills into creating items for the new Religions for Peace apparel venture.

Ms. Kaitlyn Meehan joins RFP-USA from CUNY Hunter College, where she is a senior majoring in Spanish Literature and FrenchLanguage. She will be helping the organization to translate their website to Spanish to make information about RFP-USA more widely available. Throughout her studies at Hunter, Kaitlyn has studied abroad twice, spending a summer in Madrid, Spain and a winter in Mar del Plata, Argentina. Kaitlyn is very excited to be helping RFP-USA in their quest to gain a larger, multilingual following.

Mr. Omar Ali is a graduate from Stony Brook University receiving a degree in Business Management in May 2004. He started off as an intern at RFP-USA in the summer of 2005 and now has returned as part of the associate staff. Born in Flushing, New York and now living in Huntington, NY, Omar is partially Pakistani and partially Guyanese making him accustomed to different cultures, customs, and backgrounds. "Having parents from opposite ends of the world but of the same religion, Islam, has given me an opportunity to understand the importance of culture in my life that I find very interesting. Religions for Peace - USA has given me an opportunity to get a better understanding of religions working for peace, interfaith coalitions and other cultures around the world."

United Nations Commission on the Status of Women: The Role of Religious Leaders and Communities in Ending Violence Against Girls

The Women’s program for the World Conference of Religions for Peace has raised funds to bring women of different faith representations from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean Latin America and Eastern Europe to New York to participate in an interactive multi-religious panel. This panel will highlight the pervasiveness of violence against girls and discuss factors that contribute to the inaction and silence around this issue. Panelists will represent different faiths traditions which include Islam, Christianity and Hinduism. The panel will affirm Gender-Based Violence as a faith priority and focus recommendations on the need for action by religious communities and leaders to prevent and protect girls from Gender-Based Violence.

The panel will take place on February 28th, 2007: 1:15-2:45pm at the UN.

1. To systematically propagate spiritual knowledge to society at large and to educate all people in the techniques of spiritual life in order to check the imbalance of values in life and to achieve real unity and peace in the world.
2. To propagate a consciousness of Krishna (God), as it is revealed in the great scriptures of India, Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam.
3. To bring the members of the Society together with each other and nearer to Krishna, the prime entity, thus developing the idea within the members, and humanity at large, that each soul is part and parcel of the quality of Godhead (Krishna).
4. To teach and encourage the sankirtana movement, congregational chanting of the holy name of God, as revealed in the teachings of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
5. To erect for the members and for society at large a holy place of transcendental pastimes dedicated to the personality of Krishna.
6. To bring the members closer together for the purpose of teaching a simpler, more natural way of life.
7. With a view towards achieving the aforementioned purposes, to publish and distribute periodicals, magazines, books and other writings.
   
   For more information on the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Visit their website here.
   
   

Searching for Sacred Ground
Searching for Sacred Ground: The Journey of Chief Lawrence Hart, Mennonite (Cascadia Publishing House, 2007) is an open account of Raylene Hinz-Penner’s encounter with Southern Cheyenne peace chief and Mennonite pastor Lawrence Hart.

This text traces Southern Cheyenne history and its eventual encounter with the Mennonite missionary presence in Oklahoma, starting in the 19th century. Hinz-Penner makes it clear that it is from this often rocky confluence, as well as from the tragedy and bloodshed of Native American genocide, that Hart emerged not only as a protector and advocate of traditional Indian culture and history but as a bearer of a new and reconciling message, the gospel, among his people.

Speaking of Faith
Krista Tippett, host of the weekly NPR radio show Speaking of Faith, has written a challenging new book by the same name. Speaking of Faith is part autobiographical, tracing Tippett’s own intellectual and spiritual formation, beginning with her Southern Baptist grandfather in Oklahoma, and developing through her time as a journalist, diplomat, and divinity student. More than a personal chronicle, however, this is an intellectual piece of work, as informed by the theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Reinhold Niebuhr, Charles Darwin and Annie Dillard as it is by Tippett's interviews with figures like Elie Wiesel and Karen Armstrong.

Here is what Krista said recently about her new book:

“The book is more reflective and personal than I can be on the air,” said Tippett. “I wrote Speaking of Faith, in part, to answer questions that listeners have persistently asked me over the years–how I came to care about large questions of meaning, and how I’m changed by my radio conversations with people across the world’s traditions. This book is also my answer to battle cries like “the end of faith” and “the God delusion.” Terrible damage is being done in the name of religion in our time. But religious traditions themselves contain the strongest critique and corrective we have to religious excesses. And my conversations week after week teach me that sacred traditions are among our richest sources for deep thought, creative engagement, and hope in the 21st Century world.”

The Little Book of Hindu Deities
The Little Book of Hindu Deities by Sanjay Patel offers a fanciful introduction to the characters and stories of Hinduism. Though intended for children, the artwork and short vignettes describing major figures among the massive collection of gods, avatars, planets, and heroes might be interesting to more whimsically minded adults and those unfamiliar with Hindu lore. The book begins by honoring and introducing Ganesha, the elephant-headed god, who is a fitting figurehead for the work. Like Ganesha, who, Patel writes, brings good luck to his worshipers and has a sweet tooth, The Little Book of Hindu Deities presents a joyful, gently laughing portrait of Hinduism. Its depictions of the gods, featuring vibrant colors, shapes, and giant saucer-eyes, are endearing and obviously crafted with love.

World Religions: The Great Faiths Explored & Explained
John Bowker’s World Religions is a richly illustrating book depicting the major world religions with detailed annotation of sacred texts, paintings, epic imagery, symbolism, iconography, key beliefs, architecture and artifacts. Each chapter begins with a succinct introduction and is followed by one-or-two page sections that explain the basic tenets of the faith, symbols, events, people, buildings, works of art, and the differences and similarities to other religions. A must-read resource for anyone interested in learning about other faiths or gaining a deeper appreciation of one’s own.

Passing on the Faith
Passing on the Faith: Transforming Traditions for the Next Generations of Jews, Christians and Muslims addresses some of the most pressing questions affecting parents today: Will young people have a faith to guide them? How can faith traditions anchor religious attachments in this secular, skeptical culture?

Edited by James L. Heft, Passing on the Faith brings together the work of 18 scholars and religious leaders of Judaism, Christianity and Islam to report on the religious lives of young people in today’s world. This book explores fundamental issues that impact religions, presents leading studies of religiosity among young people in the United States, and, finally, discusses how religious institutions deal with challenges and ways in which traditional institutions can revitalize themselves for the next generations.

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