InterfaithNews.Net

The Pew Research Center recently conducted an opinion poll in the United States looking at public tolerance for religious groups and inter-religious cooperation. While they found that both evangelical Christianity and Islam are not well accepted in the U.S. compared to other groups, their analysis (presented below) shows that Catholics and Jews are seen much more favorably than they once were, suggesting capacity for a continued dynamism in the American public’s perception of religions.

Eboo Patel, Executive Director of the Interfaith Youth Core, weighs in on the apparent conflict of loyalties between western free speech and Islamic religious practices, refusing "to fall prey to" the black and white mindset that insists on choosing one side over the other.

On the first day of spring, March 21, Charles, Prince of Wales, spoke to a gathering at the University of Al Azhar in Egypt. He speech focused on the commonalities of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam — all based in the Abrahamic traditions — and the need for all parties to look deeply at their understanding of the other, (re) learning to appreciate the strength of each and the examples history has for us of fruitful collaboration between the three.

The threats of violence – the rage permeating elements of many Arab/Muslim societies – today reached new heights, with several deaths in Afghanistan and Lebanon and hate-filled attacks elsewhere. In my editorial for February, I wrote that I did not understand the shear depths of this rage. Several friends have correctly reminded me that many societies are still dealing with hundreds of years of Western-domination, colonialism, and economic imperialism. To this, add the repression and manipulation by dictatorial regimes – and you have a milieu that, without even having to resort to a specific belief system, results in the riots we have seen today. But that is not the full story.

In January, the National Council of Churches of Christ, through their Faithful America project, released a provocative look at the “State of the Union” from an faith / interfaith perspective.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Vatican’s adoption of Nostra Aetate, the landmark document that launched a new positive relationship between the Church and the Jewish people, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has announced the creation of a new online guide that explains the historic changes in Church theology and provides educational resources in order to teach them.

The World Council of Churches’ Education and Ecumenical Formation program and Hartford Seminary, USA, have created the interactive survey on interfaith education to catalogue what is taking place in international communities. The survey is part of the larger Interfaith Education Project (IEP) sponsored by the two organizations.

Professor Tariq Ramadan and Greek Orthodox Bishop Kallistos Ware will lead a field of speakers, artists, writers and scholars in presenting the Third Edinburgh International Festival on Middle Eastern Spirituality and Peace, from 8 February to 12 March 2006, MESP 2006.

Rabbi Arthur Waskow of the Shalom Center points out the confluence of
holy days from many different religions in October, encouraging faith
communities to use that time for shared celebration, prayer, reflection,
and peacebuilding.

In his April letter, URI Executive Directory Charles Gibbs writes
"I refuse to live in an 'Age of Terror' … I choose… to
live in an 'Age of Transformation'." Please read on for more
of this beautiful and inspiring message.