Wednesday, August 31, 2011

On the anniversary of 9/11

Hello

In memory of the tenth anniversary of 9/11, I would like to offer you
and your readers of Interfaith Society a message of peace in a short
video and a pledge of tolerance.

http://myfellowamerican.us

If you are able to post or tweet about the video and the pledge, please
let me know. I am here if you have any questions.

Thank you so much,

Elizabeth
--
Elizabeth Potter
Unity Productions Foundation
myfellowamerican.us
facebook.com/MyFellowAmericanProject
@usmuslimstories

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  • Time for Creation 2011: Trees and forests shall rejoice

    World Council of Churches - News

    TIME FOR CREATION 2011: TREES AND FORESTS SHALL REJOICE

    For immediate release: 31 August 2011

    The World Council of Churches (WCC) has joined in a call to observe Thursday
    1 September through Tuesday 4 October 2011 as a time for prayer, reflection
    and re-dedication regarding care for and just use of God's gifts in nature.

    For more than twenty years, increasing numbers of Christians throughout the
    world have reserved these dates in September and early October as a time to
    give thanks for God's creation and to join in common prayer and action for
    the environment.

    "A Time for Creation" is a modern addition to the liturgical calendars of
    many churches, emphasizing the work of God as Creator. It arose from a
    challenge issued by the late Dimitrios I, then the Ecumenical Patriarch of
    Constantinople, in proclaiming 1 September 1989 as a day of prayer for the
    earth and its ecosystems.

    The Orthodox church year traditionally begins in September, so it seems
    appropriate to turn worshippers' attention to the opening verse of the
    Bible: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." The new
    liturgical season of Creation has come to extend to 4 October, long
    celebrated by Roman Catholics and others as the feast day of Saint Francis
    of Assisi.

    The year 2011 has been designated as the International Year of Forests, and
    the WCC has appealed in particular for prayers and reflections to be offered
    on forests and related themes, in the spirit of such scriptural passages as
    this prophecy:
    "For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and
    the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field
    shall clap their hands." - Isaiah 55:12
    (NRSV)

    In its public policy, the WCC has called for commitment to "eco-justice
    (Link: http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=a975887eb6d1fcb01839 )" and
    has stressed the need for action to overcome such problems as planetary
    pollution and other causes of climate change.

    In a message (Link:
    http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=37c8191a261154522aa3
    ) delivered to the UN Climate Change Conference at Copenhagen in December
    2009 (COP 15), a high-level ecumenical delegation told the meeting, "The
    injustice is that those who are suffering the worst consequences of this
    crisis have contributed the least to causing this situation. This is a
    matter of justice and a call to moral responsibility. We would like to
    underline the importance of legally-binding commitments to addressing this
    crisis".

    A separate statement (Link:
    http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=db69ae3df8bc41563edd ) on behalf of
    the WCC and bodies representing other world religions recognized the
    scientific evidence for human causation of climate change, and asserted that
    "climate change is not merely an economic or technical problem, but rather
    at its core is a moral, spiritual and cultural one."

    Time for Creation resources (Link:
    http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=abdfc918916616d0152a )

    Time for Creation on Facebook (Link:
    http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=a387c53d84cca520fb3b )

    More information on the WCC and eco-justice: www.oikoumene.org/eco-justice
    (Link: http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=1361ee91aa13553028f1 )

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  • End of Ramadan celebrations hailed by WCC general secretary

    World Council of Churches - News

    END OF RAMADAN CELEBRATIONS HAILED BY WCC GENERAL SECRETARY

    For immediate release: 31 August 2011

    Christian and Muslims, together with leaders of other world religions,
    should cooperate in "rallying people to form alliances for peace and
    reconciliation with justice," according to the Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit,
    general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC).

    Tveit sent greetings on the occasion of the Islamic festival of Eid al Fitr
    (the end of Ramadan) in a letter to heads of Muslim religious communities
    throughout the world. Taking note of July's violence in his native Norway
    that has brought Christians and Muslims closer, and the momentous events
    that continue to unfold in North Africa and the Middle East, Tveit called
    for continuing action toward justice and peace.

    Read the full text of the WCC general secretary's letter (Link:
    http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=e33f25e11652d39112bc )

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  • Wednesday, August 24, 2011

    9/11 event in Milwaukee

    From: pejacobi@aol.com
    Re: Bel Canto Chorus and Milw Chamber Orchestra Free concert commemorating
    10th anniversary 9/11


    Dear Friends:

    Mark your calendars and come!

    Religious leaders from the Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee
    will offer an invocation, read reflections and recite a Prayer for the
    Future as participants in a free Bel Canto Chorus and
    Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra concert that commemorates the 10th anniversary
    of the 9/11 attacks and honors first responders.

    This "United We Stand" outdoor event features a performance of Mozart's
    moving Requiem and begins at 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 11, in Cathedral Square
    Park on the city's east side. A live broadcast by Milwaukee Public
    Television will be carried statewide. Prelude entertainment starts at 2:15
    p.m., so bring a lawn chair or blanket and come early. (If significant rain
    is forecast, the event will move into the nearby Cathedral of St. John the
    Evangelist, 812 N. Jackson St.)

    Prayer Flags

    Starting at 2 p.m., Interfaith's Peace & International Issues Committee
    will provide 1,000 prayer flags for people to write expressions of peace,
    hope, healing and understanding for the victims and their families, the
    first responders, members of our armed forces and their families, our
    nation, and the countries of the world. Flags will be displayed on lines in
    the park and be visible on the television broadcast.

    A letter of remembrance and hope by the Interfaith Conference Cabinet
    will be printed in the program. We expect to have leaders and
    representatives from many faiths and denominations join in the entrance
    procession, stand on risers below the front of the stage as a sign of unity
    and jointly recite the Prayer for the Future.

    Interfaith Speakers

    Representatives of several faiths and denominations will be among the
    speakers on stage:

    Rabbi David B. Cohen of Congregation Sinai will give the invocation.

    Reciting brief reflections from their faith traditions will be:
    > The Rev. Jamie Washam of Underwood Memorial Baptist
    Church,vice-chair of the Interfaith Conference;
    > Ahmed Quereshi, president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee;
    > Hoko Karnegis of the Milwaukee Zen Center;
    > Swarnjit S. Arora of the Sikh Religious Society of Wisconsin;
    > The Rev. Suzelle Lynch of Unitarian Universalist Church West and
    Southeast Wisconsin Unitarian Universalist Congregations;
    > Frank Berentsen of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
    Milwaukee Meeting;
    > Emily Joy Sielen of the Milwaukee Baha'i Community; and
    > Urmila Bharadwaj of the Hindu Temple of Wisconsin.

    Prayer for the Future
    The Very Rev. Jeff Haines, rector and pastor of the Cathedral of St.
    John the Evangelist, will lead religious leaders in a recitation of a Prayer
    for the Future immediately before the start of Requiem.

    For more details, go to www.belcanto.org or contact the Interfaith
    Conference at (414) 276-9050.

    About the broadcast, see:
    http://www.mptv.org/news/press/release/?n_id=890

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  • Monday, August 15, 2011

    Jedis and Pastafarians: Real religion or just a joke?

    Ecumenical News International News Highlights
    15 August 2011

    Jedis and Pastafarians: Real religion or just a joke?

    Washington, D.C. (ENInews)--When congregants of West Side Church and
    the Christian Life Center in Bend, Oregon, awoke in June to news that
    their churches had been vandalized, they expected to be frustrated.
    What they
    didn't expect was to be confused, Religion News Service reports. In
    addition to the anti-Christian slogans scrawled on the walls of the
    two buildings, the words "Praise the FSM" were painted everywhere.
    After a Google search, they learned "FSM" stood for "Flying Spaghetti
    Monster," the noodle-limbed deity of a fictitious religion. While the
    vandalism seemed to be an isolated incident, it and other developments
    have spurred a discussion among atheists about the usefulness of
    so-called "joke" or "invented" religions in the nonreligious movement.
    Some are wondering: has the joke gone too far? [865
    words, ENI-11-0426]

    ENI Online - www.eni.ch

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  • Friday, August 12, 2011

    Orthodox Peace Fellowship conference to focus on forgiveness

    Orthodox Peace Fellowship conference to focus on forgiveness:

    UW professor Robert D. Enright, Kim Phuc to be keynote speakers

     

    The North American Conference of the Orthodox Peace Fellowship has chosen Madison as the location for its 2011 conference, to be held Friday, Sept. 16 to Sunday, Sept. 18. “Forgiveness: Finding Wholeness Again” is the conference theme.

     

    Robert D. Enright Ph.D., professor of educational psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, will be a keynote speaker. Enright is a founding member of the International Forgiveness Institute Inc., is the author of four books including “Forgiveness is a Choice.” He has appeared on “20/20” and “NBC Nightly News,” and his work has been featured in TIME, McCall’s Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, and the LA Times.

     

    Some of the other speakers expected at the event:

     

    • Kim Phuc (the child depicted in the 1972 Pulitzer Prize winning photo, running naked after being burned in a South Vietnamese napalm attack);

     

    • Rev. George Morelli Ph.D. (chairman of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese Department of Chaplaincy and Pastoral Counseling Ministry);

     

    • Judith Toy (Buddhist cleric and author of “Murder as a Call to Love”);

     

    • Miroslav Volf (director of the Yale Center for faith and Culture and author of “Free of Charge: Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped of Grace”);

     

    • Rev. John-Brian Paprock (pastor of Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Church, Madison, and author of “Neighbors, Strangers and Everyone Else”).

     

     

    “‘Forgiveness’ is a topic that has much to do with ‘peace,” says Alexander Patico of the OPF. “Conflict between two individuals or two groups can cease, but often the seeds of future conflict are there, ready to germinate at the first opportunity.  Without forgiveness, we achieve only a surface calm, not a reconciliation that is the foundation of true peace.”

     

    Without forgiveness, says Patico, “inner peace remains elusive, as well. There are, however, many different ways to think about forgiveness – what it means and what conditions must exist for it to happen. The conference will explore those different conceptions, so that forgiving might become more feasible for all who take part.”

     

    Additional speakers are in the process of being confirmed. The conference will also include films, food and fellowship. Non-members and non-Orthodox are welcome to attend.

     

    The event will be held at the Bishop O’Connor Pastoral Center, 702 S. High Point Road, Madison. At the end of the conference, attendees can choose to attend Sunday services at Assumption Greek Orthodox Church, 11 North 7th St., Madison.

     

    Information will be available about conference costs shortly; the organization plans to offer low-cost options for those with financial challenges or who are coming from greater distances.

     

    Reservations must be received prior to Wednesday, Sept. 14. More information is available by contacting Patico at opfnorthamerica@gmail.com or Rev. Paprock at frjohnbrian@gmal.com or 608.242.4244

     

    The Orthodox Peace Fellowship is an association of Orthodox Christians applying the principles of the Gospel to situations of division and conflict – in the home, the parish, the community, the work place, and within and between nations.

     

     

    # # #


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  • Thursday, August 11, 2011

    Religion communicators call for civil discourse about 9/11

    RCC board urges responsible coverage of faith angles in 10th anniversary
    stories

    A religion communicators group called Aug. 7 for responsible discussion of
    faith groups in news coverage of 9/11's 10th anniversary.

    The Religion Communicators Council urged journalists and bloggers to "pursue
    accuracy, respect and understanding of people of all faiths and faith
    communities." The statement was in a resolution adopted in Philadelphia by
    the board of governors for the 400-member interfaith council.

    The 17-member board called "for responsible discussion of religion and of
    all faith groups, seeking the understanding and acceptance of religious
    communities."

    The anniversary of the 2001 attacks could "bring about painful recollections
    of terrorism and its effects," the resolution said.
    Rhetoric about the attacks "could become heated and distorted as it
    intermingles the religious identity of participants in those heinous acts,"
    the measure continued.

    The council encourages communicators for faith groups to adhere to the
    highest ethical guidelines in presenting religious faith and values in
    public discourse.

    "We encourage our members to consider having their faith groups adopt
    similar resolutions on civil discourse," said Deb K. Christian, council
    president. She is management team leader for UMR Communications in Dallas.

    About the Religion Communicators Council:

    The Religion Communicators Council is an interfaith association of more than
    400 religion communicators working in print and electronic communication,
    advertising, and public relations. Members represent Baha'i, Christian,
    Hindu, Jewish and Muslim faith communities. Founded in 1929, the council is
    the oldest public relations professional association in the United States.
    Council headquarters is in New York City.

    Contact: Shirley Struchen, sstruchen@rcn.com or (212) 870-2402.

    Resolution On Civil Discourse During 10th Anniversary of 9/11

    WHEREAS, The coming tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks on
    the USA will bring about painful recollections of terrorism and its effects;
    and

    WHEREAS, The rhetoric at such times can become heated and distorted as it
    intermingles the religious identity of participants in those heinous acts;
    and

    WHEREAS, The Religion Communicators Council encourages religion
    communicators to adhere to the highest ethical guidelines in the
    communication of religious faith and values in public discourse and to
    foster understanding among faith groups; now, therefore be it

    RESOLVED, That the Board of Governors of the Religion Communicators Council
    calls for responsible discussion of religion and of all faith groups,
    seeking the understanding and acceptance of religious communities; and be it
    finally

    RESOLVED, That the Board urges all who report and record news and register,
    edit or publish opinions about faith communities and religious commitments
    to adhere to the highest ethical standards of their craft and pursue
    accuracy, respect and understanding of people of all faiths and faith
    communities.

    Adopted August 7, 2011, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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  • Peace convocation to inspire prayer for 21 September

    World Council of Churches - News

    PEACE CONVOCATION TO INSPIRE PRAYER FOR 21 SEPTEMBER

    For immediate release: 11 August 2011

    Each year on 21 September the World Council of Churches calls churches
    and parishes to observe the International Day of Prayer for Peace. This
    year the WCC is asking the 1,000 people who attended the International
    Ecumenical Peace Convocation in Kingston in May 2011 to offer a prayer for
    peace as a follow-up to that important event.

    Each of the 1,000 participants, as well as all those who have followed the
    events in Jamaica from afar, are being invited to compose a prayer. They
    are invited to share it with members and leaders of their church, with
    people they met at IEPC and within their networks. The WCC will post all
    prayers received on Facebook (Link:
    http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=cc53e4ba96d621b45339 ).

    21 September is also the UN-sponsored International Day of Peace.
    Observances of the WCC prayer day began as part of the ecumenical Decade
    to Overcome Violence (2001-2010).

    More information on the International Day of Prayer for Peace:
    http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=9ff4a701336975994d10 (Link:
    http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=01a0c5397da54248fdbf )

    More on the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation:
    http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=68975a1d6f4c91b5e639 (Link:
    http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=e14ce8c1b1ce4e9a11ee )


    The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness
    and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of
    churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 349 Protestant,
    Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million
    Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman
    Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit,
    from the [Lutheran] Church of Norway. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.

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  • Tuesday, August 09, 2011

    Next Awareness Week Coordination Meeting

    Interfaith Awareness Week 2011
    (December 4-10, 2011)
     
    Next Coordination Meeting (please forward to others that may be interested)
     
    when:
    Thursday, August 18, 2011
    6:00 pm (~ one hour)
    (I may be a few minutes late - JBP)
     
    where:
    Perkins Restaurant & Bakery (608) 238-5133
    5237 University Avenue, Madison
     
    Last meeting: Carl Landsness wanted to help with the capitol noon program. Discussed some themes, music, keynote possibilities. Alice Pauser is very interested in the Middleton Library display for the month of December. John-Brian (Inroads Minister) discussed open houses and Middleton's annual program. Anne would like to have a community chant during the week.
     
    Please reply and let us know you are coming.
     
    If you need more information, contact either
    Rev. Anne Wynne eannewynne@yahoo.com
    Rev. John-Brian Paprock frjohnbrian@gmail.com
     
    email us if you need to speak by phone and need a phone number

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  • Friday, August 05, 2011

    The World Sacred Forests to be Mapped Out in an Effort to Protect Natural Heritage

    The World Sacred Forests to be Mapped Out in an Effort to Protect Natural Heritage

    From: David A Gabel, ENN
    Published August 1, 2011 07:50 AM
    http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/43012
    World Sacred Forests Mapped Out

    A team of scientists from the University of Oxford are working on a world
    map which shows all the land owned or revered by various world religions.
    This "holy map" will display all the sacred sites from Jerusalem's Western
    Wall, to Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, to St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.
    Just as interesting, the map will also show the great forests held sacred
    by various religions. Within these protected lands dwell a wide variety of
    life and high numbers of threatened species.


    The sacred land mapped out by the Oxford researchers is not necessarily
    owned by a certain religious community, but rather contains sacred
    connotations. They estimate that about fifteen percent of all land on Earth
    is "sacred land", and eight percent of all land is owned by a religious
    community. Much of the land held sacred is forest.

    The Oxford researchers are focused on determining this land's value in
    terms of biodiversity. They are from the Biodiversity Institute in the
    Oxford Martin School. A lot of the sacred forests managed by the local
    community, but receive no formal protection. The researchers hope that
    their scientific study will help guarantee official protection from
    regional and national governments.

    Initially, efforts were only made to map out land controlled by the large
    mainstream religious groups. Teaming up with the Alliance of Religions and
    Conservation (ARC), the Oxford team decided to investigate religious land
    controlled by all groups. The new initiative is in effect, as the team has
    already planned visits to areas in India, Ghana, Japan, and elsewhere.
    The first step in their research is to delineate where the sacred land is
    by investigating where boundary lines. The status of the land and its
    borders must be known before a biodiversity assessment can take place. The
    researchers will also assess the land's value in carbon dioxide absorption,
    its abundance of medicinal plants, as well as the value to the local
    people.

    According to Dr. Kathy Willis, one of the researchers at Osford's
    Biodiversity Institute, "One of the key research themes of the Biodiversity
    Institute is conservation beyond protected areas. With the help of emerging
    technologies, the Biodiversity Institute researchers are developing tools
    that can help evidence-based research."

    "We urgently need to map this vast network of religious forests, sacred
    sites and other community-conserved areas to understand their role in
    biodiversity conservation," added Dr. Shonil Bhagwat, also on the research
    team. "Such mapping can also allow the custodian communities, who have
    protected these sites for generations, to secure their legal status."
    For more information: http://www.biodiversity.ox.ac.uk/

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  • Statement on the 66th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

    World Council of Churches - News

    STATEMENT ON THE 66TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ATOMIC BOMBINGS OF HIROSHIMA AND
    NAGASAKI

    For immediate release: 05 August 2011

    Each August 6 and 9 since 1945 there is a profound moment of sorrow and
    reason for hope when the world remembers the dropping of atomic bombs on
    Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 66-years-ago during World War II.

    This year Rev. Dr Olav Fkyse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council
    of Churches, remembers this tragedy as one that can never be repeated.

    "For as long as nuclear weapons exist, each year brings us new reasons to
    build a world where such a tragedy can never happen again," Tveit said in a
    statement released Friday 5 August.

    To read the full statement click here (Link:
    http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=cd0a49105127f57f0678 )


    The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and
    service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches
    founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 349 Protestant, Orthodox,
    Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million Christians in
    over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church.
    The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, from the [Lutheran]
    Church of Norway. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.

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