MY VISION FOR PEACE AMONG RELIGIONS I. GETTING TO KNOW YOU Let's begin by talking about who you are. How would you describe your faith or faith tradition? In recent months, the world has been besieged by appalling acts of religiously-motivated violence . . . more of the same, in a world that has been plagued by such acts for time immemorial. These acts of violence have been viewed by many as a "wake-up call." - What does this wake-up call mean to you? To your faith community? - What choices does it call people to make? Why? Reflect for a moment upon your tradition's deepest beliefs, teachings and sacred texts - and all the ways in which these feed your spirit and create action in your life. Describe to me a time when your faith or beliefs inspired you to act in service of the greater good. - What were the circumstances? - What was the outcome? - What in this experience most touches and informs who you are today, and your decision to be part of this process? II. WAGING PEACE, SEEKING JUSTICE, AND HEALING CONFLICTS Peace begins at home - with us. Think of a time when you experienced a shift towards a more peaceful state of being - in yourself, your family, your faith community, the wider community, or the world. Perhaps it was a time when you actively worked to create an outcome that was better for all parties, or for groups other than your own. - Tell me the story of what happened, how you felt, and what your role was in this personal shift toward peace. - Describe, if you can, the conversation you had with yourself, prior to this shift. What were all the decisions or choices you needed to make, in order to embrace and actively work towards this peaceful outcome? - How did the experience change you and the other people who were involved? - What are the values (spiritual, ethical, moral, etc.) that have sustained or reinforced the change that has occurred? Now, tell me a story of forgiveness. It may have been a time when you were offended, persecuted, or victimized - but found the grace to forgive the offender; or perhaps, a time when you were forgiven for a wrongdoing of your own. It may have been a story of former enemies - perhaps from different faiths or cultural backgrounds, who found a way to forgive and reconcile with one another. - What made the forgiveness possible? How did they reach across the boundary of their differences to take this heroic step? - How did that forgiveness change the people involved? How did it transform the lives of those around them? - What did their reconciliation inspire them to do together? Describe to me a time when you observed people reaching across religious, ethnic, and economic boundaries to actively wage peace instead of war. It may be something you've merely heard about, or something you've experienced directly. What was it about the people involved, the institutions, and the surrounding circumstances that made this action possible? What does your spiritual or moral tradition teach you about justice? - How does it inspire you to work for a better world? - What could the world look like, five years from today, if you and many others were to actively follow those teachings? Reflect, now, on all these personal and exemplary experiences of peace, justice, and healing: - What can you imagine doing in your spiritual or faith community that would foster a more positive relationship with any group (either outside your community or even inside it) that you now find yourself in disagreement or conflict with? - What one thing could you imagine doing that would have the greatest impact in healing conflicts among religions? III. DREAMS FOR THE FUTURE Imagine that you are among a group of people of widely differing social, ethnic, and spiritual traditions. Your group has been given the opportunity to create a "peace village" or "peace community" - a bold experiment in peaceful living and working. - Tell me about your community and how it promotes a "just peace" both within and outside its borders (e.g., socially, economically, politically, religiously, environmentally, etc.). What are its most inspiring and exemplary features? - Five years from now, what has been your community's biggest contribution to creating "cultures of peace, justice and healing for the Earth and all living beings?" Yes No May we quote your comments? No Yes Do you wish to remain anonymous? Save your information to the database