Heard From The Tables

Marcia S., New Jersey

“Common Tables is an invitation to a unique experience in interfaith, multi-cultural adventure. Perhaps more significantly, it is also an invitation to a mind-expanding and very personal spiritual adventure.”

The Interfaith Center at the Presidio

From time-to-time in these entries we will feature organizations we feel are doing exceptional work in the interfaith arena. This week we are pleased to tell you a little about our friends at The Interfaith Center at the Presidio:

THE INTERFAITH CENTER at the Presidio was created "to welcome, serve, and celebrate the diverse spiritual wisdom and faith traditions of the Bay Area." The Center is networked globally with hundreds of interfaith groups in 50 countries who share a common commitment: . . . to promote daily, enduring interfaith cooperation, to end religiously motivated violence, and to create cultures of peace, justice, and healing for the Earth and all living beings.

Twenty-two Bay Area interfaith groups currently are Sponsoring Organizations.

The Center's core activities are:

• Providing hospitality at the interfaith Main Post Chapel,


• Developing local and global connections, and


• Creating interfaith learning environments and resources.
  

The Interfaith Center at the Presidio is . . .

• a San Francisco Bay Area grassroots interfaith friendship-building nonprofit organization,

• your host at the Main Post Chapel in the Presidio of San Francisco and


• the San Francisco International Airport Reflection Room, two interfaith sanctuaries welcoming people of all faiths, and


• an inter-religious advocate of peacemaking among religions, locally and globally.

Never has the need for healthy cross-culture relationships been greater. The Interfaith Center at the Presidio has an historic commitment to healing and peacemaking within, between, and among religious and spiritual traditions.

Lasagna - Slow Cooker Style

A great do-ahead recipe! Keep the cook out of the kitchen!!

Lasagna - Slow Cooker Style

Made with ground beef and turkey sausage, this one is perfect when your dinner guests need to avoid pork.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

1 lb. ground beef, browned
½ lb. ground turkey sausage, browned
32 –oz. jar spaghetti sauce
Plus 4.5 oz. can tomato sauce
2 cups ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 Tbsp. parsley flakes
8-10 lasagna noodles, uncooked
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese to taste

Combine the ground beef, ground turkey sausage, spaghetti sauce and tomato sauce.

Combine ricotta cheese, egg and parsley flakes.

Layer half of the meat sauce mixture, the dry noodles, the ricotta cheese mixture and the mozzarella cheese in the slow cooker. Repeat layers, ending with meat sauce mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Cover. Cook on low 6-8 hours or on high 4-5 hours.

Serve with green salad and French or Italian bread.

Conversation . . . It's the Main Course! Part 2

This from the Introduction to the Common Tables member's guide "Conversation: The Main Course":

"Many of us are uneasy with the notion of entering into casual, social discussions with people we view as somehow different than ourselves. So, as we approach our first Common Tables gatherings, the question we are faced with is this: Given that most of us aren’t very comfortable talking with strangers about the small stuff, how in the world do we get our Table to the place where we are talking about things like spirituality and religion, faith, bigotry and prejudice, or even eternity?

"The answer is that we allow things to evolve slowly. Very slowly. It’s not like talking about the weather or speculating about the winner of tomorrow’s football game. You can share differing opinions about the probable outcome of a sporting event or about the accuracy of tomorrow’s weather forecast and no one will take it personally, but if you so much as hint that you find someone’s belief system to be nonsensical or devoid of logic, you are attacking the very core of their identity. Such beginnings won’t lead to the sort of open, unencumbered, purely-trying-to-understand discussion and debate that we all want to foster.

"So take it easy. Use some of our suggestions and start to get to know one another. Your Table’s members will begin to disclose bits of information about themselves and, as personalities unfold, you will find that trust and respect flourish. You’ll discover unexpected commonalities . . . and differences to keep in mind as you move into more personal and potentially sensitive areas of dialogue."

We provide topics to stimulate conversation at each of our Common Tables seatings. Members are encouraged to try some of our suggestions . . . or make up some “ice breakers” on their own.

Friday's Food for Thought

"I believe that love, kindness, compassion, tolerance, and peace can be implanted in the psyche of man only when fear, paranormal illusion and ignorance are removed. We can then shift our attention more to matters of peace, rather than to matters of war."
Peter Retzinger

"Once started, religious strife has a tendency to go on and on, to become permanent feuds. Today we see such intractable inter-religious wars in Northern Ireland, between Jews and Muslims and Christians in Palestine, Hindus and Muslims in South Asia and in many other places. Attempts to bring about peace have failed again and again. Always the extremist elements invoking past injustices, imagined or real, will succeed in torpedoing the peace efforts and bringing about another bout of hostility."
Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Prime Minister of Malaysia, addressing the World Evangelical Fellowship on 2001-MAY-04.

Conversation . . . It's the Main Course!

Today we begin a series of weekly entries on Conversation . . . and specifically on the subject of face-to-face dialogue between the grass-roots members of differing religionious, spiritual and/or philosophical belief systems. Who better to open our discussion than the Dalai Lama?

“Because all the world's religious traditions share the same essential purpose, we must maintain harmony and respect among them. This not only benefits the followers of each religion but makes our neighborhoods and countries more peaceful. To do this we need to understand something about the world's different religions. There are many ways to go about this, but I believe the most effective is face-to-face dialogue. Let religious and spiritual leaders meet together to discuss and share their experience and practice; let ordinary members of religious communities spend time with each other.”

His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Debate vs Dialogue - A Business Perspective

This article is a few years old, but it brings up some valuable points! We felt it worth reposting here:

Debate vs. dialogue: Times call for knowing the difference

Friday, September 17, 2004
The Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area - by Jan Peeples The Business Journal Serving the Greater Triad Area

The political season is upon us and the debate has begun. Rarely in our history have battle lines been so clearly drawn and the public so polarized by differing political views.

In businesses across the country, water-cooler conversations that begin as informal banter about current events turn quickly into hotly contested political debates, sometimes ending in misunderstanding and damaged relations. Passions of the political season demonstrate the ongoing struggle within organizations to deal constructively with diverse values and points of view.

Companies that invest heavily in developing and nurturing teamwork know that different perspectives are assets, but only when team members understand the difference between dialogue and debate.

Dialogue requires that participants suspend their own assumptions so they can truly hear thoughts expressed by others. The reward of dialogue is allowing everyone to articulate personal perspectives and be heard, not judged.

By contrast, debate requires that one person try to convince another of a particular position. Mutual learning is not a goal.

Why does debate come so naturally to us while dialogue seems to be a learned skill?

If you think back to the water-cooler scene described above, informal banter becomes debate when someone's value system is threatened. Then defenses are raised and counterpunches fly.

Because political positions are so closely tied to our personal histories, we bring a set of beliefs into the conversation that are an important part of our identities. If our opinions are invalidated, so are we.

This scene is played out in many business settings, even when the conversation is not about highly charged matters of national politics.

Organizational direction, personal power and accountability are subtexts for many business discussions, whether stated or not. Without a trusting environment for dialogue, every discussion has the potential to end in debate.

Preoccupation with making a point, as opposed to hearing other points of view, can be dangerous. Examine recent well-publicized corporate failures. Among the causes were an inability or unwillingness to hear other points of view.

Enron Corp., Tyco Inc. and WorldCom Inc. all had one thing in common -- a corporate culture that discouraged dialogue. Greed and spin at the top went unchallenged, with no capacity for learning.

Voices that offered warning were squelched. The outcomes speak for themselves.

The best recent example of a national dialogue is the work of the 9/11 Commission. Although partisan affiliations were clear in public forums, behind the scenes the committee was committed to inquiry and dialogue for the purpose of learning together and reaching a consensus on recommendations.

Regardless of how one feels about the published report, the process itself is noteworthy.
Perhaps this political season will focus our attention on the importance of a national dialogue rather than a national debate.

Furthermore, let's hope it reminds us that organizational cultures that encourage dialogue will reap the benefits of employees' best thinking and collaborative workplaces that contribute to our nation's innovation and productivity.

The Faith Club

Monday's Media Review:

The Faith Club
A Muslim, A Christian, A Jew - Three Women Search for Understanding

For many of us, an opportunity to meet our role models is one met with mixed emotions. There is a part of us which nearly boils over with anticipation, but there is another part where anxiety lurks. What happens to our world view if our heroines disappoint – what if they fail to be worthy of the pedestal we have placed them on in our minds?

This past Sunday we, the Founders of Common Tables, had the opportunity to meet the women of “The Faith Club” up close, in person . . . and they far exceeded our lofty expectations. These are three who really “walk their talk”. I can only say that we are fortunate that people like Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver, and Priscilla Warner are on this planet at this time in our history – that they are being, doing, and sharing with all of us. They prove what is possible for people everywhere.

Their book, "The Faith Club" was the first we read after deciding to start Common Tables. It remains at the top of our recommended reading list.

In a world where conflict and controversy dominate the religious news, these three women - Jew, Christian, and Muslim - model what can happen when we come together with open hearts and a spirit of curiosity. They lead by example and demonstrate how together we can reach far greater heights than by each walking our own path alone.

5 Stars!!
Original Release Date: October, 2006
Length: 416 Pages
For Special Pricing on "The Faith Club", Click Here

Friday's Food for Thought

Our Greatest Fear

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light , not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?

"Actually, who are you not to be?

"You are a child of god. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

"We were born to make and manifest the glory of god that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

Marianne Williamson “Our Greatest Fear” from her book “A Return To Love”

Searching for a Solution

I am now 61 years old – a fact which continues to amaze me. On my life’s path I have raised two terrific sons, headed numerous successful business ventures, and am now honored to have founded Common Tables and to be serving as its Executive Director. Along the way I’ve managed to learn a few things, one of which is the truth in Albert Einstein’s statement:

“The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them.”

As applied to global harmony, this means simply that we can’t depend on the on the leaders of those systems which have formed divisions between peoples to bring down the barriers created by those systems. This is not to suggest that these leaders are “bad people”. We are simply acknowledging that our politicians and theologians may not hold the solution to the divisiveness they, at least in part, helped to create.

SANTA FE CHICKEN CASSEROLE

SANTA FE CHICKEN CASSEROLE

Festive & delicious! Guaranteed to please!!

Common Tables Tip: Plan on putting this one together before your guests arrive . . . then just pop it in the oven about 30 minutes before you plan on moving folks into the dining room. (NOTE: If assembled earlier in the day, be sure to refrigerate until time to bake. Add 5 minutes to cooking time if ingredients are chilled.)

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

1 10 ½ oz. can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 10 ½ oz. can condensed cream of chicken soup
¾ cup milk
¼ cup sour cream
1 lg. onion, chopped
1 4-oz. can chopped green chilies
1 Tbsp. dry taco seasoning mix
2 ½ cups cooked chicken, diced
12 corn tortillas
Cooking oil
Sour cream
Chunky salsa
Shredded crisp lettuce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Combine the soups, milk, sour cream, onion, green chilies, taco seasoning and chicken in a large saucepan. Heat thoroughly, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Fry tortillas in hot oil, about 1 minute to soften. Drain on paper towels.

In a 3-4 quart buttered casserole, place a layer of tortillas, a layer of soup mixture and a layer of grated cheese. Repeat layers, ending with cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Pass extra sour cream and salsa and top with shredded lettuce.

"Groundhog Day"

Monday's Media Review

It is tempting to look at this movie as being simply one (albeit great) series of lessons – lessons that you learn and take with you – and to let it go at that.

But here’s the thing: They don’t preach at you. You figure the lessons out as you move through the movie with Phil Connors (Bill Murray), and that makes for a far deeper experience than lessons received in “lecture mode.”

At its core the movie is a comedy – and a very good one. But it’s also a romance. With a metaphysical/moral message. Hmmm. A movie in the romantic-metaphysical-funny-morality sort of genre!

The lesson is a simple one, but delivered in memorable style: we can all change our lives by changing the only thing we really have control over – ourselves. And the only time we can make those changes is today. Remember, the time-loop only ends for Phil Connors when he finds perfect happiness in the present moment.

5 Stars for this one!!

Length: 101 Minutes

Table Grace - Part 2

In March we shared a few examples from our collection of interfaith blessings. A month has gone by and it's time to share a few more of our favorites.


Here are our April selections:

Creator, Earth Mother, we thank you for our lives and this beautiful day.
Thank You for the bright sun and the rain we received last night.
Thank You for this circle of friends and the opportunity to be together.
We want to thank You especially at this time for the giveaway of their lives made by the chickens, beets, carrots, grains and lettuce.
We thank them for giving of their lives so we may continue our lives through this great blessing.
Please help us honor them through how we live our lives.

Native American


Heavenly Father, great and good,
We thank thee for this daily food.
Bless us even as we pray;
Guide and keep us through this day.

From a Collection Compiled by Carmel United Methodist Church, Carmel, IN

More from The Pew Research Center

Returning to the survey from The Pew Research Center - the one we talked about in December: We find some areas for concern, an obvious source of divisiveness, and a hint about where we might look as we search for solutions. Here are some excerpts followed by our comentary:

1. “Public attitudes about Muslims and Islam have grown more negative in recent years.” Things are getting worse, not better.

2. “The biggest influence on the public's impressions of Muslims, particularly among those who express an unfavorable opinion of Muslims, is what people hear and read in the media.” The largest source of unfavorable opinion is the media. It is important to recognize that the influence of the media only exists because of our collective decision to look to sources outside of ourselves to tell us how to think.

3. “The survey shows that knowing a Muslim is associated with more positive views of the religion.” Could it be that increasing global harmony is as simple as getting to know one another?

Interesting to think about.

From The Interfaith Center at the Presidio:

Paul Chaffee, Executive Director of the Interfaith Center at the Presidio in San Francisco:

"Most of us live in an unparalleled religious diversity today. But we enjoy scant dialogue with strangers from different traditions because we lack the context, the safety and 'permission' to talk openly about things that matter. As the Muslims said to the Congregationalists in San Jose when they showed up at worship two Sundays after 9-11: 'We are neighbors, and we don't know each other. We think we should get to know each other. '

"I love Common Tables because it delivers with so little baggage, so little institutional structure to encumber the safety and mutual respect required for initiating engaged interfaith dialogue and relationship. At the same time I appreciate how Common Tables is educating suddenly interfaith-friendly people about appropriate protocols, available resources, and the thousands of grassroots groups and organizations emerging in small towns, cities, regions, across the nation, and on the internet.

"This grassroots movement is a source of hope in a broken world. Common Tables' particular interfaith role, it seems, is helping unleash the power of the internet on a time-honored way to start new relationships - sharing food in someone's home. God bless you!"

AVOCADO PIE

The format most commonly used by our Common Tables groups has one guest bringing a salad, one bringing an appetizer and a third shows up with desert. Continuing on with that theme, this week we offer a recipe for an easy to assemble dessert . . . one which will be a pleasant surprise for all:

AVOCADO PIE

Reminiscent of a Key Lime Pie, but mysteriously cool, smooth and creamy. Fully ripened avocados are the “secret” ingredient.

Yield: 1 Pie (6 Servings)

1 cup avocado pulp, mashed
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk (1 can)
1 teaspoon lime zest
½ cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
1 9 inch graham cracker crumb pie crust
whipped cream
thinly sliced lime, for garnish (optional)

Combine avocado pulp, sweetened condensed milk and lime zest in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Pour filling into pie crust.

Freeze pie for several hours (until solid).

Remove from freezer 15 minutes before serving. Serve with whipped cream. Garnish with lime slices (optional).

The Gospel of Inclusion

I sit here with my copy of The Gospel of Inclusion beside the keyboard. Inside Bishop Carlton Pearson has written: "To Common Tables. What a fantastic and radically indlusive idea! Peace is Possible!"

Combine Bishop Pearson's wonderful endorsement of Common Tables with my own personal belief that he is truly one of the great men of our time and I am left with the knowing that I really can't do a non-biased review of his book. Instead, I will share with you comments from others:

"A refreshing look at a religion that is at the center of the current International conflict. I salute Bishop Pearson for having taken a bold step in the right direction. A book for all sane people to read and digest. Gripping and outstanding!!"

Arun Gandhi, President of the Mahatma K. Ghandi Institute for Nonviolence

"Carlton Pearson's book, The Gospel of Inclusion presents a powerful new voice that is emerging in Pentecostal circles. The God Bishop Pearson is serving is a God of love not judgment, a God of universalism not sectarianism, a God of expansion not control. It is intriguing, provocative and hopeful, a surprising twist in our ancient faith story."

John Shelby Spong, author of Why Christianity Must Change or Die and The Sins of Scripture: Exposing the Bible's Tenor of Hate to Reveal the God of Love

"I love the spirit of Bishop Carlton Pearson's book, The Gospel of Inclusion. It arrives to a generation whose fear of deception is often greater than its faith...Bishop Pearson has nailed a thesis to our church door and demanded reformation. He comes with the spirit of Elijah and the courage of John the Baptist and Paul the Apostle."

Dr. Mark Hanby, Mark Hanby Ministries

"If you are ready to meet God, read my friend Bishop Carlton's wisely, insightful and instantly life changing book. You will be stimulated to share these ideas with all that you love. I did, and I am glad I did."

Mark Victor Hansen, author of Chicken Soup for the Soul

5 Stars!

Original Release Date: April 30, 2007

Length: 245 Pages

Scope of this Initiative

We are approaching social change pluralistically. The Pluralism Project, run by Harvard University, distinguishes between diversity and pluralism as: “Diversity can and often has meant isolation. The dynamic of pluralism, however, is one of meeting and exchange.”

Belief systems are the foundation for core values and that impacts the decision-making and alignment of all people. Meanwhile, individuals struggle to integrate and function in an increasingly diverse and complex environment. This is often based upon fear of the unknown. Many people feel a sense of separation that is perpetuated by the exclusive nature of most of the world’s religions. Add to this the fear of judgment by a deity or church leaders, and we have people that observe each other from afar but generally are reluctant to interact socially. Yet we wonder why world strife and killing in the name of an honored theology persist worldwide.

The 2003 Gallup Religious Tolerance Index suggested that in this country, 17 percent believe they alone know what is true and are labeled isolated or exclusivist. By comparison, 46 percent are labeled tolerant, or “sort of” inclusive. That leaves 37 percent who are called integrated or pluralistic, people who tend to be religiously involved as well as interested in others.

These figures should allay the fears which most of us have harbored at some point that “those folks over there are taking over everything.” Diversity reigns and is not going away, so we need creative ways to build relationships. That’s where Common Tables focuses. We know we can provide the support needed by the 37% that are pluralistic – and we believe we can influence many of the 46% that are tolerant to move into a pluralistic context of thinking.

With a target goal of three million Common Tables members by the end of 2008 – or 750,000 simultaneous dinner meetings - even a relatively small percentage of participation by the pluralistic and tolerant segments of our society will create the change we envision. This is a bottom-up approach that will span across the perceived barriers between our increasingly integrated yet isolated nations.

How We Do It

Every six months, Common Tables will set up a diverse Table of four to eight people in the same geographical area. The role of the individuals is to host (on a rotating basis) a Common Tables Dining Experience. The role of Common Tables is to provide proven interaction guidelines, ice-breaker exercises, and experiential feedback that will ensure a powerful and fun learning experience that gets beyond labels or separation to honor differences and celebrate commonalities and uniqueness.

After four dining experiences in six months, Common Tables will assign members to another diverse Table and the process starts over with new friends – while previous friendships continue to evolve.

Continuing education about religions, philosophies and cultures will be provided through online forums that will be led by topic experts. (In development)

Why We Do It

To paraphrase a great American, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we have a dream – a dream that will open the heart of the world forever. We see a day when individuals create relationships that build acceptance, harmony, and understanding that transcend religious or political differences. We see a day when people of any and all faiths and belief systems will come to see the value in each other’s uniqueness.

We each have the power and the opportunity right in our own communities to affect change. Towns across this nation and the world are becoming more heterogeneous, not less. This grass roots movement can leverage this opportunity. Through Common Tables, it is now so easy to meet and socialize with people outside of your circle of friends – while changing the isolation and separation inherent in our diverse and global society.

Our goal is to actively promote peace through understanding and the dissolution of perceived differences.

Look out your window and see young children of all ethnic backgrounds playing together. Will adult-realities eventually have these children taking up arms against each other because we – as adults – have failed to learn the truth – or at least the common ground – for peaceful coexistence?

This is a pervasive problem between all people of all religions. Look around. Most of the world’s problems originate from the inability of political and religious leaders to find a common ground of understanding and acceptance, or their unwillingness to lessen the reins of control.

In most parts of the world – and from many religious and philosophical teachers – we hear we need to promote racial, ethnic and religious harmony; pursue a relationship of oneness with all mankind, honor our differences and celebrate our common ground. These are all platitudes when they are uttered but not reinforced by action. Common Tables will help to change that by changing how individuals everywhere view diversity. It is happening already.