Conference on Spiritual Activism - co-sponsored by PDA

[pberq]

http://pdamerica.org/events/display-full.php?id=538

Conference on Spiritual Activism
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Washington, DC

PDA is proud to be a co-sponsor of the Conference on Spiritual Activism, May 17-20, 2006, in Washington, DC

We have a strategy for challenging the religious right—and we need your help! Please join us.

The Conference on Spiritual Activism is one step towards building a Network of Spiritual Progressives. Spiritual Progressives are citizens who identify as “spiritual but not religious” as well progressive religious people. This conference will encourage the Network of Spiritual Progressives to:

• challenge the misuse of God and religion by the religious right • challenge the hostility toward religion and spirit in some parts of the left • work for a new bottom line of love and caring in our public life.

The conference will revolve in part around the Spiritual Covenant with America in Rabbi Michael Lerner's The Left Hand of God: Taking Back Our Country from the Religious Right, which offers a blueprint for transforming liberal politics into a hopeful vision for America's future. It will also celebrate the release of the paperback edition of God’s Politics by Jim Wallis.

PDA is pleased to announce that Rev. Lennox Yearwood and Cindy Sheehan, PDA Advisory Board Members, will address the plenary session and PDA will facilitate a workshop entitled: Being Grassroots Spiritual Progressives in the Democratic Party.

Other conference speakers include Rabbi Michael Lerner, Jim Wallis, Cornel West, Sister Joan Chittister, Robert Thurman, Rev. Tony Campolo, Arun Gandhi, Christopher Hedges, Harvey Cox, Rabbi Arthur Waskow, Dr. Michael Gorman, Dr. Abdul Aziz Said, John Shelby Spong, Rev. Osegyefo Sekou, and many more. Other workshop topics will include spiritual economics, nonviolence, ecology and spirituality, faith in the GLBT community, aging and death, spirit and money, rediscovering awe, a spiritually centered labor movement, overcoming media cynicism, women’s spirituality, Buddhism and social healing, saving Christmas from the religious right, evolution and intelligent design, and many more!

[WritingIsMyReligion]

1. Interesting.

I identify myself as eccentrically spiritual--but I'm not a fan of OR. Where does that put me?

:shrug:

[Maat]

6. It makes you a 'spiritual independent.'

That's what I call many members of my group.

[sutz12]

2. I like the concept...

especially the "take religion back from the religious right" part.

I'm not religious myself, and not very spiritual either. The whacko faction of the religious right is one of the prime dangers to our society, though, IMO. Good Christians are good for society, or at least are not bad for it. They like to support charities and help those who need it. They need to start regaining control of the religious agenda, though.

I always thought that people of strong spiritual character would be more progressive on social issues than the ultra-conservatives that seem to get the air time over the past couple of decades.

[Maat]

3. We just started a group ...

of women who are both progressive and spiritual. It has grown to 40 members already. I'd love to go to this conference, but it's in Washington D.C.!

[pberq]

4. congratulations - keep up the good work!

[kwassa]

5. It sounds interesting, indeed

but it takes place during the week, rather than the weekend, which would make it difficult for me to attend. Tickets range is $48 - $380, which is mysterious. The pricing structure isn't in the ad.

Many liberal religious allstars on the list, though. Some of the workshops seem to get off the path into unrelated topics.

All Souls Unitarian Church, near Adams Morgan.

[Maat]

7. Good points, Kwassa.

Duly noted.