Come and spend the day (or such portion, as you choose) with your colleagues of all faiths to discuss important social and moral issues of our time, as well as your community's view as to how one should properly respond to disagreements with religious overtones, encountered in the political arena.
During the recent California Proposition 8 controversy, I was called upon to listen to much angst and resentment, as well as pleas of "they just don't understand us, or they'd agree," from all quadrants of the anti-gay marriage amendment proposal. Some of these discussions appear to have ended in hopeless angst, whereas others appeared to bring the parties, albeit "worn out" by some accounts, closer. This latter is what we are striving for under our ISRV mission statement.
What are the keys to understanding? What are the elements of peace making? And, most importantly, where is our common ground on all these issues and what is the meaning of fair play and unconditional love in this context?
Isn't it worth a few quickly passing hours during these troubled times to see what headway, if any, we can make in understanding the valid concerns and proper faith-based response of everyone to such issues? Here is my promise to those who attend, "The lessons learned and conventions developed will help us all to obtain more satisfying results and less hard feelings under similar circumstances in the future."
The starting time is with a convocation at 10 a.m. with lunch included and afternoon sessions for those who wish to continue the dialogue with subjects evolving as interest and the direction of discussions warrants. Brian Stein-Webber has agreed to conduct an afternoon session, incorporating such topics as "What is your community's view of a Supreme Being? The after-life, if any, and what constitutes the non-negotiable doctrine of your faith?"
Your sign up must be postmarked by December 31, 2008, or handed to me by January 1, 2009, to qualify for the early-bird discount, unless you wish to "charge it," on a credit card, which I can arrange, if you ask. Please send your checks made payable to Interfaith Council of Contra Costa County to Dan O'Connor, PO Box 847; Danville, Ca 94526.
Blessings,
Dan
