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March 2006 E-Bulletin

March 23, 2006

If you would like to be included in the mailing list for this service, please send your e-mail address to the Education Officer, Andrew Sarle.

Edinburgh Women's Inter Faith Group

A group of women from a number of different faiths and groupings within those faiths meet each month in Edinburgh.  Based in the Nicholson Square Methodist Church, the group includes Christians from the Church of Scotland, Roman Catholic, Scottish Episcopal Church and Methodist, Jewish  - both Reform and Orthodox, Islamic, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Baha’i, Brahma Kumari and others who describe themselves as “seekers”.

There is a readiness to engage in dialogue that is facilitated by the absence of men, and the temperance stance of the Methodist Church makes the venue suitable for women of other faiths with similar views on alcohol. 

Each month they discuss an issue that all find relevant after a short reflection led by women of one faith, and they conclude their time of fellowship and discussion with a further reflection from the same faith.  Each meeting opens with sharing refreshment in the form of a cup of tea and finger food, for which each participant brings something to share.  This gives due prominence to the fellowship aspect of the gatherings. 

The first couple of meetings were basically “getting to know you” sessions.  Topics that have been discussed recently include sacred texts relevant to each faith, the attitude to women in different faiths.  The next two topics planned are on festivals and prominent people in the faiths represented.

For futher information please do not hesitate to contact Janice Clark.

If you are willing to share your own  experiences in Inter Faith encounter, please let me know so that I can include your story in a future edition. Publicising examples of good practice is one of the key parts of my role as Education Officer. 

Faith and Respect: why religious intolerance must not be tolerated

The call by the Prince of Wales for greater tolerance between faiths will be well received today, when he delivers it in a speech to senior Islamic scholars at al-Azhar University in Cairo, the ancient heart of Muslim learning. His message is one of the most thoughtful summaries of the Prince’s long engagement with Islam. And it has an urgency which he fully acknowledges: his heart, he says, is “incredibly heavy” from all the destruction and death caused by terrorism. There is a pressing need for greater tolerance and a profound obligation on reasonable and responsible people to work harder to achieve harmony. (This summarises an article from The Times dated 21 March, 2006.)

A Dialogue with Judaism
Christianity & Scotland’s other faiths - 1
Scottish Churches House, Dunblane, 10am – 3pm, 26 April 2006. 

If you have not yet received information about this event, please contact Andrew Sarle on 0772 456 8259 and I’ll send you a copy of the brochure. Rabbi Nancy Morris will lead us in a stimulating and thought-provoking day reflecting on encounter bewteen the two faiths.

Seeds of Hope
Scottish Ecumenical Gathering 2006
CAIRS will be present at this event, on Saturday 17 June, in Perth.  We will be providing a workshop on 'Jesus in the Qur’an'  and there will also be an information stall. Volunteers to assist welcome!