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Interfaith Resources

Included below are links that provide the position statements and peace initiatives of major religions and interfaith groups. These are by no means a complete list; rather it is a growing list. If you have a link we have left out, please tell us. We appreciate your input.

Why Interfaith Cooperation Is Essential

In its essence religion does not reject others but instead allows us to think of others with the same regard we have for ourselves. The oneness of self and others is fundamental to religion. Thus even when it is fractured into differing sects and groups, it is not natural that they should fight one another. People of religion should, rather, study each other's doctrines and practices, discuss issues of religious faith that are of mutual concern, and on that basis, work together to establish world peace. Wherever I have traveled, I have taken every opportunity to speak about the need for interreligious cooperation based on the true meaning of religion. We must acknowledge and respect the various differences of religious expression that are found among groups and societies, for it is the words and actions that express faith that are deeply ingrained in the emotions of believers. Such emotions are important, and we should be sensitive to them.

By the late Nikkyo Niwano, Dharma World, Jul..- Sept. 2006 The entire article can be found at http://www.kosei-shuppan.co.jp/english/text/mag/kosei-kai/founder.html

BAHAI

Bahá'í Faith - http://www.bahai.com The spiritual principles of the Bahá'í Faith affirm its overall purpose--to bring about the oneness of humanity. Site links to other Bahai sites, international and US based.

BUDDHISM

The Buddhist Peace Fellowship - http://www.bpf.org brings together the teachings of Buddhism and progressive social change. The site lists US peace initiatives, calls to action, and thoughtful discourse on peace-related issues.

Rissho Kosei-kai - www.rk-world.org is a Buddhist organization composed of Buddhist laymen who strive to enrich their spirituality by applying Buddha’s teachings in their daily lives. Headquartered in Tokyo their 2 million plus members are very active in promoting peace and well-being through altruistic activities and cooperation with other organizations.

Buddhist Peacemakers - http://www.peacemagazine.org/archive/v20n2p11.htm Article from Peace Magazine.

The Dalai Lama as Peacemaker - http://www.levity.com/interbeing/peace2.html Article from the Historic Conference on the Power of Nonviolence.

CHRISTIAN - Catholic

PAX Christi International - http://www.paxchristi.net/ is a non-profit, non-governmental Catholic peace movement working on a wide variety of issues that span all four freedoms.

The Conference of U. S. Catholic Bishops - http://www.usccb.org/ site offers an extensive listing of statements and commentary on Iraq. On January 12, 2006, regarding the Iraq War, the Conference expressed grave moral concerns about "the military intervention in Iraq and the unpredictable and uncontrollable negative consequences of an invasion and occupation". The bishops call for a "responsible transition to
security and stability for the Iraqi people".

Houston Catholic Worker Newspaper - http://www.cjd.org/paper/benedict.html In an article entitled "New Pope Benedict XVI a Strong Critic of War," Michael Griffin of the Catholic Peace Fellowship outlines the consistent statements of the Pope opposing the War in Iraq. Griffin cites the Pope's insistence that the Church must speak the truth to power.

Center Of Concern - http://www.coc.org Promoting Global Justice and Peace since 1971, COC’s international perspective and ecumenical outlook provides individuals and organizations with basic tools to explore, analyze the global issues and social structures from an ethical perspective based on Catholic Social Teaching..

CHRISTIAN – Interfaith

Christian Peacemaker Teams - http://www.cpt.org/iraq/iraq.php CPT provides organizational support to persons committed to faith-based nonviolent alternatives in situations where lethal conflict is an immediate reality or is supported by public policy. CPT seeks to enlist the response of the whole church in conscientious objection to war, and in the development of nonviolent institutions, skills and training.

www.ncccusa.org

Lead force for ecumenical cooperation among Christians in the United States— includes 45 million persons in more than 100,000 local congregations in communities across the nation. A vast site with commentary and statements that address many issues.

World Council of Churches - www.wcc-coe.org The WCC is composed of 348 Christian churches and also works closely with religions of the world including General Links, African Traditional Religions, Bahai, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Shintoism, and Taoism. )Currently, they are sponsoring the International Day of Prayer for Peace on September 21, 2006 in conjunction with the United Nations Day of Prayer for Peace on that same day. The Day of Prayer is one of the initiatives of the WCC's Decade to Overcome Violence.

CHRISTIAN – Protestant

Episcopal Peace Fellowship - http://www.epfnational.org/publish/index.shtml EPF is an independent entity, ffiliated with the Episcopal Church in America, working for peace in justice in our communities, church, and world. Site provides link to sign the Declaration for Peace.

The Presbyterian Church (USA) - www.pcusa,org internet site provides information about the peace making program, church policies, mission and organization. It also provides resources, calendar, and links to various bodies within the church.

United Church of Christ - www.ucc.org internet site provides information about the denomination, resources, news, and events. Its Office of Communication (OC) is a strong advocate demanding media accountability.

The United Methodist Church - www.umc.org provides official online ministry including a news service, articles of beliefs, mission updates, ministry tools, and general board. The general boards of Christian Unity and Inter-religious Concerns, Church and Society, and Global Ministries are particularly helpful in providing information about work with other denominations and faith groups.

HINDUISM

Himalayan Academy - http://www.himalayanacademy.com/resources/pamphlets/stop_war_in_home.html In this talk, Satguru Saiva Subramuniyaswami, recipient of the UN’s U Thant Peace award tells 1,200 delegates at the United Nations Millennium Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders in New York, August 30, 2000 that for World Peace we must stop the war in the home.

INTERFAITH

California Interfaith Power & Light - http://www.interfaithpower.org/index.htm

Diverse faith based organization, stipulates that every major spiritual tradition calls on us to be faithful stewards of Creation. A call to Care for Creation, members engage in spiritual practice devoted to deepening the connection between ecological stewardship and faith.

Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions - http://www.cpwr.org/

People of faith encounter the rich diversity of the world’s religious and spiritual traditions focusing on the critical issues facing the world and commit to discovering new pathways to peace.

The Fellowship For Reconciliation (FOR) - http://www.forusa.org/

The nation's oldest and largest interfaith peace & justice organization. FOR’S mission seeks to replace violence, war, racism, and economic injustice with nonviolence, peace, and justice. Engages in nonviolent and compassionate actions locally, nationally, and globally.

Interfaith Alliance & Interfaith Foundation - http://www.interfaithalliance.org/site/pp.asp?c=8dJIIWMCE&b=447561

National non-partisan advocacy voice of the interfaith movement. 150,000 members from more than 70 faith traditions Good resource for denominational sites and more. Check out Hartford Institute for Religious Research link, Official Denominational Web Site (http://hirr.hartsem.edu/org/faith_denominations_homepages.html), also “Sites Unseen” (http://www.zoecarnate.com/) amazing collection of links to house, cell, emergent and other alternative congregations and movements.

Interfaith Center at the Presidio - http://www.interfaith-presidio.org

The Center is networked with hundreds of interfaith groups in 50 countries who share a common commitment: ...to promote daily, enduring interfaith cooperation, to end religiously motivated violence, and to create cultures of peace, justice, and healing for the Earth and all living beings.

Includes powerful portals/ interfaith links:

Beliefnet - http://www.beliefnet.com, is a vast portal that covers all sorts of religious matters. A rich menu will be found for anyone interested in faith and practice from dozens, even hundreds of points of view.

CoNexus - http://www.conexuspress.com, under the leadership of Joel Beversluis, is the largest distributor of interfaith resources. Joel edited "The Sourcebook," a must-have book for those involved in day-to-day interfaith work

Global Peaceworks - http://www.globalpeaceworks.org, Creating peace among religions through international, interfaith volunteer service projects.

International Interfaith Centre - http://www.interfaith-center.org
Based in Oxford, UK, the IIC supports organizations and individuals in furthering peace, respect, and understanding between people with different faith beliefs

North American Interfaith Network - http://www.nain.org, NAIN is a 15-year-old network of interfaith and ecumenical workers, mostly from Canada and the United States, who meet once a year.

The Pluralism Project - http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~pluralsm, The Pluralism Project at Harvard University is the best source of information about religious diversity today.

United Religions Initiative - http://www.uri.org
A network of nearly 200 Cooperation Circles in 36 countries, dedicated to promoting daily, enduring interfaith cooperation, an end to religiously motivated violence, and cultures of peace, justice, and healing for the Earth and all living beings.

Also, it has one of the best interfaith portals anywhere, includes a remarkable section for kids and pages of well-organized links

The Network of Spiritual Progressives/ A Project of the Tikkun Community - http://www.spiritualprogressives.org

Tikkun Community is an interfaith organization (welcomes agnostics and orthodox atheists as well), offering a vision that positions the quest for economic and social justice, peace and ecological sanity within the framework of a spiritual consciousness and a practice of open-heartedness, generosity, caring for others and outpouring of loving kindness

Season of Prayer - www.seasonofprayer.org A recently developed site by the National Council of Churches offers prayers for the Middle East from the world's major religious leaders and religions.

World Congress of Faith - http://www.worldfaiths.org
WCF is one of the first and continues among the best providers of interfaith publications.

World Conference of Religions for Peace - http://www.wcrp.org The World Conference of Religions for Peace is the largest international coalition of representatives from the world’s great religions dedicated to promoting peace.

World Prayers Project - http://www.worldprayers.org/ Beautiful graphics form an inspiring background for prayers from around the globe.

Washington Association Of Churches - http://www.thewac.org/issues.asp A faith-based state public policy education and advocacy network

ISLAM

Campus Watch - http://www.campus-watch.org/article/id/301, a project of the Middle East Forum. This article by Daniel Pipes provides a scholarly and comprehensive commentary on “jihad” showing its truest meaning as an inner struggle – the determination to do right even against your own interests - not an armed conflict.

The Muslim Peace Fellowship - http://www.mpfweb.org/ includes Muslims of all backgrounds. An informative list of 14 questions and answers, designed to explain the basics of Islam can be found at www.mpfweb.org/islam14questions.htm.

JUDAISM

The PEACE dialog group - http://members.tripod.com/~ash74/declaration.htm started in 1998, when an Israeli and a Jordanian agreed "If the future of the Middle East will look like the past, there is no hope for any of us here. Let's forget about history and try to build the future based on friendship and mutual respect."The above link is their Declaration of Peace.

Peacewatch - http://ariga.com/peacewatch/ - Site of interesting discourse originating from Israel and Lebanon with a link to a Declaration of Peace (Middle East) and a long list of signatures.

Petition for U.S. Jewish Solidarity with Muslim and Arab Peoples of the Middle East - http://www.jewishsolidarity.info/petition.php This statement was drafted by U.S. Jews committed to stopping and holding accountable Israel for its destructive policies and practices--most immediately for a halt to the current attacks on Lebanon and Gaza. It has been signed by more than 900 Jewish peacemakers.

SCIENTOLOGY

http://www.scientologytoday.org/press/608071947162.vm promotes peace in the Middle East through human rights activites and a youth delegation.

SIKHISM

United Siks - http://unitedsikhs.org/ The organization is committed to working with other faiths and traditions, to advance a just and peaceful world. The underlying principle of their multi-faith work is "if you don't see God in all, you don't see God at all".

SOCIETY OF FRIENDS (QUAKERS)

The Friends Committee on National Legislation http://www.fcnl.org/ is a lobby group that deals with issues including arms control and disarmament, civil liberties and human rights, military spending and torture. Their slogan is, ‘War is not the Answer.”

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST

http://www.uua.org/news/2006/060728_peace.html endorses the Declaration of Peace.

JUST WAR THEORY – Articles

Principles of the Just War - http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/pol116/justwar.htm

The Internet Encyclopedia Of Philosophy - http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/j/justwar.htm Just-war theory deals with the justification of how and why wars are fought

The Carter Center - http://www.cartercenter.org/doc1249.htm

Just War - or a Just War? Op-Ed by Jimmy Carter

TheEthics and Religious Liberty Commission - http://erlc.com/erlc/article/just-war-principles-summary

Just War Principles – Summary

American Catholic - http://www.americancatholic.org/News/JustWar/justwar.asp

When Is War Justified? The moral theory of the "just-war" or "limited-war" doctrine.

Standing Against An Unjust War - http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060717/parko

PROACTIVE PEACE SITES – Action and Education for a new paradigm of Peace.

Common Dreams - www.commondreams.org National citizens' organization working to bring together progressive Americans to promote progressive visions for America's future. Publishers of Common Dreams NewsCenter / Newswire.

Canadian Centers for Teaching Peace - http://www.peace.ca Brings people together -- in person and electronically, networking them to think globally, act locally and build peace in the community. Strong focus on strategic action planning; information sharing and education.

Thinking Peace - http://www.thinkingpeace.com/Lib/lib050.html offers significant excerpts from the most important, recently published books and articles covering the consequences of US policy and the opinions of various spokespersons for Peace.

The Peace Alliance - http://www.thepeacealliance.org Nonpartisan citizen action organization advocating for legislation that supports a culture of peace. The Peace Alliance is spearheading the national campaign to establish a United States Department of Peace.

Win Without War - http://www.winwithoutwarus.org/html/coalition.html A coalition of national organizations representing broad constituencies aimed at keeping America safe by advocating that international cooperation and enforceable international law provide the greatest security for the US and the world.

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