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Glazer Institute for Jewish Studies Hosts Inaugural Conference to Explore Religious Common Ground
The Diane and Guilford Glazer Institute for Jewish Studies will host its inaugural conference to explore its central mission of reconciliation of the children of Abraham. "Finding Common Ground" will bring together leaders from the three great monotheistic religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—to focus on shared issues that unite the three communities. Finding Common Ground: Reconciliation Among the Children of Abraham takes place in the Elkins Auditorium in Malibu, on Monday,
Nov. 2.
Rabbi David Wolpe of the Sinai Temple in Los Angeles will present the keynote lecture, "Why Faith Matters," addressing the new atheism by shining a light on religion's deepest scars while at the same time showing how religions have been a force of good in the world.
The conference will also feature three panels. "Interpreting Sacred Texts" will explore the question of applying the sacred texts to the modern age, and the foundational question of how one understands God's method of communication. Every Jew, Christian, and Muslim struggles with the question of the "other," and the panel titled, "Dealing With the Outsider in Our Midst," will focus on how the Abrahamic faiths address a pluralistic society in which people of faith routinely rub shoulders with those not of the faith. In the third panel, "National Identity and Religious Pluralism," political leaders from Turkey and Israel will address religious pluralism as expressed in their respective countries.
"Reconciling the children of Abraham requires understanding, dialogue, and engagement," says Roger Alford, director of the Glazer Institute. "It means preparing the minds and hearts of the next generation to appreciate and respect diversity in religious beliefs. It means cultivating knowledge of the common heritage of Jews, Christians, and Muslims. It means developing relationships with those who may not share our faith, but share our sense that faith matters. Finally, it means taking religion seriously, recognizing that religion has the potential to divide and unite, that religion can poison and leaven."
Speakers at the one-day conference include Rabbi Mark Diamond, the executive vice president of the Board of Rabbis of Southern California; Imam Jihad Turk, director of religious affairs at the Islamic Center of Southern California; Imam Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi, chair of the Fiqh (Islamic Law) Council of North America; Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, Abner & Rosalyn Goldstine Dean's Chair at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies; Jim Butler, associate professor of Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary; William Abraham of Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University; Jacob Dayan, consul general of Israel for the Southwestern United States; and Hakan Tekin, consul general of Turkey in Los Angeles.
The goal of the Glazer Institute is expressed in the mandate of Micah 6:8 that calls us "to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." The pursuit requires fidelity to one's own religious tradition, while honoring the rich heritage and deep insights of other religious traditions, which will be shared and explored at this inaugural event at the Glazer Institute.
For more information and to register for the conference, contact Roger Alford at (310) 506-7626, or visit the Glazer Web site.
