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Dear Friends-of-Earth / PeaceNext,

I feel to write you to cry-Peace with my following 2-statements as I dreamed as a friend of this lovely green mother earth as you too! Let us feel real-Peace in real-Truth while Politics of power & profit in greed is the barrier of our Global-Peace hindering Green-World as a haven in our lovely mother-Earth!

Yours in Peace,-

PeaceMan-a.Momin, NL / EU

1. CIA or Dictator or…

Author Rabbi Brad Hirschfield. Photo from clal.org

by Brad Hirschfield

from the Huffington Post

I flew into Syracuse, N.Y., on a windy evening in October of 2000. After we landed, I hailed a cab. This not being New…

The central text of the Sikh religion – the Guru Granth Sahib – is a different kind of scripture. A number of features mark its distinctiveness among the scriptures of the world, including its style, content, history, and authority.

One unique aspect of the Guru Granth Sahib relates to its historical development. Unlike the texts of most world religions, Sikh scripture was written and compiled by the prophets of the tradition.

In fact, the precedent of Sikh…

In a world that bombards us with information from every side, it can be surprisingly difficult to find truth.  This past weekend many Jews celebrated Shavuot, the holiday commemorating God giving the Israelites the Torah at Mt. Sinai.  While I don’t believe this happened in the way it’s vividly described in chapters 19 and 20 of the book of Exodus, I do believe the story contains deep wisdom.  So what does…

Prominent Muslims and Jewish leaders from Latin America. Photo from the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding's website

by Walter Ruby

from Common Ground News Service

Washington, DC – Until recently, the Muslim and Jewish communities of Latin America had been largely untouched by the burgeoning…

Prayer can be very difficult. I know this because many of my friends and acquaintances, from various backgrounds, have expressed to me their struggles with prayer.

Some do not know what to say. Others think it is pointless and some are extremely uncomfortable, even offended, by group or public prayer. From a personal perspective, I too have struggled mightily with prayer throughout my faith journey. My parents raised me in the United Methodist Church and taught me to pray as soon as I…

Students from Haskell Indian Nations University are embarking on 1,000 plus mile trip to bring awareness to the protection of Native American sacred places and present a copy of the Protection of Native American Sacred Places Act to Congress.

by Dana Attocknie

from the Native…

The end of the Counting of the Omer is nearly upon us.

We have spent the past seven weeks eagerly, anxiously, perhaps, counting up to Shavuot--to receiving the Torah anew. Shavuot, or the Feast of Weeks, is one of the three pilgrimage festivals annually observed--the other two are Passover and Sukkot. Each of these festivals is intimately tied to the agricultural cycle of the Land of Israel as well as representing the reenactment of a tremendous moment in history.

Passover and…

The 99 Names of Allah, on display at the entrance to the prayer area of the Downtown Islamic Center, Chicago. On each tile is an attribute of God, which Muslims use to help understand and worship God. Photo from CAIR-Chicago.

by Sarah Fentem

Mohammed Kaiseruddin, a member of the Downtown Islamic Center Board, is the first to admit there is nothing intrinsically special about the…

How can I respond in a way that takes into account the Holocaust in all of its horror, both the horror of the atrocious event itself and the horror of knowing that humanity could allow something like it to take place?

How do I approach the subject, as a modern day Israeli who feels immense sadness and helplessness in the face of the racism in my society, of the ongoing occupation of the Palestinian people, and of the perpetual fear that many in this country live with and suffer from…

The modern Orthodox rabbi Irving Greenberg embodies vulnerability at a level not often seen in public discourse. His article, “What Would Roy and Alice Do?: A Reflection on How I came to Be a Failure through Dialogue, Thank God,” is a powerful yet humble statement on the importance of self-reflection, critical engagement with others and with God, and the willingness to be vulnerable as we travel along our spiritual journeys in life.

Rabbi Greenberg has spent much of his time as an…

Reflecting on his experience of interfaith dialogue, Yitz describes his process of moving from a place of resistance to a place of openness and learning. The turning point was meeting a group of particularly visionary Christians who were able to offer powerful and nuanced critique of Christianity from within and to speak out against those parts of their tradition that they saw as destructive.…

Rabbi Greenberg’s personal journey and initial struggles with dialogue resonate very deeply with me. I was moved and inspired not only by his evolving stance towards Christians, but also by the extraordinary examples of Roy and Alice Eckhardt and Sister Rose. Though their work and writings were deeply discomforting and not infrequently offensive to their coreligionists, I feel that their stories are extraordinary examples of the tremendous individual, communal, and societal transformation…

Rabbi Irving (Yitz) Greenberg’s “What Would Roy and Alice Do?  A Reflection on How I Came to Be a Failure through Dialogue, Thank God,” is an insightful and provocative reflection on the constructive potential of inter-religious dialogue. Greenberg identifies Christianity’s history of contempt for Jewish people—manifest in the unspeakable atrocities of the Shoah—as the initial catalyst for his engagement in dialogue with Christians. Personal encounters with particularly honest and…

Rabbi Greenberg’s essay charts two parallel religious journeys. The first is his own, in which he shifts from viewing Christianity as a vehicle for anti-Semitism to recognizing its potential as a source of moral power. The second is that of Roy and Alice Eckhardt, whose quest to liberate Christianity from its anti-Semitism ultimately leads them to challenge the doctrine of the Resurrection. These poignant stories demonstrate the capacity of inter-religious dialogue to change people and…

Six Contributing Scholars from State of Formation took the opportunity to engage in dialogue with world-renowned rabbi, Irving "Yitz" Greenberg. In responding to his article, they drew out core themes in his piece. Here is a taste of what Rabbi Greenberg had to say:

I first learned about dialogue from reading Martin Buber. From him, I…

This past issue of Character Clearinghouse featured highlight interviews with JIRD co-Founders, Joshua Stanton and Stephanie Varnon-Hughes.

Said Stanton: "I see myself attempting to realize one of the classical teachings of Tractate…

dear soul how we live happy big qustion
small answer true words is tolorate harmony and peacefull mind

The new temple in Bussy Saint Georges, near Disneyland Paris DR/blog-habitat-durable.com

by Angela Diffley

from Radio France Internationale

With a month to go until its official opening on 22 June, workers are adding the finishing touches to the biggest Buddhist…