Showing posts with label Religion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Religion. Show all posts

Friday, 24 August 2012

A fabulous Friday at the Festival


THERE is a focus on political issues viewed in a fresh way this Friday, the final one of the Festival of Spirituality and Peace, starting with Churches Own 8% of the Planet at St John's (Venue 127) at 10am.

This conversation discusses the responsibility of churches as major landowners and issues such as environmentalism, co-operation and collaboration. Featuring Martin Palmer from the Alliance of Religions and Conservation and the Rt Rev Dr John Armes, Diocese of Edinburgh.

Two more conversations come lunchtime: at noon, we ask What is Uprising in Syria?, with Sadarat Kadri, international law barrister, Dr Mounier Atassi, Syrian organiser of a Glasgow protest again the regime, and Dr Thomas Pierret, University of Edinburgh lecturer in Contempotary Islam.

At 2pm, a more unusual conversation, Our Friend Death. Join the writer of sitcom 'Roger and Val', in which death features prominently, Arthur Smith, one of Britain's premier comedians, and John Lanchester, author of 'Capital'. Chaired by Richard Smith, international advocate for a better understanding of death and dying.

The final conversation of the day will be Bosnia Twenty Years On at 6pm, the second of our Feature Conversations. On the twentieth anniversary of the conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Mustafa Ceric, the Grand Mufti of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Rev Donald Reeves, the Director of the Soul of Europe and Professor Hugh Goddard of the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal centre for the Study of Islam in the Contemporary World come together to discuss the legacy of the conflict.

Also at 6pm will be the last chance to see The Scottish Six, which has created a really positive stir in Edinburgh. Lesley Riddoch and Andy Wightman discuss land, power, culture and social change in the Scotland of today and tomorrow.

On the literary side of things, there will be another session of Poetry in the Persian Tent at 11am with an all-woman line-up: Vicki Feaver, Jane McKie and Patricia Ace will be sharing their poetry, joined by Irene Railley and her a capella group Just Voices.

After this will come a whole evening of poetry, starting at 8pm with Wolf at the Door – a Collaboration of Eco-Poetry and Soundings between Mairi Campbell and Em Strang. Weaving together word and sound, they will bring a whole new meaning to mouth music.

At 8pm in the Hall will be Duncan Mackintosh's second and final Evening with Rumi, followed by your second chance to see Milosz in Living Pictures.

There will also be two workshops, Henna Workshop for Beginners at 4pm and The Long and Winding Road at 7pm, an informal free session for people in their late teens and early twenties to share their experiences of journeys and travelling.

As ever, a full and diverse day of events and entertainment and one final chance to see some of our great events before the Festival closes.

Wednesday, 22 August 2012

Powerful message from Catholic Peacemaker

NOBEL Peace Prize nominee and globally recognized advocate for peace and nonviolence, Fr John Dear SJ, is taking part in the Festival of Spirituality and Peace on 22 August.

The Catholic priest will be on the platform alongside the Rev Kathy Galloway, who is the head of Christian Aid in Scotland and a former leader of the Iona Community. The conversation session is entitled 'The Spirituality and Practice of Peace in a World of War'.

The event takes place at St John's Church, Edinburgh (Venue 127), from 6.30pm - 7.30pm on Wednesday evening. The discussion, which will be moderated by Brian Larkin, Coordinator of the Edinburgh Peace and Justice Centre, will explore the resources needed to engage in active peacemaking in a world Fr Dear believes is "addicted to war and weaponry".

More here.

Tuesday, 21 August 2012

Exploring women and religion

WOMEN'S experience and feminist theology has asked deep and difficult questions about the role of women within and across all of the world's religions.

Should traditions, practices and scriptures be reconsidered and re-valued from the female perspective? Should male-dominated imagery and language about God still determine women’s place among their fellow believers? How can this happen in a way that does justice to religious belief and tradition?

These and other important questions will be discussed this morning by the Rev Fiona Bennett from the United Reformed Church; Dr Lesley Orr from the University of Edinburgh; and Ravinder Kaur Nijaar from the Religions for Peace European Women's Network.

Together they will consider a redefined role for women in relation to religion and belief.

Tuesday 21 August, 12.30pm - 1.30pm, St. Cuthbert’s Church off Lothian Road (Venue 122), Lindisfarne Room. This event is FREE.

Thursday, 9 August 2012

Do we need 'disorganised religion'?

WE live in an era where people are inquisitive about spirituality, but hugely distrustful or even hostile towards ‘organised religion’, especially in its Christian forms.

But there are strong anti-institutional and non-hierarchical traditions in Christianity and beyond.

Can Anabaptists, Quakers, Nonconformists and loyal dissenters from within the major streams of Christianity offer a new vision of faith and an alternative to top-down religion?

Join the ‘vast minority’ at the Festival of Spirituality and Peace in Edinburgh to discuss what a radical reformation in the Church has to offer - and how this relates to the wider demography of religious and belief-based change in a globalising world.

The event takes place on Thursday 9 August, from 5.45pm - 7pm, at St John’s (Venue 127), corner of Princes Street and Lothian Road, Edinburgh. £6.50 (£4.50 concessions).

Speakers: Ian Milligan, from Exploring Anabaptism in Scotland and the Bert community in Glasgow; Simon Barrow, co-director of Ekklesia, trstee for the Mennonite Centre Trust and former global mission secretary for Churches Together in Britain and Ireland; and Michael Marten, co-founder of the ‘Critical Religion’ research group at the University of Stirling. In partnership with the Iona Community and Ekklesia.

* Book now via the Hub