A lot of interfaith events are structured around the three most common monotheistic faiths especially here in the United States where the overwhelming majority of our population is Christian. In this introduction to my Interfaith as a Pagan series, I give an overview of the topics I'll be covering and why they're important to consider both if you're attending an interfaith event and if you're organizing one. Read more
This is the busiest time of the year for Interfaith Partners of South Carolina. The governor made her proclamation for the third year in a row naming January S.C. Interfaith Harmony Month. Then the first full week of February is World Interfaith Harmony Week, a project of the United Nations. Here in S.C., we have a busy calendar of all kinds of events. I have attended sabbath prayers at a synagogue, been present for Muslim prayers, participated in a multifaith... Read more
(January 12, 2015) I’m on a cold, rainy drive back from the Washington, DC, area following the annual conference of the COMISS Network. It’s gloomy all up and down the East Coast today, but the warmth of the group I just left has left me smiling down the miles of I-95. Judy Harrow used to attend the COMISS meeting each year, and David Oringderff of Sacred Well Congregation has been a member for ten years. David is Chair of the... Read more
“Out of the night that covers me, Black as the Pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul.” “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley In our wanderings through the strange world of interfaith we are seeking to understand and to celebrate the richness of our diversity, but I believe that the seeds of that understanding and celebration are rooted in a deeper appreciation of the human universality of our experience of life and of... Read more
We so often hear stories of situations where the different religions of the world exist in conflict with one another. But at that moment, in that church, surrounded by family and friends, I was reminded that, while we might be climbing different mountains, we are still human. We live, we laugh, we grieve, and we mourn together. Read more
What difference does interfaith involvement really make? Those of us who have been involved in the movement for LGBT rights for several decades well know the power of relationships in dissolving harmful ideology. Read more
Dua, hail and welcome, light and life and understanding. May we tonight make use of the nurturing dark to listen for wisdom, to plan for the year ahead, to ponder the mysteries of forgiveness and peace. May we welcome the sun in the morning with joy, with new resolve to create our world in its image of unyielding, unwavering love. Read more
Midwinter celebrations have been a part of human life for thousands of years, well back into pre-history. The ability to hold multiple meanings for our seasonal celebrations is not a finite thing where my celebration takes away from another. Our ability to find spiritually meaningful ways to mark the winter holidays is infinite. Read more
It’s tempting to comment today on such recent firestorms as the riots in Ferguson, the continuing atrocities by ISIL in Syria, the many hungry and oppressed throughout the world. But here in the U.S., we have set aside this one national holiday in order to at least give lip service to thankfulness. Read more
Every year the Interfaith Mission Service (IMS) here in Huntsville sponsors a Hometown Pilgrimage with the express purpose of celebrating and embracing the religious diversity of the City of Huntsville. This year’s Hometown Pilgrimage is co-sponsored by the University of Alabama-Huntsville Office of Diversity and the City of Huntsville’s Office of Multicultural Affairs. The Hometown Pilgrimage began on 2 September 2014 and runs until 2 November. This year the Pilgrimage has included a number of different events all aimed at... Read more
Wild Garden
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