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 [...]
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 [...]
The “Golden Rule” — treat others the way you want to be treated — is a common thread which in one form or another weaves itself into many (if not all) religions of the world. Buddhism. Judaism. Christianity. Islam. Wicca. Native American traditions. And the list goes on.
Granted, many of us suck at truly living by and implementing this very basic guidance, as evidenced by everything from tabloid headlines (would you want someone hounding and making up stuff about you?) to international politics and foreign policy.
But there’s another key player here that deserves at least the attempt of respect and [...]
I was at dinner last night with Mike. When our waiter brought us two styrofoam boxes to pack up our leftovers, I could have kicked myself.
“If I’d just remembered to bring some tupperware in my purse….” I groaned.
Mike, of course, spent the rest of the evening telling me that the polar ice caps were going to melt away to nothing because of my neglect.
“We’re all going to die,” he teased me with his sullen expression as he loaded black beans and rice into the styrofoam container. “If only you’d brought tupperware. Global warming is all your fault.”
So instead of kicking [...]
I had been thinking of offering a list today of my favorite “green” folks on Twitter, until I got this message from Astrology.com’s GreenScope:
The law of karma gets restated in a hundred different ways. In environmental terms, it’s simple: whatever you do will literally come back to you. So look for cleaning products that can go safely into the water supply system. Baking soda, vinegar and lemon juice work on almost anything and are completely biodegradable.
I’d written previously about green cleaning products — and yes, baking soda, white vinegar and lemon juice make for some excellent “mean green clean.” Apart [...]
In 1992, a Native American shaman recommended that I gather several pounds of stones and put them into a bag — and then hold this bag in my lap when I meditated. This was to ground me — literally — and to help get me out of my head and into my body, to more consciously and deeply feel my connection to the Earth.
It was a great suggestion, and not just because I went overboard with it. The shaman had suggested I collect about five or six pounds of stones. Instead, I gathered close to twenty pounds of river rocks [...]
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Former Editor, The Portland Tribune
Former Editor, The Portland Physician Scribe
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