Showing posts with label Abrahamic faiths. Show all posts

Friday, 10 August 2018

Vigil for the Reef - Stop Adani Kooyong

Thursday, 24 May 2018

A Tour of the Islamic Museum of Australia organised by the Jewish Christian Muslim Association of Australia Women' Committee

From the Jewish Christian Muslim Association:

The JCMA Women’s committee is pleased to invite you to a guided tour of the Islamic Museum of Australia.

Date; Wednesday 20 June 2018

Time: 12 pm to 1 pm

Cost: $15/adult, $10 concession

Full details are on the flyer.

As part of our continuing efforts in harbouring understanding and appreciation to the Abrahamic faith traditions, participants will explore the exhibition "1.6 Billion Ways To Be Muslim", an exhibition which started as a photographic narrative on social media and has since become a global initiative celebrating the diversity of modern day Muslims.

In addition, a second exhibition, “Our grandmothers” celebrates the love, spirit, strength and wisdom embodied by grandmothers in Islam. This exhibition is part of Multicultural Museums Victoria’s inaugural joint project celebrating the central role of grandmothers in the Chinese, Italian, Greek, Muslim and Jewish communities.

After the tour you may choose to stay for lunch at the cafeteria and meet up with old friends or meet new ones. Ticket price includes the cost of the tour only and lunch is extra. These encounters are interesting and rewarding and an important part of transforming relations between people of different faiths. We look forward to seeing you there.

To Register
To register your interest and participate, please purchase tickets early as they can be sold out.
Registration link is https://jcma-islamic-museum-tour.eventbrite.com.au

For more information contact Ginette Everest (03) 9287 5590 or womenconference@jcma.org.au

Notes: This is an event for men and women. We suggest CAR POOLING as parking is very restricted in the vicinity of the Museum

Sunday, 6 August 2017

Where is faith in all this?

I stopped being a Muslim, although I was born a Muslim and grew up a Muslim. This is the position of Sami Shah, who decided to come to Australia from Pakistan.

He and his family are now living here happily and he is becoming well known as both a comedian and writer.

Sami's first child was a daughter, and her gender was what finally prompted him and his wife to migrate to Australia. If their child had been a son they probably wouldn't have come, but as the child was a girl they migrated because the women aren't treated well in Pakistan, as in many parts of the developing world.

So, Sami decided to give up his religion. And giving up religion in his country is punishable by death in his and some other countries.

So what then? Having found the Koran dense and convoluted he looked beyond Islam and carefully considered both the Old and New Testaments, but found them both incapable of having relevance to his modern life.

So where is faith in all this? All humans have a natural need to seek meaning. This natural desire for something to believe in is frequently not much helped by religious structures. We're too often told that "this is the truth and if you don't accept it you should just go away".

The result of that stance has meant that organised religion as a means to find belief is rejected by many. It's why people listen to the militant atheists who see religion as a positive evil. So much organised religion is restrictive, although it also is a means through which many people find their faith. And many religions express that faith by reaching out to serve people in need regardless of belief – the Salvation Army, Anglicare, Jewish Care, Catholic Social Services etc.

So all religious structures are flawed. Like all human structures, from political parties to large corporations to golf clubs to mothers' groups. They're all human. There's often division. Religious structures can offer a vehicle through which people can discover a meaning in their lives. They can find that loving our neighbours, forgiving others' mistakes, accepting others' failures is the true way of expressing faith – whatever one it may be.

Meditating and worshipping is comforting and helpful, as long as the resulting faith leads to ensuring that we live our lives positively and work to enhance the humanity of the people around us.

Don Mackay is a Melbourne writer.

Saturday, 8 July 2017

Jewish Christian Muslim Association Winter Conference - Faith & Society - 6/7 August 2017

Jews, Christians & Muslims seeking interaction and dialogue with one another in a safe environment are invited to attend the JCMA Winter Conference on the theme "Faith and Society".

Date: Sunday 2.00pm 6th August – 5.30pm 7th August

Venue: St Paul's Retreat Centre, Norton's Lane, Wantirna South

Cost: $160

For more information Click here

Why a JCMA Conference?

JCMA was established in 2004 to

(a) to draw together members of the Abrahamic faiths in mutual respect, seeking to appreciate each other and to heal ancient wounds, pledging mutual support in times of stress and engaging in dialogue in all its aspects;

(b) to organise conferences and other activities for the purpose of learning about each other’s faith, of sharing personal experience, and of discussing issues of concern within their own faith communities and within the broader society.

The Annual JCMA Conference is modelled on the annual residential conference of Jews, Christians and Muslims in Europe and is supported by major religious institutions within each faith community.

The conference is held in a relaxing environment conducive to both personal reflection and warm, open meetings and discussions.

Who is it for?

• JCMA conferences are intended for people of all ages who are members of one of the three Abrahamic faith communities, Judaism, Christianity and Islam and is supported by major religious institutions within each faith community.

• Participants include men and women, young and old, lay and clergy, academics and students, and those working in community or welfare roles.

• All participants are asked to agree to the JCMA Principles of Dialogue http://jcma.org.au/priniciples-of-dialogue/

• All participants, speakers and discussion group leaders are asked to attend the full conference from 2pm on Sunday 6 August to 5:30 pm on Monday 7 August. For most participants this will include residential accommodation overnight.

• Anyone who subscribes to the aims and purpose of the conference are encouraged to register their interest, but registration of interest does not guarantee a place in the conference. Final place offers will be made by the Conference Committee.

Registration of Interest

1. If you would like to attend the 2017 JCMA Winter Conference, we ask that you apply by filling in a “registration of interest” online at https://jcmawinterconference2017.eventbrite.com.au/ before the closing date of Monday July 24.

2. The Conference Planning Committee will review each registration of interest before offering a place in the Conference to the selected applicants

3. When you are notified that your application to attend has been approved, you will receive an email directing you to an Eventbrite site where you can pay the Conference fee of $160.

4. Further details of the event and the program will then be provided by email.

You can call Ginette Everest 0n 03 9287 5590 for more information.

Ginette Everest

Executive Officer

Jewish Christian Muslim Association of Australia (JCMA)

JCMA relies on the goodwill of volunteers and the generosity of our donors.

Donations are tax deductible. Please go to JCMA Donation to make a donation.

Usual Working days: Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays

Address: 383 Albert St., East Melbourne Vic 3002

( (03) 9287 5590 / Mobile: 0400 211 221

* executiveofficer@jcma.org.au

: http://www.jcma.org.au

Twitter: http://twitter.com/jcmaoz

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jcmaonline

Wednesday, 10 February 2016

From Transcend Media Service - Fundamentalism-Extremism-Violence

Fundamentalism-Extremism-Violence

EDITORIAL, 8 February 2016

Johan Galtung, 8 Feb 2016 - TRANSCEND Media Service

To navigate these difficult conceptual waters we need some rules. Here are three suggestions (the violence can be direct–as sometimes prescribed by the Abrahamic religions–or structural as by Hinduism):

Anchor “religious fundamentalism” in religious scriptures taken literally according to the fundamentalists, not as “interpreted”;
Anchor “extremism” in violent action, verbal or physical;
Anchor “religious extremism” in violent action justified-legitimized by religious scriptures, by fundamentalists or not.

Fundamentalism has to do with inner faith, belief. Extremism has to do with outer violence against Other, and against Self (like flagellation for being a sinner). Keep them separate. And be careful.

We can have fundamentalism without extremism. The fundamentalist may believe much, beyond the beliefs of others, yet not cross the border to violence. We may say: let him-her do so; it is not obvious that fundamentalists are more violent than non-fundamentalists.

We can have extremism without fundamentalism. Most people exercising violence believe in nothing, beyond “doing their job”.

There are two criteria for “religious extremism”: violence and religious legitimation. That legitimation may be fundamentalist or not; could also be well-know quotes from the Scriptures. We might even speculate that for the fundamentalist faith may be sufficient.

The combination in “religious extremism” is vicious if it implies that violence will be supported by divine forces and/or that failure to be violent will incur their wrath. Probably a declining category.

Today’s secularizing, “enlightened” world brought us statism, nationalism, and their combination; secular fundamentalists and extremists, and their combination. They have given the world more violence for victory for whatever cause they design than religions. But with a rationality that may open for solving underlying conflicts.

How about the traditional “world religions” in this perspective?

The three Abrahamic and Hinduism with divine forces; and Buddhism, Daoism-Confucianism and Shinto without? Where do we find religious extremism as defined above; and where not? Obviously, some of it everywhere, nothing somewhere, but generally speaking?

Judaismn has religious extremism as right and duty to conquer and defend the Promised Holy Land (Genesis 15:18, wrath of divine forces in Deuteronomy, for structural violence Isaiah 2:1-4).

Christianity has religious extremism built as violence against non-believers (Luke 19:26)–hence also to spread Christianity–but has rules against retribution (turning the other cheek).

Islam has norms against spreading Islam by the sword, but uses violence against infidels, particularly against apostates, and uses violence for “retribution with moderation”.

Summary: Judaic religious extremism is territorial, Christian is missionary, Islamic is punitive. SUM: ex occidente bellum.

Hinduism has internal structural violence built into the caste system, with a history of direct violence to establish it and keep it. Nonviolence to cows serves as an opening to nonviolence in general.

Buddhism has violence in obscure texts but generally prescribes nonviolence. If Buddhists are violent (Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand) it is not qua Buddhists, but as defenders of a state with Buddhism.

Daoism is ambiguous: every human holon has forces-counterforces, not necessarily violent; but a rising yin or yang may be “helped”.

Confucianism deplores “bad emperor” violence, but is feudal structural violence, with rights and duties both high up and low down. Shinto is peaceful, but state Shinto was a construction inspired by Christian state religions justifying warfare external violence under Sun Goddess Amaterasu-o-mikami and Her offsprings, the Emperors.

Conclusion: not good enough to declare ex oriente pax.

How about the secular counterparts to religions, the ideologies, the isms? Backed by human forces of rationality and compassion, and by social forces across the domestic and global faultlines nature-gender-generation-race-class-nation-territory. Religions see them as parts of the divine order; secularism sees them as changeable, for worse (slavery, colonialism, war), for better (human rights, Art 28).

Enlightenment came with capitalist growth against nature and the working classes; with the rule of Men, Old/middle-aged, White; class with competitive mobility; nationalism and statism. Isms emerged, as dualist-manichean as God vs Satan, promising Paradise vs Hell, pitting Self- good vs Other-evil, with mechanisms for picking winners-losers.

Nature fights back, now possibly winning. Women, young and old, non-whites struggle nonviolently for parity. Afterlife Paradise and Hell no longer available, political parties fight for paradise=upper class rewards from capitalist growth against hell=poverty-misery; meaningful only if inequality prevails over distribution. Nationalism and statism struggle for parity and dominance, even globally; the mechanisms being war by the military and negotiation by the diplomats.

Secular fundamentalism means strong attachment to one side in the one faultline seen as fundamental: with this issue (gender, race, class, nation, state) solved, the others will follow automatically!

Secular extremism, fundamentalist or not, uses violence against the Other in gender, race, class, nation, state; if fundamentalist for the salvation of humanity, with paradise on earth around the corner.

Secularism is Western. It is rejected by Islam and Hinduism. Buddhism focuses on means: nonviolence; China on process: yin-yang. Only Japan under Abe follows US war logic. Western secularism may actually turn out to be an episode, yielding to religious revivalism.

Rather work nonviolently on very many conflicts and traumas than on one giant step toward salvation-paradise, even with violence.

____________________________________

Johan Galtung, a professor of peace studies, dr hc mult, is founder of the TRANSCEND Network for Peace, Development and Environment and rector of the TRANSCEND Peace University-TPU. He has published 164 books on peace and related issues, of which 41 have been translated into 35 languages, for a total of 135 book translations, including ‘50 Years-100 Peace and Conflict Perspectives,’ published by the TRANSCEND University Press-TUP.

This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 8 February 2016.

Anticopyright: Editorials and articles originated on TMS may be freely reprinted, disseminated, translated and used as background material, provided an acknowledgement and link to the source,TRANSCEND Media Service - TMS: Religious Fundamentalism-Extremism-Violence, is included. Thank you.

Tuesday, 23 September 2014

James Cook University (JCU), Cairns Prayer Room - Jewish, Christian and Muslim people find common ground

Friday, 20 June 2014

WORLD REFUGEE DAY 2014

With so many countries in turmoil it’s easy to understand how the U.N. refugee agency counts more than 45 million refugees and displaced persons in the world. What’s not always clear is where they will go and who will help them.

On the front line of aid for many of these people are religious groups who help refugees not only out of sympathy for their plight, but also because of commandments in sacred texts.

~~~~

These paragraphs are from Dale Hanson Bourke's article in On Faith.

UNHCR WORLD REFUGEE DAY 2014

Monday, 3 February 2014

Anti-mosque and anti-Islamic sentiments: can Islam be singled out like this?

This article has appeared in the Ballarat daily newspaper, The Courier, to-day. Ballarat Interfaith Network was on to this early this morning and, during to-day, will work out a considered response. This blog does not want - at this stage anyway - to give acknowledgment to this group and therefore will not name them here nor will a link be given to their website.

However, one thing this post will do is to look briefly at anti-mosque sentiment in Australia.

The Australia First Party is a well known extreme political party in Australia. More could be written about them, particularly their involvement in the Cronulla riots of 2005, but this site does not want to enter into such a discussion. More could also said about an historic organisation with a similar name and similar prejudices.

As for Islam in Australia, this Wikipedia site provides a diversity of information both historical and contemporary.

The movement toward building a mosque in Ballarat has been a slow but progressive one. Students from overseas came to the University of Ballarat where prayer facilities were established. The small number of local residents were able to join in. Because of the close proximity of Ballarat to Melbourne, it has also been possible for residents here to participate in mosques there. Ballarat Muslims have held land for a while and are now moving towards the reality of a building by going through all the local government processes that everyone has to pursue.

Ballarat Interfaith Network has friendship with a number of Muslims in Ballarat. We have also, courtesy of the Shepparton Interfaith Network, visited the mosque at Muroopna in Shepparton.

Shepparton is a diverse city and region - with four mosques. Below is a video of that mosque and what happens there. On our visit, we were warmly and hospitably received - and had the most beautiful lunch of Turkish food. We were presented - without charge - with our choice of books relating to Islam. The video below was taken from the website of the Shepparton Interfaith Network.

All religions - or, at least, a lot of religions - have those within who are 'extremist' or have other adverse characteristics. If we were to ban or bar them from having facilities, it would be a bare landscape indeed. Think of some of the adverse behaviours being brought to public view from within some Christian denominations and cultures at this time.

There are many beautiful and wondrous things within Islam. They are worth exploring. One particular Islamic contribution is being seriously explored these days by many outside Islam. It is Islamic finance and banking. The Abrahamic faiths (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) have prohibitions against usury. Judaism and Christianity have 'fallen by the wayside' in a manner of speaking on this topic and its adherents do get involved with financial transactions involving the charging of interest. Islam is the one 'hold-out' on this and, in this era of ever-diverse financial products, there is currently widening interest - even from main-stream banking organisations - in Islamic finance.

Thursday, 2 January 2014

Faith and Finance: is finance a morality free zone?

Last year, I attended a one-day conference on Islamic Finance. I learned a lot. The Abrahamic faiths - Judaism, Christianity, Islam - each have injunctions against usury yet only Islam, now in these modern times, refuses to have anything to do with the levying of interest. How this is handled across the world in Islam is most interesting - and it is attracting increasing interest from the mainstream non-Islamic world.

http://www.latrobe.edu.au/courses/islamic-finance/postgraduate

http://islaminaustralia.com/2013/12/29/australias-first-guardian-to-launch-islamic-pension-in-january/

http://www.smh.com.au/business/westpac-to-offer-islamic-banking-20100211-nv86.html

The world has suffered much during the Global Financial Crisis. One would have to go a long way in the world to find societies and individuals who have remained unaffected by the GFC. This means that communities of faith have had to live out their beliefs, consider their beliefs in the light of the impact of the GFC on the world. There are periods when matters of money are put to one side and remain in the shadow of more emphasis on the core teachings of faith and spirit. However, communities of faith have highlighted during this dismal economic period issues of justice and ethics and the living of a good life. Communities of faith have hardly tried the financial centres of the world at a religious court but they have increasingly, around the world, spoken out on the GFC and related economic matters.

God's economics: a pastoral letter for 2014

The Church and the Global Financial Crisis

False profits: a Jewish response to our financial crisis

The economic crisis and the crisis of character

Archbishop of Canterbury calls for debate with Islam to establish "just" interest rates

Solution to financial crisis is in the Quran

Global economic crisis and economics of faith (2)

Monetary moral guidance basis for inter-faith religious dialogue

Taking a hint from the last of the links above,

is it time for a wide-ranging interfaith dialogue

on the topic of

Faith, Morals, Finance?