From: Swami Tapasananda [tapas@accn.org]
Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2005 8:44 PM
Subject: OCT 8 1;30PM, OCT 9 11AM and 2PM
   
   
                                                                    
                                 LAKESHORE INTERFAITH INSTITUTE, 6676 122ND AVE. GANGES MI.49408

 SATURDAY  10/8 1;30-430PM
   What Ramadan and Other Central Teachings Mean In Islam
Ismail Abdulah [AKA Dustin Byrd] of WMU;  20.00 suggested donation
 Mr Abdulah, who became a Muslim while a student in South Haven  HS, and who now teaches Islam at Western Michigan University
 will  explain some of the central tenets of Islam, including; why all Muslims fast during the Holy Month of Ramadan, [which begins on 10/4] ;why they pray 5 times a day facing Mecca ; why they do Pilgrimage to Mecca ; and why they object to some of the incursions  of western culture into Muslim lands but welcome others.  Islam is now in the news every day;  in order to properly and justly critique what one hears and reads , it is helpful to hear about Islam from a young American Muslim, born into Western Christian  Culture, who has both an intellectual as well as emotive understanding of  one of the fastest growing religions on earth.

SUNDAY  10/9 - 11AM
 Black Elk's Vision of Unity;Was It True?
Mrs. Annie Olson ,  Co-Founder, Alliance for Cultural and Ethnic Harmony
Mrs.  Olson,  a native of Holland Mi., Co-Founder of the Alliance and professional sculptor, was for many years, married to a  Tlingit Indian from S.E. Alaska whom she met when both were students at Hope College in the 60's. She was adopted into the Eagle Clan of the Tlingit, and, with her husband, she worked in Alaska to stop oil companies from infringing upon tribal properties.  Later in Washington DC , with the National Coalition  of Native Americans[NCAI] [and Marlon Brando] they worked to redress some of the many treaty injustices suffered by native peoples as a result of of the European  incursions into , and colonization of , the Americas. Mrs Olson has always felt a very strong connection to the teachings of the Lakota  holy man, Black Elk. In her talk,  she will address the Vision of Black Elk regarding the Unity of All Colors, All Creatures and All Creation and share with us, her own vision about, and understanding of, the Tree of Life and the Sacred Circle, concepts which are important to Hindu, Jewish and Buddhist faith traditions as well as to Native America.
   

  SUNDAY   10/9- 2PM   
 A  FILM, -- MARS , MYTHOLOGY AND AN INTELLIGENT UNIVERSE
 This segment of the 6 film series, God,Man and ET, focuses on the work of mythologist/theologian David Flynn  who correlates many symbols from the Judeo-Christian and older Semitic traditions in Sumer and Chaldea, with some features and  objects photographed on the Martian surface  by  NASA spacecraft on various  Missions to Mars over the last three decades. Some of these objects appear to be constructed as opposed to being the results of natural geological processes.
 The work of David Flynn can be previewed at http://www.mt.net/~watcher/
                                                         
                                                                    Questions? Call Tapas at 269 543 3951