Dalai Lama on Interfaith Cooperation – to Glenn Beck!

Words of wisdom fell like pearls (as usual) out of the Dalai Lama on the desperate need for people of all faiths to work together at this juncture in human history.  But not as usual, they were spoken to Glenn Beck.  T’was an awesome conversation on interfaith-ism. (I think that needs to be a word, interfaithism)

Glenn Beck told the Dalai Lama about the interfaith work he himself is doing “trying to bring different faiths together without mixing our theology,” in hopes of repairing some of the religious strife ripping the world apart these days.

Dalai Lama Buddhist priest on interfaith dialogThe Dalai Lama replied the way in which religions hate each other so much “is one of the biggest heartbreaks of his life right now.”

The Buddhist Pope as he’s been called says “we are dividing ourselves. That we’re being so foolish by dividing ourselves when we all will stand together. We all have similar, if not the same goal. Any good religion has the same goal, and that is happiness, love, and peace. And if we can’t unite on that goal as humans — because he said everybody on earth needs to recognize that we’re all equal, that we are all the same. We’re all human. We’re all born, and we all want to be happy. But as he said, there is some troublemakers in that lot as well. And he said many of the troublemakers are highly educated people that are using their position to crush others. He said we’re social animals and yet we’re very self-centered, and those two things don’t match. He said we have to get back to the basics — his words — back to the basics, because this is not good for our future, to be so self-centered, if we have to have each other to lean on. And he counseled that we begin to be friends again. He said friendship comes from trust. Trust comes from caring and serving others.”

Read the entire conversation and see a short video clip of the two here at The Blaze.

Pure Vision: The Magdalene Revelation

Has anyone read this intriguing sounding new book, Pure Vision: The Magdalene Revelation?

“By weaving myth, history and international intrigue, my novel PURE VISION: The Magdalene Revelation addresses the Middle East imbroglio through the eyes of a woman determined to discover the truth.

NEW YORK TIMES reporter Maggie Seline has written an explosive book that offers a controversial solution to the Middle East crisis. During a live radio interview, a kidnapping attempt is made and Maggie vanishes. Her disappearance sets in motion a worldwide women’s march toward Jerusalem that threatens the status quo and parallels a frantic race to possess ancient talismans.”

I found the book description above after reading a cool article with nifty illustrations,

The Cyrus Cylinder, Eleanor Roosevelt & The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The Cyrus Cylinder was an ancient kind of Bill of Rights — Cyrus the Persian is in the Bible and pre-dates Christianity. Our Constitution was probably influenced by Cyrus’ earliest “Bill of Rights” since Thomas Jefferson and other founding fathers studied it extensively. In the article linked just above, there are many keywords that resonate with me (and our work here at the seminary) such as Multi-faith and Interfaith, Metaphysical. What a surprise to see Magdalene’s name in a book title by the same author.

Just ordered a copy, the kindle version is less than three dollars, even though I don’t have much time to read novels any more these days! After the DaVinci Code several years ago I haven’t read but one or two.

Pure Vision: The Magdalene Revelation

“A thrill ride in the vein of The Da Vinci Code but with a much larger vision for all of us. The alchemy is part historic fiction, part spiritual adventure, and a variety of interfaith metaphysics that metamorphosize into a golden vision of world peace . . . a page turner.”
— Paul Hertel, Whole Living

“Presents a fascinating story full of intrigue and history. Birney’s fiction seamlessly blends science and religion into a tale worthy of Indiana Jones . . . The book left this reader confident that idealism is not dead and that, sometimes, it can be the road map by which we might save ourselves.”
–Cynthia Warren, Daily Freeman

“Birney infuses this epic novel with feminine echoes of The Da Vinci Code and The Red Tent, with her eyes on the prize of world peace. Reporter Maggie Seline courts controversy by championing an international Jerusalem…when she disappears, women around the globe march for peace…powerful men vie for two ancient artifacts.”
– Chronogram