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On November 15th many Buddhists around the world, particularly within Tibetan and Bhutanese traditions, celebrated LhaBab Duchen, a mythical experience of Buddha's descent from a heavenly realm. What's that all about? So one version of the story goes, Buddha's mother passed away soon after Buddha's birth (at that time his name was Siddhartha), and so about 40 years later, sometime after Siddhartha had awakened or attained enlightenment becoming a Buddha (Buddha basically means "awakened one"), he decided he wanted to repay his mother's kind-ness, (you know, for carrying him for 9 months and giving him life). So Buddha ascended to the heavenly realm where she was residing and there offered teachings for a month or so, positively blowing everyone's mind! Buddhism is a karmic religion, it is believed that all beings continually reincarnate after death, leading successive lives, the context of which is largely determined by one's actions and mental-emo

This Pride Month, Interfaith Philadelphia staff and board members who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community are sharing their experiences at the intersections of faith and sexuality. This blog post is part of a series of stories that will be shared throughout the month of June. My queer journey, like my faith journey, has been a series of learning, questioning, deconstructing, and relearning. In this post, I could tell you about how LGBTQIA+ folks and queer theology were not discussed in the mainline church I attended as a child, or how ‘converting’ from being gay was met with cheers in the Pentecostal church I found my way into as a lonely teen searching for community; or how I received death threats for participating in a ‘day of silence’ to remember those peers who died by suicide because they were terrified to be gay (and how those threats were prompted by my high school’s security guard and part-time pastor). But instead, what first comes to mind are the teachings around my b

This Pride Month, Interfaith Philadelphia staff and board members who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community are sharing their experiences at the intersections of faith and sexuality. This blog post is part of a series of stories that will be shared throughout the month of June. What sort of attitudes and behaviors do I need to practice to build meaningful connections across lines of difference? In my work with the Crafting Community Project, I spend a lot of time thinking about this question, then finding concrete action steps to enact it.   One of the identities that I claim that nearly always acts as a line of difference that needs to be crossed in service of this work is being transgender non-binary. This language acknowledges the reality that the societal norms that we are socialized into as children on the basis of our physical anatomy are not ones that fit my understanding of myself.  I remember the very first time I used non-binary pronouns to describe myself. I was sitting

This Pride Month, Interfaith Philadelphia staff and board members who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community are sharing their experiences at the intersections of faith and sexuality. This blog post is part of a series of stories that will be shared throughout the month of June. Sexuality has always been inseparably part of my faith. Long before I was ready to understand why, I found the spirituality of queer Catholics to be one of the most deeply compelling examples of what it could mean to be Church. I was always awed by people — coworkers, teachers, friends, strangers — who were able to stand in the face of narratives and people that challenged their belonging and still say I have a right to be here.  As a young woman, a progressive, a frequent doubter and questioner, and a Chinese person in my heavily white hometown, I spent years feeling both vaguely and acutely that I did not belong in church. I wanted to, desperately. I have wondered over the years if I simply slipped into r

Interfaith Philadelphia strives to increase peace and understanding among people of all faiths and backgrounds in our region. Our aim is to replace hate and fear with harmony and acceptance.  We call upon people to Dare to Understand. This encompasses our dream that people will take a chance for understanding. We believe that interfaith learning and engagement is key to promoting peace. It is heartbreaking to acknowledge that hate has a home in our communities.  The heinous hate-fueled mass shooting suffered in Buffalo, NY is among the latest of violent acts that ends lives and harms those who live on with the trauma.  There are many efforts to promote peace, equity, and justice in the local area and across the country, yet h ate for the other is being sustained across the land.  Hate is being passed on to younger generations and younger people are carrying out violence that targets people based on their religious, gender, racial/ethnic identities.   In grieving the loss experienced fr

Reclaiming Sites of Violence: Bringing Hope and Healing to Neighborhoods The Reverend Ruben Ortiz, Director of National Programs for Esperanza ( https://www.esperanza.us/ ) represents Hispanic Clergy on the Religious Leaders Council of Greater Philadelphia. Recently he shared Moment of Blessing with his colleagues on the Council. For more than 20 years, Moment of Blessing has been used to offer solace and hope for families and neighbors living near the location of homicides. Religious leaders bring together those affected at the location desecrated by violence. They lead the community in prayer, adding readings as well as words of comfort and hope. The location is blessed; Divine comfort and love overpowering the fear and grief connected to that place. Moment of Blessing may be used as is or adapted so it is appropriate for the religious traditions and emotional needs of those who gather.   Moment of Blessing - Occasion of Homicide  GREETING  Grace and Peace to all of us in the name o

In 2021, Philadelphia saw a record number of homicides , a majority from gun violence. This blog series invites previously recognized Zones of Peace , an initiative of the Religious Leaders Council (RLC) of Greater Philadelphia, to share about their efforts to respond to and reduce gun violence. This series will highlight a range of effective and complementary approaches taken by Zones of Peace to address the crisis facing our city and our nation. The Zone of Peace highlighted here is The Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations .This post was written b y Randy Duque, MA, KOR, Deputy Director, Community Relations Division.  One City Agency’s Effort to Help Address the Gun Violence Crisis Like many, I wake up each morning to learn of another shooting in the “City of Brotherly and Sisterly Love.” Throughout the day, I hold on to the emotions I have as I respond to such heartbreaking news. I can’t help thinking about the traumatic impact these acts have on those directly involved and th

In 2021, Philadelphia saw a record number of homicides , a majority from gun violence. This blog series invites previously recognized Zones of Peace , an initiative of the Religious Leaders Council (RLC) of Greater Philadelphia, to share about their efforts to respond to and reduce gun violence. This series will highlight a range of effective and complementary approaches taken by Zones of Peace to address the crisis facing our city and our nation. The Zone of Peace highlighted here is Heeding God's Call to End Gun Violence . Co-founder and Executive Director Bryan Miller contributed the following blog post. Saving Lives from Gun Violence – How to Get There I’m Bryan Miller, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Heeding God’s Call to End Gun Violence , the grassroots and interfaith organization devoted to ending gun violence and early Zones of Peace awardee. I’ve acted in this cause on both secular and faith-based ‘sides’ since 1995, after my brother was one of three law enforcement

In 2021, Philadelphia saw a record number of homicides , a majority from gun violence. This blog series invites previously recognized Zones of Peace , an initiative of the Religious Leaders Council (RLC) of Greater Philadelphia, to share about their efforts to respond to and reduce gun violence. This series will highlight a range of effective and complementary approaches taken by Zones of Peace to address the crisis facing our city and our nation.  The Zone of Peace  highlighted here is Victim / Witness Services of South Philadelphia (VWSSP).   VWSSP Executive Director Alison Sprague, intern James Scarborough, and Victim Advocate Lisa Klinman all contributed to this blog post. Responding to gun violence is a crucial part of the work w e do every day at Victim/ Witness Services of South Philadelphia (VWSSP). We are deeply supportive of increased programming to reduce gun violence. And we must invest deeply in the systemic changes that will drive down gun violence. In the meantime there

It all started the day I realized I would need to leave my office. I was serving as the Nurture Coordinator and Curriculum Developer for Jubilee! Community Church in Asheville, NC, and I was tasked with developing an interfaith curriculum for our Sunday School program. I was raised very Christian, attending a Lutheran Grade School (K-8) and a Catholic High school, so I had some form of religious education six days a week from age 5-15. I was pretty sure I knew how to teach kids about the Bible. But, on this particular day, as I sat looking out my office window, I realized I was stuck. I had been immersed, for months, in the sacred texts -- the Tao Te Ching, the Bhagavad Gita, the Qur’an, the Rig Veda and Puranas, the Buddhist Dhammapada, and the hymns of the Guru Granth Sahib. Based on what I was reading, I simply could not figure out how the grown-ups from other faith traditions taught the kids in their communities! That’s when I decided it was time to stop reading and start doing.  I