We had a very good discussion group under the trees in Gabriel Park yesterday for the “Sharing Our Texts” interfaith event. Represented were Islam, Paganism, Judaism, Universalism and Agnosticism/Atheism. It looks like we may be planning an Interfaith Picnic for the spring!
One of the resources I brought to the conversation was an interfaith reading list I’d put together in August 2001 for one of the courses on religious diversity I led in Richmond, Virginia. A request was made to share this online, so in addition to e-mailing the original document, I figured I’d share this here as well.
This is not [...]
It’s unclear now as to whether Rev. Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida, intends to proceed with his earlier plans to burn copies of the Qur’an on September 11th.
Regardless of what decision Jones makes — nor why he makes it — we’re continuing with our plans to meet at Gabriel Park in SW Portland on Sunday afternoon (1 – 3 p.m.), to share texts from a variety of faith traditions and to simply sit down and talk to one another.
I’ve gotten lots of emails and phone calls about this event. Unfortunately, I’ve not been able [...]
If you’re coming to the interfaith “Sharing Our Texts” gathering at Gabriel Park on September 12th (1-3 p.m. PDT), note that the best way to find us will be by entering the park from SW Vermont onto SW 42nd, which takes you into the park. The road takes a sharp left into the parking lot, which is immediately next to the picnic area where we’ll be meeting.
Looking forward to seeing you there!
In addition to my work as a writer/journalist I am a seminary-trained interfaith minister and religious diversity teacher.
Naturally, I was outraged when I heard about a Florida pastor calling for a “Burn a Qur’an Day” on September 11 of this year. The Dove World Outreach Center plans to host a bonfire on the evening of 9/11 to burn copies of the Qur’an.
In an attempt to counteract prejudice and hatred, I contacted some of the people I know in Portland’s Muslim community about hosting a “Read a Qur’an Day” instead. These friends improved upon the idea by suggesting an interfaith [...]
I fasted yesterday for Tisha B’Av. And it kicked my ass.
I’ve had problems with hypoglycemia since I was a teenager, so I allowed myself some juice and tea during the fast, but I was still feeling dangerously spacey as the day wore on. Amazingly, I managed to cook dinner for Mike — a non-Jew who was definitely not fasting — even though I still had a few hours to go. The only real difficulty there was that I couldn’t taste the meal as I was preparing it, so had no idea if I’d gotten the spices right until Mike dug [...]
I live in one of the most bike friendly cities in the world: Portland, Oregon. I could look up the numbers, but suffice it to say that there’s a sizable population here that relies on two wheels as their primary — sometimes their exclusive — form of travel. Even Mike bikes to work every so often: 16 miles each way, with lots of hills.
I’ve been paying a good amount of lip service to biking, but haven’t too often pedaled my own talk, for a variety of reasons. That changed on Sunday, when I made two round trips — up and [...]
Mike and I visited Sauvie Island Organics Farm this afternoon. This farm — located 15 miles from downtown Portland, Oregon, on farm-friendly Sauvie Island — provides a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program that feeds more than 500 people locally each season.
Other than attending a pumpkin festival in late October on a family homestead in Hillsboro, Oregon, I’d not visited a working farm before, and it got me to wondering how many people really know where their food comes from.
We didn’t just show up randomly as Sauvie Island Organics. They were hosting an event alongside Portland’s Tuv Ha’aretz, an affiliate of [...]
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