{"id":1727,"date":"2015-05-13T20:35:21","date_gmt":"2015-05-14T01:35:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.scarboromissions.ca\/?page_id=1727"},"modified":"2015-05-13T20:41:22","modified_gmt":"2015-05-14T01:41:22","slug":"what-people-are-saying","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.scarboromissions.ca\/golden-rule\/what-people-are-saying","title":{"rendered":"What People are Saying"},"content":{"rendered":"
The Scarboro Missions Golden Rule poster is making a global impact. Here at Scarboro Missions, we are constantly receiving e-mails and letters about the poster. And they are coming from all over the globe. We also receive newspaper articles about the poster from various parts of the world. Here are some recent samples of these e-mails, letters and articles.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n “This poster just keeps on giving. We use the poster with our patients, staff and in the community.” “I just want to let you know that I included the Golden Rule Poster and the 13 expressions of the Golden Rule in a scripture study (instead of a Bible study) I did for a gathering of Asian religious educators in Taiwan early this month. The study group was so delighted to know that in fact there is this common bond among the religions that ties us all together despite our differences.” “Here at the prison, the men and their families read and reread the poster on a regular basis. On more than one occasion, I have seen a man who was packing for his release take the poster off the wall and photocopy it piece-by-piece so that he could take it home with him. – Kate Johnson, Frontenac Institution, Kingston, Canada<\/p>\n “Thanks for sending the posters to our seminary here. The poster will be displayed in a number of our classrooms. In one of our community houses (Oblates of St. Francis de Sales) in Bangalore, India, the poster is hanging in our novitiate. The message of the poster is very timely because Muslim-Christian relations here are very tense, particularly in the South.” “Our Interfaith Alliance was hosting a display table at an event this past Saturday. We have the Golden Rule poster framed and on display at all our interfaith events. People just can’t stop looking at it and talking about it.” “I work with Interfaith Ministries of Wichita, Kansas. We base all our work on the Golden Rule that you present on your website.” “Inspired by the Scarboro Missions Golden Rule poster, our church has, for the last 3 years, sponsored Lenten series on interfaith themes. The series, presented to the entire Belleville community and region, has thus far been enthusiastically received and well-attended. We, the organizers, believe that this kind of education is contributing to inter- and intra-faith understanding, tolerance and friendship. We commend you and your colleagues at Scarboro Missions for your timely and helpful highlighting of the Golden Rule as a way of moving beyond ignorance and suspicion among peoples of different cultures and faiths.” “I just wanted to let you know that the Golden Rule posters have been sent to many of our local hospitals here in Albuquerque. And I must say, they have been well received. It has been a delightful experience for me as our patients who come to our chapel make positive comments on the content of the poster. I can’t thank Scarboro Missions enough!” “Please send copies of your wonderful Golden Rule poster for use in our school here in England.” “Early this morning, I passed through the airport here in Munich, Germany. When I saw your beautiful poster, I was so deeply touched in my soul that I immediately looked up your homepage on the Internet. How can I get one of these posters?” “Thank you very much for the Golden Rule Poster. We intend to have it laminated and displayed in our main reception hall here at the consulate.” “Your Golden Rule poster has been forwarded to me as chairperson of the Board of School Trustees of School District No. 36 (Surrey). Scarboro Missions is to be commended for its dedication and the outstanding quality of this poster. We are considering placing this educational tool with its powerful message in some of our 117 schools.” “When I first saw your poster, I stopped in my tracks. I was amazed at how quickly it had touched me even from my peripheral vision. The message of the poster is incredibly powerful in its simplicity. The poster manages to unite every corner of the planet with one essential statement.” <\/a><\/p>\n Excerpted from, the Scarboro Missions Newsletter of July\/August 2004.<\/p>\n The following article was published in the Summer 2004 issue of the newsletter of the North American Interfaith Network (NAIN). The article reports on the stunning way in which the poster is being used at the largest tourist attraction in the United States of America. It was written by Rev. John Chell, President of the Mall Area Religious Council.<\/em><\/p>\n The Mall of America<\/strong> in Bloomington, Minneapolis has become the number one tourist attraction in the USA, with 41 million shoppers and visitors from around the world. The Mall Area Religious Council (MARC) – with NAIN membership and consisting of 36 local Twin Cities congregations and world religion groups – uses the Golden Rule Poster as one way to effectively bring a spiritual presence to the Mall. The poster produced by Paul McKenna and Scarboro Missions, (Canada) presents 13 sacred versions of the Golden Rule along with symbols of each religion. MARC uses the poster in very unique Mall Interfaith events which create considerable attention, conversation and mutual understanding.<\/p>\n Here are four examples.<\/p>\n Example One:<\/strong> in a development resulting from the 9\/11 tragedy, Mall Management contacted MARC to work with them in the development of an interfaith Employee Meditation Room. At the Opening Ceremony in 2002, MARC presented a matted, framed copy of the poster to Mall Management. It is now the focal point in the “chapel” readily telling folks of all religions that this “sacred space” at Mall of America is for use by all faith traditions. Mall press releases on the Meditation Room have prompted inquiries to MARC from throughout the world, on how to secure copies.<\/p>\n Example Two:<\/strong> an interfaith event known as Eleven days for Understanding held at Mall of America, included diverse faith groups: the Immortal Chaplains Foundation, the Guto Wheel of Dharma Monastery, the Mendota Dakota community, the Minnesota Council of Churches and the Mall Area Religious Council. It presented an extraordinary series of exhibits and performances for 11 days from any traditions – calling for peace and compassion. MARC’s interfaith volunteers created a Golden Rule Poster exhibit located in the large Macy’s Court as a place for interfaith conversation. Thousands of visitors were drawn to this Exhibit and considered the increasing need to understand and respect our neighbours’ religion and diversity. Many purchased the poster for use in offices, homes, schools and congregations.<\/p>\n Example Three:<\/strong> the MARC Golden Rule poster exhibit has expanded and is now used frequently at the Interfaith Holy Days of Thanksgiving Around the World. MARC expositions are held at prominent Mall of America locations. These days of dialogue with shoppers, visitors and employees heighten the awareness and understanding of the significant Holy Days of our many world religions. MARC Volunteers from many Faiths become a “living exhibit” for neighbourly compassion and respect among all peoples and religions.<\/p>\n Example Four:<\/strong> MARC has a signboard at the Mall with placards available for each member group directing visitors to local Places of Worship. It has just expanded to the Mall’s four guest service centres, including sample copies of the Golden Rule poster.<\/p>\n The Golden Rule poster and MARC volunteers are eloquent “interfaith voices” in America’s largest Mall.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Excerpted from the Scarboro Missions Newsletter of November\/December 2004.<\/p>\n The Scarboro Missions golden rule poster continues to make its way around the planet. And wherever it goes, it performs its magical task of healing, unity and reconciliation. Africa is one place where it is making a splash.<\/p>\n Scarboro missioners in Malawi have presented the poster to the bishop of Mzuzu. Beverly and Ray Vantomne have given a copy of the poster to a priest who is also a professor in Muslim studies in Malawi.<\/p>\n Using the texts and symbols of the poster, a mission society in Tanzania has created their own poster in English and Swahili. In Nigeria, Fr. Martin (St. Paul’s Missionary Society of Africa), who has stayed here at Scarboro in recent years, uses the poster in his retreats for priests and seminarians.<\/p>\n In August 2004, we received this rather stunning e-mail reporting on the progress of the poster in Ethiopia:<\/p>\n Dear friends at Scarboro Missions,<\/em><\/p>\n Many greetings of peace from Ethiopia. It was good to meet you at the Parliament of World Religions in Barcelona.<\/em><\/p>\n The golden rule poster is the backbone of our interfaith work here in Ethiopia. It is the main tool we are using in our work. Whenever we have seminars, meetings, or workshops, we use the poster to start and end our meetings. I am happy to inform you that I have translated the poster’s 13 golden rules into the local language here which is Amharic. This way, many people can understand the message of the poster.<\/em><\/p>\n If I get the funds in the future, I am planning to print the poster in our language and distribute it through all the country. From my experience, I strongly recommend the golden rule as a necessary tool for any interfaith group. The golden rule is the key to so much and we are very grateful to Scarboro Missions for producing this very useful poster. Without the poster, I really don’t know how I would have promoted interfaith in a country where even the word “interfaith” itself is new.<\/em><\/p>\n In peace and gratitude,<\/em><\/p>\n Mussie Hailu <\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n The Scarboro Missions Golden Rule poster is now on permanent display at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. On January 4, 2004, Mrs. Gillian Sorensen (pictured here), Assistant Secretary-General of the UN, accepted the poster as a gift from the North American Interfaith Network.<\/p>\n The presentation was part of an interfaith ceremony in which it was pointed out that the Golden Rule is not just a moral ideal for relationships between people, but also for relationships among nations, cultures and religions.<\/p>\nLetters from Around the World<\/h2>\n
\n\u2014Jeff Archambeault, Chaplain, North Bay Psychiatric Hospital, North Bay, Canada<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u2014Hope Antone, Christian Conference of Asia, Hong Kong<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u2014Fr. Anthony Ceresko, OSFS, Divine Word Seminary, Tagaytay City, Philipines<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u2014Kay Lindahl, Los Angeles, California, USA<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u2014Maria Bustamante-Brown, Kansas, USA<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u2014Rev. Peter Joyce, St. Thomas Anglican Church, Belleville, Canada<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u2014Fabian Gagnon, Lovelace Hospital, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u2014Phylliss Ellis, Essex, United Kingdom<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u2014Konrad Goddemeier, Germany<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u2014Chander M. Bhandari, Consulate General of India, Toronto, Canada<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u2014Heather Stilwell, British Columbia, Canada<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u2014Jennifer Bartok, Welland, Canada<\/em><\/p>\nGold in a Minnesota Mall<\/h2>\n
Ethiopian Gold<\/h2>\n
\nBoard Chairman
\nInterfaith Peace-Building Initiative (IPI)
\nAddis Ababa
\nEthiopia<\/em><\/p>\nUnited Nations gets the Golden Rule poster<\/h2>\n