Getting to Heart of Interfaith

Jamal Rahman, Ted Falcon, Don Mackenzie

Description

A deeply personal journey to interfaith collaboration that offers hope for an inclusive and healing way of being together in the world.

Too often religion seems to fuel more hatred than love, more conflict than collaboration. Interfaith Talk Radios interfaith amigosa pastor, a rabbi and an Imamprovide a rich understanding of the road to interfaith collaboration by sharing their stories, challenges, and the inner spiritual work necessary to go beyond tolerance to a vital, inclusive spirituality.

From their deep commitment and lived experience, they present ways we can work together to transcend the differences that have divided us historically. Together they explore:

• The five stages of the interfaith journey
• The power of our stories
• The core of our traditions
• The promises and problems of our traditions
• New dimensions of spiritual identity
• And much more

Along with inspiring insights and encouragement for tapping into the promise of interfaith dialogue, they provide practical actions, additional readings and discussion questions to help you embody their revolutionary spirit of healing.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Donald McKenzie
• Spirituality
• Religion

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 29 décembre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781594733642
• Langue: English

Extrait

Getting to the Heart of Interfaith: The Eye-Opening, Hope-Filled Friendship of a Pastor, a Rabbi and a Sheikh
2010 Quality Paperback Edition, Second Printing 2009 Quality Paperback Edition, First Printing 2009 by Don Mackenzie, Ted Falcon, and Jamal Rahman
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or reprinted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
For information regarding permission to reprint material from this book, please mail or fax your request to SkyLight Paths Publishing, Permissions Department, at the address/ fax number listed below, or e-mail your request to [e-mail].
Scripture quotations in Pastor Don Mackenzie s sections are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible , copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Credits constitutes a continuation of this copyright page.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Mackenzie, Don, 1944-
Getting to the heart of interfaith : the eye-opening, hope-filled friendship of a pastor, a rabbi, and a sheikh / by Don Mackenzie, Ted Falcon, and Jamal Rahman.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN-13: 978-1-59473-263-8 (quality pbk.)
ISBN-10: 1-59473-263-9 (quality pbk.)
1. Religions-Relations. 2. Religious life. I. Falcon, Ted. II. Rahman, Jamal. III. Title.
BL410.M26 2009
201 .5-dc22
2009017114
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
Manufactured in the United States of America Cover design: Tim Holtz Cover art: Photo taken by Shira Firestone in 2007, at the radio studio of station KKNW of the Sandusky Radio Group in Bellevue, Washington. The inside cover photo was taken by Jerry Pettitz in 2008 in Seattle, Washington.

SkyLight Paths is creating a place where people of different spiritual traditions come together for challenge and inspiration, a place where we can help each other understand the mystery that lies at the heart of our existence.
SkyLight Paths sees both believers and seekers as a community that increasingly transcends traditional boundaries of religion and denomination-people wanting to learn from each other, walking together, finding the way.
SkyLight Paths, Walking Together, Finding the Way, and colophon are trademarks of LongHill Partners, Inc., registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Walking Together, Finding the Way Published by SkyLight Paths Publishing A Division of LongHill Partners, Inc. Sunset Farm Offices, Route 4, P.O. Box 237 Woodstock, VT 05091 Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone] www.skylightpaths.com
To Father William Treacy and to the memory of Rabbi Raphael Levine with deep appreciation and affection.
They opened the heart of Seattle to interfaith with their television program Challenge , which aired from 1960-1974, and in 1968, they founded Camp Brotherhood, a major interfaith retreat center in the Pacific Northwest.
Contents
Introduction
1. T HE I NTERFAITH J OURNEY : Stages of Interfaith Dialogue and Collaboration
What Is Interfaith?
Five Stages on the Interfaith Journey
The Next Step
2. T HE P OWER OF O UR S TORIES : Moving Beyond Separation and Suspicion
Interfaith from the Inside Out
Pastor Don s Journey to Interfaith
Rabbi Ted s Journey to Interfaith
Sheikh Jamal s Journey to Interfaith
How We Got Together
Forging a Path
3. T HE C ORE OF O UR T RADITIONS : Inquiring More Deeply
Timeless Teachings
Pastor Don: Love
Rabbi Ted: Sh ma
Sheikh Jamal: Basmala
Finding Common Ground
4. T HE P ROMISES AND P ROBLEMS OF O UR T RADITIONS : Sharing Both the Easy and the Difficult Parts
Honest Dialogue
Living into Deeper Sharing
5. P ERSPECTIVES ON I SRAEL AND P ALESTINE : Moving Beyond Safe Territory
The Elephant in the Room
A Christian in Israel and Palestine
A Jew in Israel and Palestine
A Muslim in Israel and Palestine
Blessings at the Galilee
Expanding Our View
6. N EW D IMENSIONS OF S PIRITUAL I DENTITY : Exploring Spiritual Practices from Other Traditions
A Deeper Taste
Pastor Don s Practices
Rabbi Ted s Practices
Sheikh Jamal s Practices
Healing through Spiritual Practices
7. T HERE I S A LWAYS M ORE : The Conclusion Is Also a Beginning
Authentic Spiritual Paths
Inclusive Spirituality
Don s Reflections
Ted s Reflections
Jamal s Reflections
Honoring the Spirit
The Future of Interfaith Dialogue and Celebration
Discussion Questions
Suggestions for Further Reading
Acknowledgments
Credits

About SkyLight Paths
Copyright
Introduction
It s a matter of our survival .
We will survive only if we learn to treat ourselves, our neighbors, and our planet with greater wisdom, compassion, and caring. We will survive only if we learn to replace the current climate-of fragmentation, suspicion, and self-interest that has our planet warming, countries warring, and loving relationships waning-with more hopeful visions.
In our own day, it appears that religions are at the heart of some of the world s most brutal conflicts. Religion seems to be fueling hatred rather than expanding love. Each religion seems to be projecting a God in its own image, interpreting ancient words through its own filters. What was meant to unite is used to divide. This is the challenge of interfaith dialogue and collaboration.
The expansive perspective we seek is called inclusive spirituality . We believe that this inclusive spiritual awareness holds the key to the healing for which we yearn as individuals, as couples, as families, as countries, and as peoples. We believe that this more inclusive awareness will allow us to heal the wounds experienced by both person and planet.
Look around you. We are living in a pluralistic world society. While we might not talk about it much, we usually interact each day with those of different cultures and different religions. What we have found is that not talking about our differences really does not help. Even if we differ, even if we disagree, it is crucial for us to deepen the conversation. We are hoping to bring you into the conversation that we three have been sharing as a pastor, a rabbi, and a sheikh, and we are hoping to inspire you to engage in your own conversations with those of different faiths around you.
One of the difficulties, of course, is that conflicts tend to arise among people of different belief systems. You might wonder, for example, particularly when beliefs differ significantly, whether there is any way for both beliefs to be right. Is there one truth? Is there one right way? These are just a few of the questions that come up when we begin creating dialogue in our pluralistic society.
We want to elevate the conversation to a spiritual level so that we can perceive more clearly how different belief systems can, in fact, lead to the same place. We also want to elevate the conversation because this is a path to greater peace in our personal lives and in the life of our world. While disagreements and differing beliefs may support the existence of different communities and cultures, that which is shared is more universal. It is our intention in Getting to the Heart of Interfaith to celebrate the shared healing wisdom, compassion, and vitality at the heart of the three Abrahamic faiths.
We believe that an inclusive spirituality holds a key to the healing that needs to take place in our day. By its very nature, inclusive spirituality embraces differences and makes no demand that we all believe the same things. It takes us beyond our particular beliefs into shared values of love, compassion, and peace toward which we all are striving. None of us can get there alone-we absolutely need each other to heal the global problems that we are facing.
If you are concerned about the deeper healing of people and our planet, and if you realize that we must find ways of entering into conversation with those different from us, then this book is for you. As we share some of the challenges we have faced over the years we have worked together, you may well recognize issues in your own life. Perhaps our insights will inspire you to embrace more hopeful perspectives, based on the ways that we have found to deal with our own conflicts and concerns.
This book is grounded in the spirit of healing. We believe that true healing comes when we are able to transcend the suffering and pain, and embrace them from a more expansive perspective. This healing perspective exists within all spiritual paths. Reclaiming this teaching is the promise of interfaith dialogue, collaboration, and celebration.
There are five stages of the interfaith journey that we will highlight in particular: moving beyond separation and suspicion, inquiring more deeply, sharing both the easy and the difficult parts, moving beyond safe territory, and exploring spiritual practices from other traditions. Through sharing our stories, beliefs, and practices, which are of profound importance to us, we will walk you through our experience of these stages. As you read our stories, you may find parallels in your own life. You may remember dramas that are ready to be shared, ready to be healed, ready to be celebrated.
Before you start, we think it is crucial to point out that interfaith dialogue and interfaith celebration are not about conversion. In fact, our experience has been just the opposite. Each of the three of us continues to experience a deepening of our roots in our own faith tradition as these roots are nurtured by wisdom teachings of other traditions. We feel more complete in our spiritual identities because of our sharing.
We hope that Getting to the Heart of Interfaith inspires you to risk the next step in your spiritual journey and to create spaces for greater dialogue and deeper celebration in your life and in your community. W