Infinite Wisdom Day United Communities in Dialogue
Sikh Research Institute hosted a multi-faith panel discussion and an interactive audience participation session afterwards on 8 August. The event sparked a discussion on the question of religious tolerance in our communities today and the success of moving from tolerance to acceptance.
San Antonio, TX, August 20, 2010 --(PR.com)-- On 8 August, the Sikh Research Institute (SikhRI) hosted a public dialogue exploring the state of religious tolerance in our communities today and the nuance of moving from “tolerance” toward “acceptance.” In celebration of the One Integrative Force revealed in the Sikh scriptural cannon, the Guru Granth Sahib, “Infinite Wisdom Day” featured a multi-faith panel of presenters, as well as time for questions from the audience to the speakers. Everyone was then invited to stay for a dinner afterwards. Erin Mclean, an attendee, said, “This event was really informative, very positive, very open and brought different perspectives. It was not about each religion, but moving towards more peace in society.”
The members of the panel were invited based on their ranges of experiences and philosophical backgrounds. Panelist Nick Lee, president of the Freethinkers Association of Central Texas, said, “It was a fantastic group to have perspectives from different people in really discussing the meat of the question and how to move further.” Each member of the panel spoke for 10 minutes on their own particular impressions of the evening’s theme of moving from religious tolerance toward acceptance, and the floor was open to all attendees to join the discussion. Reverend Stephen Nickle, chaplain at Trinity University and also a panelist, reflected, “I think we will move from tolerance to acceptance when we come to know understanding different people is not just for fun, but vital to our growth.”
Ali Moshirsadri, student of theology and a member of the Council of American Islamic Relations, stressed people must be careful of only hearing contemporary interpretations of religions, and that finding avenues to also learning the original principles of a faith is key to moving toward acceptance.
Dr. Inder Jit Singh, professor, author, essayist, and frequent contributor at sikhchic.com, felt the event was a good start toward constructive community engagement. “The only way to rise above the prejudice in society is to have more events like this; to sit and break bread together,” said Dr. Singh.
Dr. Tom Keene, retired professor of religious studies at Our Lady of the Lake University, said he felt the evening was worth repeating in the in the future. Dr. Jan Puckett, a practicing Buddhist and director of Rigpe Dorje Center repeated similar sentiments and said she was impressed by the level of audience engagement.
The question and answer portion allowed the audience to become part of a constructive dialogue, lasting for nearly 45 minutes and involving a great deal of the attendees in the discussion. Shraddha Nembang, operations resource specialist for SikhRI, expressed the organization’s pleasure in the success of the event and the active participation of so many of the audience members. “Our hope is that the event has continued to affect people after they have gone on with their lives this last week. It really gave way to starting a dialogue on an important issue that a lot of the time we don’t want to talk about because we are comfortable with the status quo. The Q&A was a great way for everyone to raise real life issues, and panelists were able to give their input which created a lively and vibrant discussion.”
Contact Person: Shraddha Nembang
info@sikhri.org | 210-757-4555
###
The members of the panel were invited based on their ranges of experiences and philosophical backgrounds. Panelist Nick Lee, president of the Freethinkers Association of Central Texas, said, “It was a fantastic group to have perspectives from different people in really discussing the meat of the question and how to move further.” Each member of the panel spoke for 10 minutes on their own particular impressions of the evening’s theme of moving from religious tolerance toward acceptance, and the floor was open to all attendees to join the discussion. Reverend Stephen Nickle, chaplain at Trinity University and also a panelist, reflected, “I think we will move from tolerance to acceptance when we come to know understanding different people is not just for fun, but vital to our growth.”
Ali Moshirsadri, student of theology and a member of the Council of American Islamic Relations, stressed people must be careful of only hearing contemporary interpretations of religions, and that finding avenues to also learning the original principles of a faith is key to moving toward acceptance.
Dr. Inder Jit Singh, professor, author, essayist, and frequent contributor at sikhchic.com, felt the event was a good start toward constructive community engagement. “The only way to rise above the prejudice in society is to have more events like this; to sit and break bread together,” said Dr. Singh.
Dr. Tom Keene, retired professor of religious studies at Our Lady of the Lake University, said he felt the evening was worth repeating in the in the future. Dr. Jan Puckett, a practicing Buddhist and director of Rigpe Dorje Center repeated similar sentiments and said she was impressed by the level of audience engagement.
The question and answer portion allowed the audience to become part of a constructive dialogue, lasting for nearly 45 minutes and involving a great deal of the attendees in the discussion. Shraddha Nembang, operations resource specialist for SikhRI, expressed the organization’s pleasure in the success of the event and the active participation of so many of the audience members. “Our hope is that the event has continued to affect people after they have gone on with their lives this last week. It really gave way to starting a dialogue on an important issue that a lot of the time we don’t want to talk about because we are comfortable with the status quo. The Q&A was a great way for everyone to raise real life issues, and panelists were able to give their input which created a lively and vibrant discussion.”
Contact Person: Shraddha Nembang
info@sikhri.org | 210-757-4555
###
Contact
Sikh Research Institute
Shraddha Nembang
210.757.4555
sikhri.org
Shraddha Nembang
210.757.4555
sikhri.org
Contact
Categories