The Multifaith Library exists to support the work of spiritual and religious
caregivers in their efforts to understand the many faiths represented in our
population. You will find resources on a broad spectrum of faith groups. We have books,
articles, websites, on-line books and a telephone for those who need quick
information or more in-depth research.
Assisted dying isn't contested on religious grounds - it's about power, Nelson Jones, Belief, disbelief and beyond belief, 14 MAY, 2013
New Statesman
Anti-Islamic prejudice — or just a parking issue? By: Noor Javed, May 10 2013 Toronto Star -- The biggest hindrances to practising your faith freely in the GTA are often parking and traffic concerns
Dalai Lama decries attacks on Muslims by Buddhists, By Ravi Nessman, The Associated Press May 9, 2013, The Province -- The Dalai Lama has implored Buddhist monks in Myanmar and Sri Lanka to put an end to a series of recent attacks on Muslims in their countries.
Spirituality Presents a Paradox in End-of-Life Care,
Cheryl Clark, May 9, 2013 HealthLeaders Media -- The amount of spiritual support received by terminally ill patients has a direct impact on the aggressiveness of their end-of-life care. But not in the way you're
POPE FRANCIS TO 800 NUNS: DON'T BE 'SPINSTERS' 9 May 2013 WND.com
Tells them to aim for 'chastity which produces spiritual children within the church'
Pope: No room for 'careerists, social climbers,' among clergy, 9 May 2013 Journal of Turkish Weekly
Fewer Jedi Knights in a galaxy not so far away: Statistics Canada, By Ben Makuch and Steve Rennie, 8 May, 2013 The Canadian Press
Extract: " Once numbering in the vicinity of 20,000, the ranks of those in this country who claim to be Jedi Knights have dwindled to fewer than half that figure, according to Statistics Canada's first release of data from the 2011 National Household Survey. "A lot less this time. I think there's about 9,000 reporting Jedi," said Jane Badets, a senior analyst at Statistics Canada...
Interestingly, although their numbers have fallen off, Jedis still outnumber other religions." Statistics Canada says 1,050 people declared themselves to be Satanists in the 2011 survey, while 1,745 were Scientologists and 6,130 were Zoroastrians. There were also 1,055 Rastafarians scattered across the country." continue reading
I say religion, you say...8 May, 2013The Canadian Press hit the streets to learn what religion means to Toronto residents. Find out if their answers match the latest Statistics Canada survey, which shows almost one in four Canadians are turning away from organized religion.
Influx of Christian and Muslim immigrants changing Canada's religious makeup, 8 May, 2013 The Canadian Press
Religion marks a divergent path throughout U.S., Canadian history, By Lee-Anne Goodman, 8 May, 2013 The Canadian Press
Interfaith Trialogue brings together the three Abrahamic faiths — Judaism, Islam and Christianity.
Richmond, VA. -area groups unite for conversation series, May 4, 2013 Richmond Times Dispatch
Multifaith has a place for everyone,
BY TK BARGER, 5/3/2013 BLADE RELIGION EDITOR (Toledo, OH) -- "Last Sunday, as Blade religion editor, I took part in the annual banquet of the MultiFaith Council of Northwest Ohio. Having become accustomed to the term “interfaith,” I was interested to learn more about “multifaith.”
Writing as a Spiritual Practice,
Huffington Post (blog) Pat Schneider, Apr 29, 2013
Researchers: Fight Depression With Faith,
Personal Liberty Digest-Apr 29, 2013, Sam Rolley
21st Century Spirituality: I Am the Problem, We Are the Solution,
Huffington Post (blog), Apr 29, 2013, Beth Green
Is it Possible to Get a Healthier View of Death? Tony Lobl, 29 April 2013 Huffington Post
How can someone forgive when the injury is insurmountable? Why should we forgive? Ottawa Citizen, APRIL 29, 2013
Expert advisers are, ABDUL RASHID is a member of the Ottawa Muslim community, the Christian-Muslim Dialogue and the Capital Region Interfaith Council; Rabbi REUVEN BULKA is head of Congregation Machzikei Hadas in Ottawa and host of Sunday night with Rabbi Bulka on 580 CFRA; Rev. JOHN COUNSELL is discipleship pastor at Bethel Pentecostal Church in Ottawa. He is also host of Late Night Counsell weeknights on AM580/CFRA Ottawa; Rev. Ray Innen Parchelo is a novice Tendai priest and founder of the Red Maple Sangha, the first lay Buddhist community in Eastern Ontario; Jack McLean is a Bahá'i scholar, teacher, essayist and poet published in the fields of spirituality, Bahá'i theology and poetry; Radhika Sekar has a PhD in religious studies and taught Hinduism at Carleton University. She is a disciple of the Sri Ramakrishna Mission; Balpreet Singh is legal counsel and acting executive director for the World Sikh Organization of Canada; Rev. GEOFF KERSLAKE is a priest of the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Ottawa. Write to Ask the Religion Experts c/o The Ottawa Citizen, 1101 Baxter Rd., Ottawa, Ont., K2C 3M4. Email submissions to experts@ottawacitizen.com
10th annual Abraham Festival at
Peterborough, Ontario, on April 26th and 28th:
Our theme this year is 'Celebration!' For details, see poster and more updates at
www.abrahamfestival.org
Michigan’s Muslim inmates are denied proper nutrition during Ramadan, lawsuit claims -- The Council on American-Islamic Relation’s Michigan chapter is claiming that four Muslim inmates aren’t getting the right amount of food during Ramadan. They also say Michigan’s Department of Corrections has refused to provide the prisoners with halal food.
By Carol Kuruvilla / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, April 26, 2013
WATCH LIVE: President Obama Speaks At (Interfaith) Memorial Service For Boston Marathon Bombing Victims, April 18, 2013
Mediaite -- or live here: Boston interfaith service
KCRA Sacramento
Canadian Court Permits Hasidic Synagogue To Continue Despite Zoning Violation
Canada's National Post reports that last week a Quebec Superior Court ruled that given the "exceptional circumstances," a Hasidic synagogue in Montreal's Outremont neighborhood can continue to operate in violation of the city's zoning bylaw. The half-block on which the converted duplex that houses the synagogue is located is zoned residential. The city has accommodated the synagogue's activities since 1980 despite the zoning violation. The zoning controversy is part of long-running tensions between the Hasidic community and its neighbors. The decision in Montréal (Ville de) c. Congrégation Munchas Elozer Munkas, (Cour Superieure, April 18, 2013) is available online in French. [source: religionclause.blogspot.ca]
Fethullah Gulen, Rumi Forum Honorary President, named in 2013 TIME magazine's 100 list, NEW YORK, April 18, 2013 PRNewswire-USNewswire
TIME recognized Gulen for (Interfaith leadership ): "preaching a message of tolerance that has won him admirers around the world." The 2013 TIME 100 includes other noted world leaders such as Pope Francis, Aung San Suu Kyi , Malala Yousafzai and President Obama. In the past, TIME has honored global leaders such as the Dalai Lama and Pope Benedict XVI in their TIME 100 list.
Does the Media Need to Be Schooled in Religion? by ELISE HILTON on THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2013 Acton Institute Blog
Taking a Jewish Page From the Book of Mormon on Interfaith Marriage
Jewish Daily Forward-Apr 14, 2013 -- What We Can Learn From Salt Lake City
Attendance at religious services lowers risk of depression, study finds; Graeme Hamilton 13/04/10, National Post
Welcome minister honoured for his work as fire service chaplain: Reverend David King says he hasn't done anything extraordinary, Sam Normand Apr 12, 2013 NorthumberlandNews.com
In Mississauga, a crematorium battle beyond life and death,
DAKSHANA BASCARAMURTY,
The Globe and Mail, Apr. 06 2013,
GTA faith leaders oppose building new casinos in region
CBC.ca / Metronews – Thu, 4 Apr, 2013 -- See also: 250 Religious Leaders Issue Joint Statement Opposing a Casino @ torontoist.com
Standing Up for Religious Freedom Abroad But Not at Home: Ottawa's Policy on Prison Chaplains Discriminates Against Non-Christians. Amira Elghawaby, Toronto Star, March 31, 2013
A Muslim Point of View: What Is Chaplaincy? By Imam Habeeb Alli, The Ambition: Journal for Young Muslims, March 2013
Shared worship spaces: God’s new digs, The best multifaith prayer rooms are those where architects bow out, Mar 23rd 2013 The Economist
Extract: SIKHS built four doors to the Golden Temple at Amritsar, in north India, to welcome believers from all four corners of their earth. But in the five centuries since, few religions have followed that tolerant example. Hindus and Muslims fight fiercely over religious ruins in ancient Ayodhya. Christians have long wrangled among themselves, and with other faiths, over Jerusalem’s holy places.
Sochi to open multi-faith centres for 2014 Games March 21, Vancouverdesi.com
Supreme Court reaffirmed Canadian balance on free speech:
Haroon Siddiqui, Toronto Star, Mar 17 2013
World Interfaith Harmony Week (GTA)
The Toronto Steering Committee to promote and facilitate World Interfaith Harmony Week in the Greater Toronto Area is pleased to announce its theme for Interfaith Harmony Week 2013. “Finding Ways To Work Together”
Event 1 - February 1 2013: “Celebrating Interfaith Culture”;
Event 2 - February 7 2013: “Looking For Ways To Work Together”
further details: Poster, Website
“Consequences of NOT Studying Religion’s Role in Global Affairs.” by Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, W&M to host one-day interfaith conference, Sunday, Feb. 3, College of William & Mary -- “The goal is to go beyond mere tolerance to active cooperation on shared values.”
The Durham Multifaith World Religion Day Committee invites you to attend the 7th annual Multifaith World Religion Day Celebration. This years’ event will be held on January 20, 2013 from 1:00-5:00 PM at Scugog Community and Recreation Centre, 1655 Reach Street West, Port Perry. Details
Emmanuel Howard Park United Church offers youth interfaith learning, 2 Jan 2013, insidetoronto.com
Bold as Love: What Can Happen When We See People the Way God Does, Book Review by Michael Lee (Brooklyn, MI USA) @ Amazon.com
MULTIFAITH: Rather than explain what the book is about, and rather than defend the merits of the multifaith principle, I'd prefer to explain what Roberts has challenged me to do. But first, I'd like to briefly describe "multifaith" in Bob Roberts' own words. Multifaith suggests "we have fundamental differences, but the best of our faiths teach us to get along" (p.19)
It implies (1)religious adherents are free to maintain their theological convictions without feeling pressured to compromise truth for the sake of "tolerance" and "unity"; and (2) religious adherents can work together for the common good of society. I have to admit, I was initially reluctant to accept this idea of multifaith because I worried there might be pitfalls that would lead to compromise, which would then lead to blending of the religions. But Roberts makes it clear that this need not be the case. He proclaimed a strong, Jesus-centered gospel throughout the book, and in one chapter in particular (pp.121-122).
"Multifaith is not about syncretism!", he continues. "Multifaith not only respects but encourages religious people to say exactly what they believe, no matter how stark the differences. But it encourages them to do so in the spirit of peace" (p.136). continue reading