LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA

The Alliance for Spiritual Community, a United Religions Initiative Cooperation Circle
SUMMARY OF SEPTEMBER DIALOGUE

What are you doing to foster a culture of peace and healing in the world?

One way that helps me is to participate in these dialogues and other interfaith activities. I learn understanding and respect.

I consciously greet people I meet with a big smile and friendly attitude.

I use the dialogue principles as much as possible when interacting with others, without forcing the principles on them.

I listen carefully to others to see who they are and where they are coming from.

I share what I have that is good and uplifting with others, not the bad stuff.

I try to stay centered in the positive with whomever I meet from other countries and cultures who have very different ideas and opinions that I have never encountered before. I listen to others with different ideas and try to be open-minded and use their ideas in my life.

Right now I find that I am having to concentrate on myself and my process so that I can function in the outside world. I am using a time management system to organize my life. When I do this, I'm on time and have no road rage, for instance.

I appreciate the diversity of the cultures of the world and want that to be preserved. So I honor my culture and listen to others when they tell me about their cultures.

I feel that I have to heal myself and deal with my own issues with clarity and without fear before I can heal the world. I make myself peaceful in my attitude and take it with me to the world.

I will try to share more of myself and my culture with people instead of being afraid to talk. This will help to build a bridge of understanding between people.

My involvement with interfaith groups is one way I foster a culture of peace and understanding. First, I become peaceful within myself. Then I can listen to others and learn about them. If I'm really present and centered, I can begin to experience what the other person is experiencing. We become connected and bonded, no longer strangers.

TAMPA FLORIDA

In honor of the Week of Global Interfaith Dialogue, The Love Foundation gathered a diverse group on Tuesday evening, September 14 to share in the power of love. Individuals representing many faiths including Catholic, Jew, Episcopalian, Methodist, Lutheran, Unitarian, Hindu and Metaphysical all joined together in meditation and open discussion. Each person spoke briefly on behalf of their represented faith and how they have come to apply the universal teachings in their daily lives.

As a common theme, we chose to focus upon the unifying aspect of love as it is naturally the cornerstone of every major religion. With this as our thread, everyone acknowledged our interconnectedness and how we are all one people upon this planet regardless of size, shape, gender, faith or any other label we may apply. There was an emerging recognition through the dialogue that although religion can play an important role in people's lives, the real experience comes when people recognize their potential to practice unconditional love. This helped each of us see the power we wield in our heart each moment.

The group then entered a silent meditation with the theme of love expanding in their heart. Upon completion, a few people shared how this meditation seemed to anchor the idea in them more deeply and how the felt the energy of love expand as waves of forgiveness and acceptance. The group offered their mutual gratitude to each other for having found more commonality between individuals through the diverse backgrounds of each. We concluded the evening with some social conversation, tea and sweets.