Rev. Bud Heckman Executive Director of Religions for Peace USA will be the Keynote Speaker at the Interfaith Association of Central Ohio’s (IACO) MIAN EVENT The Boat House at Luncheon on October 13th at the Confluence Park. Puffin West is the sponsor of this event. For tickets please call 614-849 0290. Rev. Heckman will talk about how do people who live in a nation or a region who have lived in violence for generations progress to living in PEACE? Religion, faith and spirituality are sensitive conversational material. In America, we privatize our religious experience and hold as sacrosanct our rights to have whatever belief we wish, in interest of protecting everyone’s beliefs. 20 percent of the American population is now categorized as “nones and nons” — folks who are religiously very independent (even to the point of not having any faith) or who aren’t “faithed”. The subject matter — like politics — is even seen by many as taboo in polite conversation. But at the same time, we need to have tools to speak publicly about our religion, faith and spirituality in constructive ways that reduce tensions and build social cohesion. This will require getting us beyond our silos and language fumbling. It starts with exposures and experiences with and education about the religious “other.” It is advanced by some generally common understandings about what is labeled what. Language is integral to social change. And religious cooperation or interfaith relations will not advance as a field without dissipating some of the current linguistic beclouding.
