November 4th will be a landmark day.  Pope Benedict XVI will be hosting the first Catholic-Muslim summit November 4th - 6th in hopes to improve dialogue and ties between the two religions.  Twenty four religious leaders and scholars from each side will be present at this 3 day event in which the Pope will address themes of "Love of God, Love of Neighbour", "Theological and Spiritual Foundation" and "Human Dignity and Mutual Respect".

Read Entire Article Here.

Will this be a start to regular dialogue between the two Religions? Thoughts?

 

Michael J. Murschel is beginning a series of discussions on spirituality in the Courier News that you may be interested in following. In his initial article, he writes:

Spirituality is not religion, though religion contains a spiritual component. One can have spirituality with neither faith nor religion.... In working with individuals and a wide array of denominations, I have discovered that although the language of spirituality is blurry and often confusing, there are basic building blocks to be applied across its varied waterfront.

You can read his entire aricle here.

Regarding the recent Spiritual Directors International events, Kim Preske writes:

I was blessed to make life long connections with so many beautiful souls. On the first morning Rabbi Jacob, the conference spiritual director, set the tone for the entire conference as he led us in the oldest prayer, silence. Six hundred individuals from all faith backgrounds breathed as one a unified communal breath of the Presence. It was a moment in time I will carry with me into the future.

 

Click here to read her entire post.

One Nation.  Many Voices.

December 2007, over 2,000 American Muslims were asked what they would wish to say to the rest of the world.
This is what they said.

 

Thoughts?
 

To learn more about how spiritual direction interfaces with the visit to Seattle of Desmond Tutu, Joan Chittister, David Rosen, the Dalai Lama, and many more spiritual dignitaries, click here.

To watch these historic events on your computer, click here, starting 9 a.m. Pacific Time, April 11 through 2 p.m. April 15.

Add your thoughts about spiritual direction as a way to cultivate compassion, or any other thoughts about the Dalai Lama’s visit to Seattle, by replying to this blog.

Liz Ellmann, Jamal Rahman, and Karen Lindquist met with Tibetan Lama Tenzin in preparation for the April 11-15, 2008 multi-faith events in Seattle, Washington, USA.  The purpose of the interfaith gathering is to foster global compassion, especially in children. To learn more about April 15 InterSpirituality Day including the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, Joan Chittister, David Rosen, and many other spiritual dignitaries, click here.

Spring Cheng, Liz Ellmann, Ted Falcon, Valerie Lesniak and Jamal Rahman are offering a public workshop on Nurturing Compassion: Spiritual Traditions East and West, at Seattle Center, April 15.  Please come to the FREE workshop!

Author and scholar Karen Armstrong talks about how the Abrahamic religions -- Islam, Judaism, Christianity -- have been diverted from the moral purpose they share to foster compassion. But Armstrong has seen a yearning to change this fact. People want to be religious, she says; we should act to help make religion a force for harmony. Click below to see her Feburary 2008 talk at the annual TED conference. The talk is about 20 minutes long.