September 12th: sharing our texts

[Jennifer Willis]

I was outraged when I heard about a Florida pastor calling for a "Burn a Qur'an Day" on September 11 of this year. Dove World Outreach Center is apparently hosting a bonfire on the evening of 9/11 to burn copies of the Qur'an:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/07/29/florida.burn.quran.day/index.html

I contacted some folks in Portland's Muslim community about hosting a "Read a Qur'an Day" instead, and they've improved upon the idea by suggesting an interfaith gathering where we read others' texts and engage in friendly interfaith dialogue.

As many mosques will host Open Houses on September 11, we're looking at Sunday, 12 September, to come together to celebrate religious diversity in the U.S. As it happens, other organizations across the country will be doing pretty much the same thing that day.

We're still working out the details -- such as place (probably a park, like Laurelhurst) and time. Granted, this is getting organized rather late in the game. But I wanted to check in with you folks to find out who might be interested in participating.

I've got a Tanakh and paperback copies of some other religious texts -- e.g., The Bhagavad Gita, books on Shamanism and Wicca, the Christian Bible, possibly the Upanishads and the like -- but none that I can give away to people to take home with them.

So.... Would you like to join us? Do you have a favorite passage from Torah or meditative chant you'd like to share? Want to talk about the Wiccan Rede or the Eight-Fold Path? What do you think can be done about religious intolerance? Any and all are welcome to join in this peaceful gathering of cooperation and sharing.

Please get in touch if you'd like to learn more, if you'd like to help organize, if you have ideas you'd like to share.... I'd love to hear from you!

-- jennifer

p.s. -- For those who are curious, in addition to my work as a writer/journalist I am a seminary-trained interfaith minister and religious diversity teacher. Even if it's just me sitting by my lonesome under a tree, I'm committed to showing up for this. :)

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God has no religion.

-- Mohandas Gandhi

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jennifer willis

j...@jennifer-willis.com / rev...@gmail.com

503-419-8172

jennifer-willis.com

[miriamr...@comcast.net]

Hi Jennifer,

Thanks for bringing this idea to our attention.  My husband Lee Gordon and I are interested.  Please include us in any further details that you may send out.

You can email us directly at miriamr...@comcast.net and l...@handinhandk12.org

Thanks,

Miriam

[Beth]

I am VERY interested in this. please keep me in the loop. I am hoping for a later-afternoon time.

Thanks --beth

I was outraged when I heard about a Florida pastor calling for a "Burn a Qur'an Day" on September 11 of this year. Dove World Outreach Center is apparently hosting a bonfire on the evening of 9/11 to burn copies of the Qur'an:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/07/29/florida.burn.quran.day/index.html

I contacted some folks in Portland's Muslim community about hosting a "Read a Qur'an Day" instead, ...

[Doria Raetz]

I don't have any great ideas, but I'd like to show up for this.

Doria Raetz

[Kate Haas]

Me, too!

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