Pearlbear transcribed the first panel of the morning for us in the irc channel. (Thank you so so much!) We hope to have audio of all of the panels eventually too, but for now, here’s our first chat transcript of the day…
Jul 15 09:43:15 <pearlbear> Panel #1 - Roots and Branches. Participants: Rachel Berenblat, introduces herself. Velveteen Rabbi is her blog
<pearlbear> Emily Ronald - research associate at the Pluralism Project at Harvard. Hussein Rashid (Islamicate) Ph.D. program at Harvard
<pearlbear> Islamicate, blog of issues related to Islam
<pearlbear> First, we’ll talk about pluralism, what it is, and isn’t
<pearlbear> Emily: Pluralism project - studying the diversity in the US. One of the definitions of pluralism - a guiding principle.
<Rachel> FYI, these quotes about pluralism are online here: http://www.islamicate.com/islamicate/2006/07/pfbc_pluralism.html
<pearlbear> In her work, Emily looks at the ways that sometimes we fail to come to grips with it - the challenges of pluralism
<pearlbear> Can also see the blessings of pluralism, such as the Katrina efforts, interfaith dialogue that is new, organizations that take interfaith approaches to the environment, or the workplace, or an art project
<pearlbear> www.pluralism.org, a lot of research and a directory of religious centers across the US
<pearlbear> challenges and blessings of pluralism comes from the fact that it is a process, which is ongoing.
<pearlbear> Rachel: talk about blogging community or communities. Are we one or many? How do we intersect? How are we interested in coming together?
<pearlbear> Question to audience: where are the different connections between our faith communities, and where do we want them to be?
<pearlbear> Hussein: Islamicate started in 2003. One of the first two substantive commenters on the blog - an episcopalian, and Rachel
<pearlbear> As they were trying to figure out who they were, and why they were different, they learned that they could be in a place to build bridges between different faiths
<pearlbear> Emphasis on the everyday interactions to keep conversations keeping.
<pearlbear> We read blogs of different traditions, so we are already building connections with each other
<pearlbear> Arthur: History of the connections are around, but we are in a new situation. Perhaps like 12th century Andalucia with a depth of connection.
<pearlbear> different religious traditions on the planet are like organs in a body. What are the connections?
<pearlbear> Two levels of connection: organs communicate directly with each other. The second: they all have their same DNA.
<pearlbear> What is it that’s the same DNA at the heart of all of our traditions. How does it unfolds in to difference?
<pearlbear> Chris Walton: Whether people interact with people who hold different theological views within their own traditions?
<pearlbear> Most people raised their hands
<pearlbear> How do we connect both between and within traditions
<pearlbear> Tim: It’s easier to talk across faith lines than to conservative Presbyterians, for instance because of the vitriol and conflict that is happening now
<Xpatriated> crucify them
<Xpatriated> ok, not really
<pearlbear> Thalia: Deep fracture inside Christianity. We struggle with what to do with the conservative Christians.
<pearlbear> Radical right: plague and scourge and heartbreak as a Christian
<pearlbear> Mik: Blogs tend to attract people of opposite views - to cause trouble and troll. Not terribly productive. On the other hand, how do we create forums that people who have different understandings can come together. Have folks had a good experience with that?
<pearlbear> At JSpot, there has been a good experience, more space to have that. In other places it seems that it is rarely a civil conversation.
<pearlbear> Chris Walton: Grew up a Mormon, now a Unitarian. Follows timesandseasons.org - largest Mormon blog in the world. Grew out of online conversations of 4 law students - conservative and center/left
<pearlbear> attracts very broad range of Mormon opinion. 4 original bloggers were committed to civil conservative engagement - so that the blog conversation stays civil
<pearlbear> In the Unitarian blogging community - some conversation between conservatives and others. Mormon blog is a good example.
<pearlbear> Steve Rockwell: Less concerned about having cross-political spectrum conversations right now. The left doesn’t have a well set agenda. We know what we are against, but not what we are for.
<pearlbear> Alot have pushed us to do the cross-political boundary stuff. We need to get together ourselves first, to figure out what we stand for, and then have these conversations.
<pearlbear> The emphasis, time spent should be on redefining the policies that we stand for, what are they now?
<pearlbear> Tim: He disagrees because there are so many evangelical conservative Chrisitans, some have never heard Christian ministers who have never affirmed a woman’s choice for an abortion, or equal treatment for gays and lesbians.
<pearlbear> They have been talking in their own echo chamber for so long, that they haven’t heard other voices.
<pearlbear> They haven’t had people from their own religious tradition speak back.
<pearlbear> We need those kinds of conversations.
<pearlbear> There is chaos within progressives about our message, but there are those who have never heard people speak against tax cuts, or the war - having that contact can be transformational
<pearlbear> Tim: Christian Alliance for Progress
<pearlbear> http://blog01.kintera.com/christianalliance/
<pearlbear> Lorianne: Are we talking about going to radical right blog and attracting notice, or are we relying on Google? How much are we going out, how much are we letting people find us?
<pearlbear> Thurman: He has suggested to people not to engage the religious right - it will attract hard right commenters
<pearlbear> There are 10 to 20 readers to each commenters. There are people on the right we will never convince. But there is a large middle part of america we can reach
<pearlbear> Bruce Prescott: Never had to invite the right to my site - they just come. Like electronic graffiti - try to refute everything you said.
<pearlbear> Dialogue between the readers. We are first trying to just find each other. Progressives of a variety of traditions.
<pearlbear> the other side has taken over the public domain, and we don’t have a voice.
<pearlbear> They dominate the airwaves, there is not enough $ in the progressive community to buy up the communications abilities they have
<pearlbear> What kind of a nation are we going to be? Are we going to be pluralistic? Only way is to work on the internet. We have to find each other first, then find a way to communicate that message more carefully and thoughtfully.
<pearlbear> Thalia: Beliefnet - a place where a lot of people discuss that. Can the progressive community make a liason with a place like Beliefnet - why not make a connection to that instead of reinventing the wheel
<pearlbear> How many have posted on Beliefnet? A few raised their hands.
<pearlbear> Nathan: progressive statesman. There is a good agenda on economic justice. Someone who is in the unchurched nonfaith community. Hear too much about tolerance. Not recruiting.
<pearlbear> The religious right recruits, the religious left does not.
<pearlbear> People who go to church most often didn’t used to vote right wing
<pearlbear> Who is talking to them? When you have a conversation - what is the arguments that connect people, and will draw people in?
<pearlbear> Engaging the hard right is diverting you from your goal. How do you gain people from the margins?
<pearlbear> Omar Sayed: Muslimwakeup.com progressivemeetup.com(?)
<pearlbear> First - organize amongst ourselves and come up with a strategy.
<pearlbear> Then, once we are know how to approach it, make conversations. Start with moderates.
<pearlbear> Two issues: gender - Mixed gender prayer lead by a woman. Lots of press, death threats, demonstrators. And the gay rights issue.
<pearlbear> Demonstrators are too radical to engage.
<pearlbear> Hussein: Within each community, issues are a little different
<pearlbear> conversation is happening with moderates
<pearlbear> Extremism in the Muslim tradition both left and right - what does it mean to be liberal? Where do we situate the text, and how do we use the text to move forward?
<pearlbear> Arguments put forward are textually based. Progressive label is a contentious issue among Muslims right now - fracturing this community, like it is fracturing many communities
<pearlbear> Rachel: this conversation must continue - at lunch, on our blogs - the friendships we make here can help sustain this conversation.
<pearlbear> What are our roots, and where can our branches grow?
