Did you miss the "Special Event: Enter the Conversation with Karen Armstrong" last week at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine? Well, you're in luck! Our videographer, Sean McGinn, graciously captured this riveting conversation between the Very Rev. Dr. James A. Kowalski and Karen, which is posted on the Charter for Compassion YouTube channel. The discussion centers on religion and ethics in the modern world, and why we must place compassion at the heart of public discourse on religion and morality.

Karen Armstrong Lecture - St. John the Divine, April 27, 2010

Karen Armstrong, author, scholar, and journalist, is among the world's foremost commentators on religious history and culture. She has written more than 20 books on faith and the major religions, studying what Islam, Judaism and Christianity have in common, and how our faiths shaped world history and drive current events. Her books include the bestselling A History of God and The Battle for God, as well as Buddha; Islam: A Short History; Muhammed: A Prophet for Our Time; Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths; and most recently Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life. In 2008 Dr. Armstrong, recipient of the TED prize, spearheaded the founding of The Charter for Compassion, a document that transcends religious, ideological, and national difference. It proclaims a principle embraced by every faith, and by every moral code.

Karen Armstrong is one of the heroes of the modern interfaith movement and endorsed Samir Selmanovic's recent book It's Really All About God, saying "Samir Selmanovic is asking the right questions at the right time, and refusing the consolations of certainty at a time when strident orthodoxies-atheist as well as religious-are perilously dividing us." 

The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine is a "house of prayer for all people." Faith House partnered with the Cathedral and GreenFaith last year to host SUSTAIN with Bill McKibben.  Bowie Snodgrass is a member of the Congregation of St. Saviour at the Cathedral and her husband, George Mathew, is the Artistic Director of the New Year's Concert for Peace at the Cathedral.   

Wednesday,  May 11, 2011

6 pm Doors, 7 pm Program

Intersections, 274 5th Ave

Btwn 29th and 30th Sts

With Ari Hart,
Co-Founder of Uri L'Tzedek

Join us for an evening with text studies, eating rituals, and a rousing discussion of food ethics as it relates to food certification. In this Living Room, Ari Hart, a co-founder of Uri L'Tzedek, will delve into the inspiration behind Uri L'Tzedek's formation in 2007. This journey begins with the charges against kosher agriprocessors in Postville, Iowa, eventually leading to a particular organizational focus on food justice.

The abuse and exploitation of workers in fields, kitchens, and slaughterhouses across North America where kosher food is prepared alarmed Ari and his colleagues. These injustices needed to be addressed by the Jewish community as consumers of kosher food. Thus, in May 2009, Uri L'Tzedek launched the Tav HaYosher, an ethical seal for kosher restaurants that ensures workers' rights. As of March 2011, over seventy-five kosher eating establishments throughout North America have been awarded the Tav HaYosher, securing the rights of close to a thousand workers.

Uri L'Tzedek is an Orthodox social justice organization guided by Torah values and dedicated to combating suffering and oppression. Through community-based education, leadership development, and action, Uri L'Tzedek creates discourse, inspires leaders, and empowers the Jewish community towards creating a more just world. In the last three years, Uri L'Tzedek has directly reached over 15,000 individuals in the 175 programs that it has sponsored or co-sponsored nationwide. This number includes programming at over thirty universities, impacting an estimated third of all American Orthodox university students.

See a full list of food establishments certified by the Tav HaYosher. 

Find this event on Facebook and MeetUp. RSVP on EventBrite 

Wednesday,  May 25, 2011

6 pm Doors, 7 pm Program

Intersections, 274 5th Ave

Btwn 29th and 30th Sts

With Gadadhara Pandit Dasa

Hindu Monk & Chaplain at Columbia University and NYU

"Vegetarian food leaves a deep impression on our nature. If the whole world adopts vegetarianism, it can change the destiny of humankind." ~ Albert Einstein

When Pandit started as Hindu Chaplain at Columbia eight years ago, he helped launch a Bhakti Yoga club and teach a vegetarian cooking class. In a relatively short time, regular attendance at the weekly cooking classes grew to over 100 students per session. As students became fans of the vegetarian feasts, their curiosity about the traditions and philosophy of India also increased.

Faith House invites you all to an evening of meditation, chanting, teaching, conversation and of course cooking and eating with Pandit.  Learn about the connections between the Hindu tradition, vegetarianism, and mindfulness.  Plus you'll learn to cook a dish or two and then have a chance to try them!

Gadadhara Pandit Dasa was born in Kanpur, India in 1972, grew up in L.A. and abroad, and moved to New York City in 1995. Desiring further progress in his spiritual life, Pandit spent six months in Mumbai, India receiving monastic training, after which he decided to continue his commitment to monastic life at the ISKCON Bhaktivedanta Ashram in New York, where he has been residing since. He became a disciple of the Vaisnava tradition in 2001, a monotheistic tradition with its roots in ancient India, and received his brahminical (priestly) initiation, in 2002.

In 2001, Pandit began his campus ministry efforts in colleges in the New York area, including Queens College, SUNY Albany, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and most recently Columbia University where he now focuses most of his efforts. As a chaplain with the United Campus Ministry at Columbia, he provides representation for the Hindu community and participates in interfaith dialogues on campus. In October 2008, he became New York University's Hindu Chaplain.

In the Fall of 2003, Pandit taught an accredited course on the Bhagavad Gita at SUNY Albany. At the same time, he was accepted as a "visiting scholar" at the Center for the Study of Science and Religion (CSSR) at Columbia University.

RSVPs welcome at Facebook or Meetup