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Mon 11th Nov

Faiths in Society

Interfaith Week will be Nov 10th-17th, and during this session we will be exploring how different faiths work together, and their contribution to our wider society with perspectives from the local authority, the voluntary sector and faith organisations

Mon 13th Jan

Religious Education in Schools

Thye 24th Jan is the International Day of Education. During this session we will explore the benefit of religious education in state schools and the pros and cons of Faith Schools.

Mon 10^th March

Faith and Water

The 22^nd March is World Water Day. We will explore the spiritual significance of water in different faiths, and how water is used in religious practices.

 

You can register for all events via the u3a Online Events page  

Queries to Dr Peter Rookes at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  

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 Previous Presentations 

Mon 16^th Sept

Faith and Charity

The International Day of Charity occurs on 5^th September. Charity is an important part of many faiths. In this webinar we plan to explore the approach to charity in the Christian, Muslim and Buddhist faiths

 

Mon 15^th July

Forgiveness

Global Forgiveness Day occurs on Jul 7^th.  In this webinar, we will explore what different faiths say about forgiveness and how this is interpreted in situations where people have been wronged or exploited either collectively or individually.

We plan to explore the topic from a Baha’i, Jewish and Sikh perspective.  

Mon 11^th March 24

Women in Faith

International Women’s Day occurs on March 8^th. We will explore the roles of women in different faiths. The spiritual leaders in many faiths are male, but that maybe undervaluing the role of women.

Lesa Cope, President of the Stake Relief Society, will talk about women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons)

Kam Kaur, Senior Social Worker, will talk about Women in the Sikh faith.

Salma Hamid, Chair of the Birmingham More in Common group will talk about women in Islam

Meditation in Faith Recording

Buddha Day occurs in May, and meditation is part of the way in which Buddhists practise their faith

We heard from... Yann Lovelock, Theravadin Buddhist, Senior Advisor, Birmingham Council of Faiths, Brigitte Van Baren - Zen Buddhist, Chair Living Peace Projects Foundation, Adam Green - (Christian) Fellowship of Meditation will talk about Contemplative Meditation

Who was St Valentine, and What is Love - 20th February Recording

Love is a common theme through many faiths

We heard perspectives on Love from a Christian and a Baha’i presenter,  Patricia Earle, Women’s Federation for World Peace and David Earle, Universal Peace Federation. 

The Holocaust, Genocide and Antisemitism - 30th January Recording

In January each year, we remember the Holocaust, during which 6 million Jews from around Europe were murdered as an extreme act of antisemitism and genocide. We will hear from someone who experienced the death camps, and discuss how genocide occurs.

We heard from Alex Maws, Head of Education and Heritage at The Association of Jewish Refugees, Ruth Jacobs, Jewish Community Leader, and Tracy Moses, daughter of a Holocaust Survivor

All Souls – Day of the Dead November 14th Recording

All Souls Day has become better known and popularised as Halloween. The Day of the Dead is a major event in many Latin American countries, particularly Mexico. In this webinar we will have contributions from Christian, Muslim, and other faiths

Diwali October 24th Presentation Recording 

What do we mean by Light, and why is this so important to some of the faiths originating in the Indian Subcontinent? Arvinder Jain of the Jain faith spoke about the significance of Diwali in his faith, and Anjana Shelat, a Hindu explored the significance in her faith. Ajit Singh explored the importance of Bandi Chorr to people of the Sikh faith.

Further information from Ajit:

• A guide to the Gurudwara (produced in conjunction with the Arts Society) http://birmingham-faith-visits.theartssociety.org/sikh
• An overview of our organisation Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha (GNNSJ) and the work it does (coming soon!)
• A link to a short film taking you on a tour of the Gurudwara: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-_fI9i1XiI&t=448s
• A link to a short very beautiful film – ‘Nishkam - Life, Love and Service: A Sikh perspective’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKo2wyJAZ_k&t=220s

Holy Wars or Holy Peace Holy Wars or Holy Peace Sept 5th Recording

The tension in Israel/Palestine has rumbled on since the Balfour Declaration in 1917,  with continued spates of armed conflict.  Claire Bowman, Interchurch and Interfaith Coordinator, Central England Quakers will explore the contribution of Judaism, Islam and Christianity to the conflict, and to peace initiatives.

What was the cause of ‘The Troubles’ in Northern Ireland. To what extent was the conflict about theological differences about how Catholics and Protestants worshipped God.  What part did church leaders play in bringing about the Good Friday Agreement. Dr Mark Dick, a GP in Northern Ireland, and author of the book ‘Towards Oikos’, will explore these issues with us.  

There are a number of faith based organisations promoting World Peace, and why is it so elusive. Patricia and David Earle will discuss the promotion of World Peace by the Universal Peace Federation and the Women’s Federation for World Peace.

Pilgrimages July 18th Presentation Recording

Many people of different faiths go on pilgrimages - we heard about 3 examples - what motivates people to go on pilgrimage, what preparation they need to make, how was it organised, what do 'pilgrims' feel while they are there, and when they return home. What are the similarities and differences between these 3 examples -

• Shahana Khan, Muslim, will tell us about her pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
• Mauricio Silva, Christian, will share his experience of walking to Santiago de Compostela in Spain
• Munpreet Kaur, Sikh, will tell us about her pilgrimage to the Golden Temple in Amritsar, India 

National Buddha Day May 16th presentation

Peter Brookes hosted this special talk for national Buddha Day with speakers Richard Ollier & Lama Choesang.

Richard Ollier has been a practising Buddhist for about thirty-five years, at first in the Theravada tradition, and more recently as an ordained priest in the Amida Order of Pureland Buddhists (in a Japanese tradition). He is a Learning Mentor on an online training course for Buddhist chaplains.

Lama Choesang is a senior Buddhist nun ordained by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet (HHDL). Further ordination in 2001 as a Bikshuni (Gelongma in Tibetan) as a senior nun with some 364 vows.

‘Do All Religions Lead to the Same God?’  20^th April  presentation   

Dr Peter Rookes, National u3a Subject Advisor, Exploring World Faiths, introduced the topic from a mainly, but not exclusively, Abrahamic perspective.

Stephen Vickers, Religious Education Task Force of the Office of Public Affairs, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the UK will present from A Baha'i view -Do all religions lead to the same God? 

Vandna Dey, who is a teacher at the College of Vedic Studies and Head of Education and Pluralism at the West Midlands Hindu Forum will approach the topic from A Hindu perspective  presentation.   

Presentation on the Jain Faith by Arvinder Jain on Monday 4th October - SEE VIDEO HERE 

 

 National Interfaith Week

If you want to let me know in advance of the meeting, any particular points that you would like me to address, then please feel free to do so at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Dr Peter Rookes, National Subject Advisor,  Exploring World Faiths.