Interfaith Dialogue on Peace Building – Saturday, June 11th, 1-2PM
The Tacoma Buddhist Temple, in partnership with Associated Ministries, will host an interfaith dialogue on peace building on June 11, 2016 at 1:00 p.m. This is a free public event and is open to all members of the Tacoma community. It is hoped that this event will help people of faith in Tacoma think about what they can do to contribute to peace here, and in the wider world.
Panelists include Joshua Christy (Baha’i Faith Tacoma), Reverend Joseph Hickey-Tiernan (Church of the Holy Spirit, Vashon Island), Professor Turan Kayaoglu (University of Washington-Tacoma), and Reverend Kojo Kakihara (Tacoma Buddhist Temple). The event will be moderated by Dr. Amanda Feller, a professor of communication at Pacific Lutheran University who specializes in dialog and conflict resolution.
Asked why he wanted to hold this event at his temple, Reverend Kakihara explains, “Depending on how we use it, religion can become a barrier that separates us from others, but I believe that religion enables us to accept different people, as well as bring happiness and peace to their and our lives. I hope that through this event we are all able to deepen our understanding of our own religions and the religions of others in order to sense the interconnectedness of life.”
Dr. Erik Hammerstrom, another of the event’s organizers, says, “There is a tendency to over-emphasize religion’s role in conflict in the world. While conflict is certainly one part of the history of religion, it is also important for religious people to affirm and uplift the many contributions that religion has made, and can continue to make, to building peace at the local and global levels.” Hammerstrom is a professor of religion at Pacific Lutheran University and a member of the Tacoma Buddhist Temple’s Buddhist Education Committee.
What: Interfaith Dialogue on Peace-Building
Where: Tacoma Buddhist Temple, 1717 S. Fawcett Ave., Tacoma, WA 98402
When: Saturday, June 11, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
Contact Person: Dr. Erik Hammerstrom, hammerej@plu.edu, 503-502-5070