Who we are
Introducing Faith & the Common Good
An overview of Faith & the Common Good: As peoples of differing faiths and cultures, we affirm common values of justice, peace, participation, human rights, ecological inter-relationship, and compassion as cornerstones of a healthy society.
Seeking the common good in Canada is a tradition long-lived by peoples who have struggled to be a community in the rugged beauty of this land. The harsh climate, the distances, and the inter-mixing of peoples have challenged us, yet we have also been sustained by the belief - still valid today - that this land and people have tremendous opportunities ahead.
The world community, and Canadians themselves view this northern place as a land of opportunity and tolerance; a place to create a home where peace, fairness, democracy, ecological well-being, economic opportunity, and seeking the common good are a way of life.
Yet we increasingly live in a competitive era of brand-name consumerism and mega-market homogenisation. Faith & the Common Good is an initiative asking Canadians what values we believe should form our communities - small and large.
Faith & the Common Good is intentionally being inter-faith and inter-cultural in its organisation and objectives because this is Canada now, and increasingly will be in our future. To live inter-faith/inter-culturally in a spirit of the common good is our vision for Canada.
Organisation, Partnerships, and Funding
We are led by a committee made up of religious leaders from across the country.
Faith & the Common Good is led by an inter-faith Advisory Committee made up of religious leaders from across the country. As well, two part-time paid staff people work out of an office provided by the Toronto School of Theology at the University of Toronto.
Faith & The Common Good has five years of challenge funding from the Atkinson Foundation. Additional funding has come from the Chadha Family Trust, the World Conference on Religion and Peace, the Canadian Earth Summit Secretariat, the Toronto School of Theology, and F&CG network members. The World Conference on Religion and Peace is also a project associate, and Kairos has been a partner organization in several cases. The Toronto School of Theology provides office space and subsidised administrative support. (Find out how you can make a donation here.)
A Space for Dialogue and Action
We hope we are creating the opportunity for as many as possible to seriously talk together, work with their communities to consider the issues, and to create a political voice that will help shape Canada's future.
How we talk with each other and organise ourselves to be a strong political voice is the challenge before us.
It is not too hard to name our religious values that promote justice, care for others, and care for the Earth, but how do we collectively express these values in Canada today? How do our government policies - as representing the will of the people - serve to offer all of us economic, educational, health, cultural, ecological, and social opportunities and well-being?
We hear repeatedly from government leaders that the "civil sector" (implying faith groups, charities and social agencies) is better able to deliver humanitarian services in their communities. How do we respond to this?
Do we take the challenge and create our own infrastructures to meet our community's needs? Or do we say, as folks did at the beginning of the twentieth century, it is better to deliver these services collectively? If so, what have we learned from the twentieth century experiment and how can be it be done with more sensitivity, accountability, and efficiency? Obviously, these ethical issues need further discussion.
We hope that Faith & the Common Good is creating the opportunity for as many as possible to seriously talk together, work with their communities to consider the issues, and to create a political voice that will help shape Canada's future.
Current Focus: Renewing the Sacred Balance
Click on the image to see a larger version of the poster (Flash format-259Kb)
We are currently focussing on the theme Renewing the Sacred Balance - integrating faith, spirituality, and ecology. Renewing the Sacred Balance is about rekindling our relationship with one another and with the entire community of creatures who share the biosphere of Earth. It's about living life with sacred awareness and an ethic of respect, balance, and harmony. Go here to find out more...
As a part of our work on Renewing the Sacred Balance, we are currently focussing on two major projects:
Greening Sacred Spaces
Greening Sacred Spaces is a practical programme developed by Faith & the Common Good to assist faith communities to Renew the Sacred Balance and to reduce their energy consumption. We have developed a whole resource kit – with workshops, posters, music, and more– to help faith groups reduce greenhouse gases and to live sustainably. (Find out more...)
The Green Rule
Faith & the Common Good derived the Green Rule poster from the classic Golden Rule found in many major faith traditions. Most are familiar with the Christian Golden Rule: "Do to others as you would have them do to you." For the Green Rule we are paraphrasing the Golden Rule by saying: "Do unto the Earth as you would have it do unto you." We have looked to the same sacred teachings of many of the world’s great religions and spiritual traditions to reveal similar expressions of concern, only in choosing our quotes we have extended the plea for compassion to include all of our neighbours, human beings, animals, birds, trees. (Find out more...)