Thoughts on a multi-religious community center / campus?

M

Many Rooms

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Hi everyone, I am new to the Interfaith forums, so please forgive me in advance if I am not following certain rules with respect to new posts or new users.

I'd like to open a religious center in America that is welcoming and attractive to all faiths. I have both the funds and time and plan to do it in 2018.

The physical space aims to be a hub for interfaith dialogue and collaboration. We could host events, provide basic religious education, and support members in their programs and initiatives. And just be a comfortable place to gather and meet interesting people.

Imagine if Buddhists, Muslims, Christians, Protestants, Hindus, Jews, etc, of all ages could come together on a regular basis to learn from each other, interact, teach, share, and try to connect on principles and hopes that we share.

I expect there will always be those who wouldn't participate or may even oppose such an effort, but I also believe there are plenty of people - of all faiths - who would be interested. Our aim is to attract the latter, and build a critical mass, and spread our message.

I'd like to get this community's feedback and advice and participation. There are so many questions I have, such as:

-Which city do you think is best to host the first such center? If it were successful, I could foresee opening new locations around the world. My initial instinct is near a large, diverse college campus, since frankly speaking, young people seem more open to new ideas, and we could spread slowly to other locales. So I have been thinking about areas like Boston, the Bay Area, even Vancouver (though I am most comfortable and familiar with the States)

-What would be the "hook", so to speak, to attract people? I'd like it to be a community center that is more than just a place to come for an event and leave, but rather one where people wish to come on a regular and consistent basis

Thanks for your time! My desire is to foster cooperation and empathy among the religious traditions (including religious nones). Thus my new username, which is a nod to Life of Pi: "Faith is a house of many rooms."
 
Many Rooms said:
I'd like to get this community's feedback and advice and participation. There are so many questions I have, such as:

-Which city do you think is best to host the first such center? If it were successful, I could foresee opening new locations around the world. My initial instinct is near a large, diverse college campus, since frankly speaking, young people seem more open to new ideas, and we could spread slowly to other locales. So I have been thinking about areas like Boston, the Bay Area, even Vancouver (though I am most comfortable and familiar with the States)
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There are many inter-faith councils in various cities... I would suggest you be in touch with one and work with them to build such a center. You also might work with the Parliament of World Religions that holds regular meetings and/or the Charter for Compassion.
 
AWESOME....

And while Bahai and Unitarian Universalists do something of the sort... they are both central based on their theology...

I like your proposal, your concept and have thought of it before... My idea worked around the community center concept, being available for sports, plays, providing something for communities...and then rent out rooms to small congregations of Christians, Muslims, Hindus....etc...whatever theology is active in the community...groups that are interested in interfaith discussion and exploration...groups that don't mind holding their services in rooms with alters and symbols from other faith groups...

You have peaked my interest.
 
Many Rooms said:
-Which city do you think is best to host the first such center? If it were successful, I could foresee opening new locations around the world. My initial instinct is near a large, diverse college campus, since frankly speaking, young people seem more open to new ideas, and we could spread slowly to other locales. So I have been thinking about areas like Boston, the Bay Area, even Vancouver (though I am most comfortable and familiar with the States)
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Perhaps a city in the South, where I think there is more resistance to interfaith dialogue and collaboration.
 
Many Rooms said:
...for interfaith dialogue and collaboration...a comfortable place to gather and meet interesting people...of all ages could come together on a regular basis to learn from each other, interact, teach, share, and try to connect on principles and hopes that we share...spread our message...foster cooperation and empathy among the religious traditions (including religious nones)
Click to expand...
 
Wil: Atma sees and thought so and even would wonder if the is somebody seriously investing time others than for gain. But "hope dies at least".

ACupOfTea: and, Atma does not see ny purpose. Look right here: you have here a ruin of such. 1000sents of dollar invested to built up and maintain. Even a generously person like Steve giving 1000$/year to keep it running, pays 5times more as usual for even bad performance, is how ever incapable to fix that, a overloded hightech software not useable for not overloaded people and at least maintains a host of a kind of muppets show with its comic avatars having "Statler and Waldorf" poping up from time to time. Thats it. Drive in consuming. Nobody willing to give either material, time, service, knowldge...

So why people, especially lay build centers and churches? To gain. If they see no gain in it, if they would be required to give to something they not own, something more sublime: no way and hardly a worthy receiver.

Look at Arthra. It works most effective in poor countries, like Cambodia, rich people erect their Lingas and the slaves and consumer come as long there is food. If good and having made them obligated enough, if they fall fallen in depts enough, the Linga will stand and be maintaint for a while. That keeps the world burning and the wheel running hot. The more in dept, the more bound. Nobody starts even with the prerequisite to learn to get deptless, generosity.

So its market nothing else, foster cooperation on how to gain and feed "inter"ly. All this interfaith assamblings are nothing different as G5 or 6 meetings, thays it or ever seen hard discussions without censure and seeking real ways for even public? That neither serves a market nor would trader ever risk.

Correct Atma if wrong.
 
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This palce here for example would require some hundred $ for restoring and maybe some hundreds a month (about 800/year already safed by getting the page on a seriouse host) for a professional admin (Atma doubt that anybody here would do such voluntary, hardly give anything else). Investors are not easy interested in slaves start to work, as well as consumer look for best useable givers where they espect the most less depts. So they are bound to each other, neither giver nor receiver any longlasting benefit from it. The OP is just to look if you or somebody would fit well into a certain undertaking of such kind. Seeing how lax and "impotent" people are, even not useable as investor, one walks on.

Don't tell Atma than many of you give more than 1000$ for something not for your self and even time to maintain it, yet by oneself not much of wealth.

And you like to make foundations for an international spiritual center? Better consume further, you are old now ...
 
The "conclusions" have been all around "because (ordinary) people simply give where they see their horse in it". So what's the purpose with and for people giving on horses of them? The disagreements would be all around your horse, wouldn't they?
 
Samana Johann said:
The "conclusions" have been all around "because (ordinary) people simply give where they see their horse in it". So what's the purpose with and for people giving on horses of them? The disagreements would be all around your horse, wouldn't they?
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You are right, I now agree with all your conclusions.
 
That's a good wish, Wil. The wish to give and give is always good and bears always fruits, little later or lifetimes. You are not whereyou are by accident or by the power of somebody else.

To wish to contol something is not. What ever holding on leads to suffering.

Aditta Sutta: (The House) On Fire

When a house is on fire
the vessel salvaged
is the one that will be of use,
not the one left there to burn.

So when the world is on fire
with aging and death,
one should salvage [one's wealth] by giving:
what's given is well salvaged.

What's given bears fruit as pleasure.
What isn't given does not:
thieves take it away, or kings;
it gets burnt by fire or lost.

Then in the end
one leaves the body
together with one's possessions.
Knowing this, the intelligent man
enjoys possessions & gives.

Having enjoyed & given
in line with his means,
uncensured he goes
to the heavenly state.
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