Only 20% of people stay in the faith in which they were raised. What precipitates faith hopping? How does someone know when it’s time to make a change? Is there a shifting of the belief system – or an “inner knowing” that says it’s time to move on? And what happens to friends left behind? Our panelists relate their experiences of changing faiths. We are pleased to offer Community Faith Forums, monthly, through the school year, to discuss topics of the day together, listening and considering many different perspectives. It’s a great way to learn, in a respectful manner, and have a sounder basis for your own viewpoints. We hope you will tell your friends and plan to join us, the 3rd Tuesday of the month (except April), at lunch time. If you cannot attend, please check back as we generally post a video of the program that you can catch when it works for you!

ING Content Director Ameena Jandali will participate in an interfaith panel of religious leaders at this celebration of World Interfaith Harmony Day, a local commemoration of the World Interfaith Harmony Week initiated by the United Nations. This event, sponsored by the Tri-City Interfaith Coundil, will also feature booths with information about the beliefs, traditions, and sacred objects of different religions. Participants from the local atheist, Bahai, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Sikah, Unitarian Universalist, and other communities will take part.

Religions and cultures differ, but all the major world religions share key values. In this panel discussion, representatives of the major world religions will offer a brief overview of their beliefs and practices and then discuss the human and ethical values they share with one another. Through this discussion they will demonstrate that, despite profound differences of belief and practice, all their traditions promote common values. This panel illustrates the possibility, and indeed the necessity, for diverse religions to join together in a common effort for a more harmonious and peaceful world. There will be ample time for Q & A and discussion with the panelists. This panel is offered for 8th grade religious education students at St. Martin of Tours and their parents.

We are pleased to invite you to the ING Annual Dinner, which focuses on the timely theme, "Is Freedom of Religion Becoming Fear of Religion?" In an increasingly secular society, many people from younger generations are finding a tension between the secular assumptions of the world around them and their identity as adherents of religion. Fully one in four members of the Millennial generation – so called because they were born after 1980 and began to come of age around the year 2000 – are unaffiliated with any particular faith, are less likely to be affiliated than their parents' and grandparents' generations were when they were young, and currently attend church or worship services at lower rates than Baby Boomers did when they were younger. And compared with their elders today, fewer young people say that religion is very important in their lives. What is the future of religion in a world of growing secularism? Is freedom of religion becoming fear of religion, fear of asserting one's religious identity, or even a demand for freedom from religion? How can one practice an authentic pluralism that respects people of all faiths and of no faith? Navigating these questions is a difficult task in itself, and without safe spaces and support from others it is all the more difficult. We hope to begin a conversation at the ING Annual Dinner to answer some of these questions. Our keynote speakers are Dalia Mogahed, speaking in the Bay Area for the first time, and Imam Suhaib Webb, former resident imam in the Bay Area. They will be joined onstage for an interview-style panel with interfaith and young religious leaders as they discuss the role of religion in an age of secularism.

Youth Universal Peace Federation is a group of young people from the widest variety of backgrounds and faiths, mostly University students age, that aspire to build a World of Peace. We have carried out many different projects, non-formal education, training days, Interfaith events, some more significant like the Youth Interfaith Council, & of more recent, Visiting Holy Places – The Jerusalem trip, Organising Concerts for Peace… We make UPF’s global peace network accessible for young people – the leaders of the future. On this day, YouthUPF core team members sharing their thoughts on – The role of Youth in promoting Interfaith Harmony in our Communities & Societies. Followed by, Comment & response from the floor,all are welcome & relish in the music of different cultures & Faith traditions.One minute of silence to appreciate and reflect on the value of this UN day. Please contact us: [email protected]

Kindness. Empathy. Compassion. When religious passion is channeled by a true believer, it can be a powerful contributor to the common good.

There’s a fine line between passion and extremism. That’s where religion becomes angry, triumphant. God loves me more than God loves you.

The trouble is that we can’t always see these things clearly. We rely on the media, but it loves a fight. How can we tell what’s true or false?

Join Msgr. Patrick Brennan of St. Mary’s Cathedral, Rabbi Michael Z. Cahana of Congregation Beth Israel and Trinity's Dean Bill Lupfer for this conversation about the meaning and practice of sabbath worship in the Catholic, Anglican and Jewish traditions. This event is free and open to the public.

We will kick off Chicago Interfaith Gathering with a conversation with some of the nation’s leading experts in peacebuilding and interreligious dialogue. This first program has a global scope and is aimed at providing Chicago leaders, academics, and students of religion and foreign relations with pedagogical fruit for critical consumption and reflection. What is the role for interreligious dialogue in the process of international peacebuilding and reconciliation? Can there be a true “dialogue” during or after times of conflict? Does building relationships between individuals or religious communities really have an impact on politically incited division? The morning will begin with a small reception and move into a roundtable, point-counterpoint, discussion guided by a facilitator. Q&A to follow.