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Resources Table of Contents

Guiding Principles for Interfaith Relationships
Pilgrimage to Common Ground
(adapted from the World Council of Churches and the Rumi Forum)

FOUNDATION

Salvation belongs to God. Therefore we dare not stand in judgment of others. While witnessing to our own faith, we seek to more fully understand God’s will and God's purposes through interactions with persons of different faiths.

Salvation belongs to God. Therefore we can assure our partners in dialogue that we are sincere and open in our desire to journey together towards the fullness of truth.

Salvation belongs to God. Therefore we can confidently claim this hope, always prepared to give reason for it, as we struggle and work together with others in a world tom apart by rivalries, wars and injustices.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

  1. Pilgrimage is a co-operative and collaborative activity. All partners will be included in the planning process from the very beginning. When we set the agenda together, everyone owns the agenda and become committed to making it work. Our journey together must have clear goals and commonly agreed structures for participation and evaluation.
  2. True dialogue is a process of mutual empowerment, not a negotiation between parties who have conflicting interests and claims. The object is to empower people to join in a common pursuit of justice and peace for the good of all people.
  3. Along the journey we grow in faith. Our conversations and experiences lead to self-criticism and to re-thinking the ways in each of us has interpreted our own faith tradition. The journey changes the experience of faith, helping us deepen and grow in our faith in unexpected ways.
  4. On our journey we affirm hope. In the midst of the many divisions, conflicts and violence we believe that it is possible to create the “beloved community” that lives in justice and peace. Pilgrimage is not an end in itself, but a means of building bridges of respect and understanding, a joyful affirmation of life for all.
  5. On pilgrimage we nurture relations. We seek first to understand, and only then to be understood, striving to understand each person as they understand themselves. Trust and confidence come from allowing people to define themselves, avoiding proselytizing, and providing opportunities to question or even challenge each other. Informed understanding becomes the basis for building relationships.
  6. Building bonds of friendship with those considered "the other" is the goal of the journey. Because such bonds are not built easily or quickly, patience and perseverance are essential. The tenacity to go on, even when the fruits are not obvious, is one of the basic disciplines of the journey.
  7. On pilgrimage we must be informed by the context. Encounters take place in concrete settings. We must be aware of the historical experience, economic background and political ideologies of our fellow pilgrims. Differences in culture, gender, generation, race, and ethnicity also affect the nature and style of interaction. The purpose is not to remove or run away from differences but to build confidence and trust across them.
  8. With courteous listening and mutual trust, each of us can offer an authentic expression of our own personal faith. Dialogue involves a humble and sincere exchange of information about each Pilgrim’s faith journey and the religious tradition that sustains it.
  9. Respect for the integrity of other religions and their structures and organizations is essential in the journey in faith. We seek to understand each religious system "from within" or on its own terms, while temporarily setting aside our own critical presuppositions.
  10. We must recognize the way each Pilgrim defines their relation with their community. Some feel they speak for their community, while others choose to speak from their own experience.
  11. On the journey we will include as wide a variety of people as possible, since the interfaith journey can easily become an elitist activity, confined to certain religious professionals. Journeys of Faith should takes place at many different levels, between different groups and on subjects that affect the lives of all sections of the community.
  12. The Pilgrimage will help us to confront inherited preconceptions. We must remember that Jews, Christians and Muslims share a history of fruitful exchange and peace as well as of conflict and misunderstanding. We must be mindful that ambiguous situations sometimes can be misinterpreted or misrepresented. As we journey together we deliberately seek to identify and dispel common stereotypes and misconceptions based on misinformation.
  13. In order to reach clear understandings, we must pay attention to vocabulary. Some words have specialized meaning within a religious system; the meaning of others varies over time or with contexts or between cultures. We must constantly, carefully seek clarity in our use of language.
  14. The journey to common ground occurs on many levels besides that of theological discussion. It is enriched through interactions of friendship and hospitality, working together in community projects and celebrations, and making common cause to solve social problems. Our discussions and actions will be most vital and effective when we pray together, open our homes to each other, and actually share our lives together.
  15. Dialogue should be transformative, opening the windows of the mind and spirit to a broader vision of God's presence in the world.

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Inter-Religious Resources and Organizations

Interfaith organizations and resources

thefaithclub.com
The Faith Club is a book and more than a book. After September 11th, Ranya Idliby, an American Muslim of Palestinian descent, faced constant questions about Islam, God, and death from her children, the only Muslims in their classrooms. Inspired by a story about Muhammad, Ranya reached out to two mothers – Suzanne Oliver, a Christian, and Priscilla Warner, a Jew -- to try to understand and answer those questions for her children. After just a few meetings, however, it became clear that the women themselves needed an honest and open environment where they could admit—and discuss—their concerns, stereotypes, and misunderstandings about one another. After hours of soul-searching about the issues that divided them, Ranya, Suzanne, and Priscilla grew close enough to discover and explore what united them. Their web site and appendices in the book contain study guides, suggestions for starting a faith club, and links to a variety of resources and organizations.

uri.org
The United Religions Initiative was founded in 2000 by an extraordinary global community committed to promoting enduring, daily interfaith cooperation and to ending religiously motivated violence. URI membership groups are called Cooperation Circles and consist of local or virtual groups that include at least seven members and at least three different religions, spiritual expressions and indigenous traditions. Currently, the network includes 398 Cooperation Circles in 67 countries, and over 100 religions. The Pilgrimage Project is an Affiliate member of the United Religions Initiative.

www.interfaithalliance.org
The Interfaith Alliance is a nonprofit advocacy organization promoting the positive and healing role of religion in public life by encouraging civic participation, facilitating community activism, and challenging religious political extremism.

uscrp.org
Religions for Peace - USA gathers representatives of religious communities in the U.S.; promotes multi-religious cooperation for peace and justice; builds on the spiritual, human, and institutional resources of its communities; enhances mutual understanding; and acts for the common good.

hartsem.edu
The Hartford Seminary brings together Jewish, Christian and Muslim scholars, pastors and lay leaders for shared theological education and training in building interfaith partnerships. The Hartford Seminary Building Abrahamic Partnerships Program is a one-week institute held in June and January.

pluralism.org
The Pluralism Project: World Religions in America is a research project studying the new religious diversity in the United States, particularly exploring the communities and religious traditions of Asia and the Middle East that have become woven into the religious fabric of the United States in the past twenty-five years. The aims of the Pluralism Project are to document and better understand the changing contours of American religious demography, to study the religious communities themselves, to explore the ramifications and implications of America's new plurality and to discern, in light of this work, the emerging meanings of religious "pluralism," both for religious communities and for public institutions.

rumiforum.org
Rumi Forum was founded in 1999, with its mission to foster interfaith and intercultural dialogue and to provide a platform for education and information exchange. The Forum takes its name from the 13th. century Sufi philosopher-poet Mawlana Jalaladdin Rumi, whose reach embraced all humanity as personified by his message,”Come, whoever you are, come…” They welcome everyone who has a desire to explore ‘the other' in the spirit of mutual respect and tolerance.

interfaithcalendar.org
This web site gives primary times of prayer and celebration for the world’s religions, with brief definitions of different religious terms.

beliefnet.com
Beliefnet is a website that offers access to a potpourri of information, opinion and interactive options in relation to many religions and issues of religion.

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Jewish Organizations

urj.org
The Union for Reform Judaism website provides access to a wealth of information about the activities of Reform Jews and Reform organizations, plus many resources for interfaith dialogue and action at urj.org/outreach/interfaith/.

jrf.org
The Jewish Reconstructionist Federation is the organization of congregations that are part of the fourth (and youngest) recognized branch of American Judaism. Their Web site provides information and news about Reconstructionist Judaism, as well as information about programs, congregations, people and issues in this lively Jewish community.

uscj.org
The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism website provides access to the activities, resources and ideas of the Movement of Conservative Judaism in the United States.

jewishpublicaffairs.org
The Jewish Council for Public Affairs serves as the representative voice of the organized American Jewish community in the Jewish community relations field, to safeguard the rights of Jews here, in Israel and around the world; and, in order to accomplish that, to protect, preserve and promote a just American society. Their Web site is a great source for insight into public policy concerns of the Jewish community in the United States.

Other Jewish Related Organizations

Jewish-Christian Dialogue

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Christian Organizations

ncccusa.org/interfaith
The Interfaith Relations Office of the National Council of Churches of Christ and the Interfaith Relations Commission are carrying out important ecumenical efforts in building interfaith relations, and offer a number of additional resources.

wcc-coe.org
The Interreligious Relations Office of the World Council of Churches provides a window on global developments in interfaith relations, and also offers important resources, including their regular journal, Current Dialogue.

Christian Denominations Inter-Religious Resources

The Episcopal Church: Interfaith Relations and Interfaith Education Initiative

The United Methodist Church: Basic Facts about Islam , Building New Bridges in Hope, Called to Be Neighbors and Witnesses, The General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns (GCCUIC), and Guidelines for Interfaith Dialogue.

Presbyterian Church (USA): Presbyterian Principles for Interfaith Dialogue, Respectful Presence: An Understanding of Interfaith Prayer and Celebration from a Reformed Christian Perspective,  Building Community among Strangers, Toward a Theological Understanding of the Relationship Between Christians and Jews,  Tools for Understanding, and Discussing Tough Issues: Discuss Issues Around the Conflict with Iraq

United Church of Christ: Relationship between the UCC and the Jewish Community,      The Relationship between the United Church of Christ and the Muslim Community, A Study Resource on Interreligious Relations for the United Church of Christ   and What is Islam.

Alliance of Baptists: “A Statement on Muslim-Christian Relations from the Alliance of Baptists,” April 25, 2003.

Christian Church (Disciples of Christ): “Encouraging Interreligious Engagement” a resolution adopted by the 2005 General  Assembly and Report Concerning Disciples of Christ and Interrreligious Engagement

Church of God: Articles in The Church of God Evangel on other religions (Hindus, by C.E. French, 1947:5; Gandhi, Jan. 26, 1946:4; Mayan Religiosity, by Cook, 1997:90). Is Christianity the Only Way?, a denominational guide to the religions, 1975. Discerning the Spirit(s): A Pentecostal-Charismatic Contribution to Christian Theology of Religions, by Amos Yong. (Sheffield, England: Sheffield Academic Press, 2000).

Society of Friends: Friends and Other Religions and Islam from a Quaker Perspective

Mennonite Central Committee: Dividing Wall

ELCA : Forbidden Family DVD

The Reformed Church in America: Middle East

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Muslim Organizations

cair-net.org
The Council on American-Islamic Relations has endorsed the Pilgrimage Project and is working with us to identify Muslims interested in interfaith pilgrimage. CAIR is America's largest grassroots Islamic civil liberties group, with regional offices in the US and Canada. The national headquarters is in Washington D.C. Since its establishment in 1994, CAIR has worked to promote a positive image of Islam and Muslims in America. Through media relations, lobbying, education and advocacy, CAIR puts forth an Islamic perspective to ensure the Muslim voice is represented. In offering this perspective, CAIR seeks to empower the American Muslim community and encourage their participation in political and social activism.

isna.net
The Islamic Society of North America, which is also working with Friendship Force on the Pilgrimage Project, is an association of Muslim organizations and individuals that provides a common platform for presenting Islam, supporting Muslim communities, developing educational, social and outreach programs and fostering good relations with other religious communities, and civic and service organizations. It is the largest umbrella group of the Muslim community in the United States, with information about mosques, conferences, prayers and many other subjects.

MPAC.org
The Muslim Public Affairs Council is a public service agency working for the civil rights of American Muslims, for the integration of Islam into American pluralism, and for a positive, constructive relationship between American Muslims and their elected representatives.

icna.org
The Islamic Circle of North America is a smaller Muslim organization with an active relief and development program and many educational resources.

masnet.org
The Muslim American Society (MAS) is a charitable, religious, social, cultural, and educational, not-for-profit organization, it was originally the outgrowth of the Muslim Student Association in the U.S.

Other Muslim Related Organizations:

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