At a time of too much war, violence, and hate in our world, we have
been given a delightful gift. For the third consecutive year, the
Muslim sacred month of Ramadan coincides with the Jewish High Holy
Days and Sukkot. In addition in autumn 2007, Hindus, Sikhs, and
Jains celebrate Divali, the Festival of Lights; Baha’is celebrate
the birth of The Bab and
Baha’u'llah; and Buddhists celebrate Sangha Day, the Festival of
Sacred Community Building. During this same period Protestants will
be celebrating Worldwide Communion Sunday while Catholics will honor
the Feast Day of St. Francis of
Assisi.
Both national and
local interfaith organizations have chosen to call this important time a
Sacred Season of Peace-Making.
Religious communities around the world have considered this
“accident” of the calendar as a call to shared fasting, prayer,
interfaith hospitality, dialogue and acts of reconciliation—all
parts of a broader struggle for justice, for peace and for
non-violence.
In this spirit, we call on you to honor the
Sacred Season by
participating in and/or creating activities which will build
relationships across the lines of religion that too often divide us.
Suggestions include inviting guests to worship services, dialogues,
forums, peace walks, service projects.
SPONSORS OF THIS CALL
TO OBSERVE A SACRED SEASON OF PEACE-MAKING:
Center
for Religious Inquiry
Catholic
Charities-Office of Social Justice
Dar Al-Hijrah
Cultural Center
Every Church a Peace
Church
Greater Minneapolis
Council of Churches
Islamic
Center of Minnesota
Jay
Phillips Center for Jewish Christian Learning
Jewish
Community Center of the Greater St. Paul Area
Jewish
Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas
Mall Area Religious
Council
Minneapolis Jewish
Federation
Minnesota Council of
Churches
Minnesota Rabbinical
Association
Muslim American Society
Network of Spiritual
Progressives
Northern Lights Society
Parliament of the
World’s Religions—MN
Sabes Jewish Community
Center
Saint Paul Area Council
of Churches
Spiritual
Assembly of the Baha’is of St. Paul
United Jewish Fund and
Council of St. Paul
Peace and Violence in our Religious Traditions.
Since the spring of 2007, members of the Twin Cities
interfaith community - assisted by the Interfaith Bridging
Initiative and the Saint Paul Area Council of Churches - have been
planning many different events for
October and November, 2007.
These events will honor the many
commonalities and differences among various religious communities;
deepen interfaith relationships in our community; and practice
respectful conversation about charged issues of our time.
Peace and Violence in the Abrahamic Religious Traditions
A six-week, evening series featuring presentations
by local religious leaders and dialogue among participants from
different traditions will explore the teachings of the Abrahamic religious
traditions on violence, non-violence and peace-making.
Peace and Violence in Our Non - Abrahamic
Religious Traditions:
A panel discussion, breakout sessions, and
experiential exploration focusing on the ways in which several
non-Abrahamic religious traditions, (Hindu, Buddhist, Native American
and Wiccan) aspire to achieve peace in a violent
world.
All of these events will
address the following questions, and more:
-
What are your tradition’s teachings on non-violence?
-
How does violence appear in your tradition’s texts and history?
-
How can religious teachings on peace and non-violence be put into action
today?
Peace and Violence in the Abrahamic Religious Traditions
The following religious communities and programs are sponsors of one or
more of the six week Monday evening series of program events:
Beth Jacob Congregation
Center for Religious Inquiry
Central Baptist Church
Church of St. John
Neumann
Dar Al-Hijrah Cultural Center
Gloria Dei Lutheran
Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches
Hamline United
Methodist Church
Interfaith Bridging Initiative
Interreligious Network of Saint Paul
Islamic Center of Minnesota
Islamic Institute of MN (masjid Al-Salaam)
Islamic Resource Group
Jay Phillips Ctr. for Jewish Christian Learning
Jewish Community Ctr., Gtr. St. Paul Area
Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and
Dakotas
Macalester Plymouth
United Church Peacemakers
Masjid An Nur
Minnesota Fellowship of Reconciliation
Mount Zion Temple
Muslim American Society of Minnesota
Northern Lights Society
Pilgrim Lutheran Church
Saint Paul Area Council of Churches
Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet
Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of St. Paul
St. Paul Reformation
Lutheran Church
Temple of Aaron
United Jewish Fund & Council of St. Paul
The
following information gives you
details of Peace and Violence in our Abrahamic Traditions series:
Six consecutive Monday evenings, Oct. 8 – Nov. 12.
Each session held at a house of worship of a
different tradition. Your are invited to attend one or all of these
sessions.
Oct. 8
6:30 – 9:00 p.m. [Note earlier starting time!]
Iftar meal, Introduction to Series and Interfaith
Dialogue
(Join Muslim neighbors in breaking Ramadan fast
with meal of
Turkish cuisine hosted by Northern Lights
Society-all welcome!)
Facilitator: Rabbi Amy Eilberg
Where: Masjid (Mosque) An-Nur
Oct. 15
7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Two Christian Perspectives
Presenters: Sr. Sharon Howell, CSJ & Dr. Philip
Stoltzfus
Where: Mount Zion Temple
Oct. 22
7:00 –
9:00 p.m.
Two Jewish Perspectives
Presenters: Rabbi Morris Allen & Rabbi Adam Stock
Spilker
Where: Hamline United Methodist Church
Oct.
29
7:00 –
9:00 p.m.
Two Muslim Perspectives
Presenters: Imam Hesham Hussein & Imam Makram
Nu’Man El-Amin
Where: Temple of Aaron
Nov. 5
7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Quaker and Baha’i Perspectives
Presenters: Michael Bischoff and Dr. Roya Majid
Where: Masjid Al-Salaam
Nov. 12
7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Continuing the Dialogue: Creating a Culture of
Peace
Facilitator: Joan Haan, MA, CPCC
Where: Gloria Dei Lutheran Church
Series Presenters/Leaders:
Rabbi Amy Eilberg, Jay Phillips Center for Jewish
Christian Learning
Joan Haan, MA, CPCC; Facilitator, Creating a
Culture of Peace
Sr. Sharon Howell; CSJ; Assoc. Dean of Students,
University of St. Thomas
Dr. Philip Stoltzfus; Justice and Peace Studies,
University of St.Thomas
Rabbi Morris Allen, Beth Jacob Synagogue
Rabbi Adam Spilker, Mount Zion Temple
Imam Hesham Hussein, President, Muslim American
Society of Minnesota
Imam Makrum El-Amin, Masjid An-Nur
Michael Bischoff, Twin Cities Friends Meeting (St.
Paul)--Quaker
Dr. Roya Majid, Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’i of
St. Paul
Locations/Directions:
Masjid An-Nur, 1729 Lyndale Ave. North, Minneapolis
55411
[Near Broadway; from St. Paul take I-94
west, exit
at exit #230 toward Olson Hghwy/Rt. #55 but merge into Lyndale Ave N. Go to 1729 Lyndale N.]
Mount Zion Temple, 1300 Summit Ave., St. Paul 55105
[near
Hamline Ave.]
Hamline United Methodist Church, 1514 Englewood
Ave., St. Paul 55104
[one block east of
Snelling Ave., on south edge of
Hamline University
campus]
Temple of Aaron, 616 Mississippi Blvd., St. Paul
55116
[Between Randolph Ave. and Ford Parkway; park on
east side of building]
Masjid Al-Salaam, 1460 Skillman Ave., Maplewood
55109
[Going east on Highway #36, turn right on English
St. (just east of Hwy 61); go 0.2 mi. and turn left onto Co. Rd. B (also
known as CR
25); go 0.2 mi. and turn right onto Birmingham St.; go 0.2 mi. and turn
left on Skillman Ave. E.; go 0.1 to mosque]
Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 700 S. Snelling Ave.,
St. Paul 55116
[at
Highland Parkway]
Finally, to prepare for
participating in the Peace and Violence in our Abrahamic Traditions
series, we urge you to consult this book:
The The
Tent of Abraham, by Sister Joan Chittister OSB, Murshid Saadi Shakur
Chisti, and Rabbi Arthur Waskow. It is a beautiful read and a great
practical guide for study and action. (Order copies at 10% discount with
free shipping by going to
www.beacon.org/tentofabraham
and typing "tent" into the code window.
For further information about this series and/or
other Sacred Season of Peace-Making events,
contact Marc at
MBlakesley@spacc.org or
651-789-3840.
Peace and Violence in Our Non - Abrahamic
Religious Traditions:
An Afternoon of Convergences Hosts: The Interfaith Bridging Initiative
(IBI) and The Human Rights
Center at
the University of
Minnesota Law School
A panel discussion, breakout sessions, and
experiential exploration focusing on the ways in which several
non-Abrahamic religious traditions aspire to achieve peace in a violent
world.
When: Sunday, November 11,
2007, 1:00 PM -- 5:00 PM
(Registration: 12:30 -- 1:00 PM)
Where:
The
Law
School, University of Minnesota
229 19th Ave. South,
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Admission:
$10.00 (includes parking in the law school
lot). Scholarships are available. Please submit scholarship requests to
takusoon@hotmail.com or call (612) 861--6040.
Representatives of the following faiths will share their outlooks on peace-making and its obstacles:
Buddhism
- Roger R. Jackson: Stephen R. Lewis Jr. Professor of Religion and the
Liberal Arts, Chair,
Dept. of Religion, Macalester College
Hinduism
- Anantanand Rambachan: Professor of Religion, Philosophy, and Asian
Studies & Chair,
Dept. of Religion, St. Olaf College
Native American
Spirituality -
Dine/Navajo Omie Baldwin: Therapist, University
Health Services,
Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison
