“In The Gospel of Thomas, Jesus does not make elaborate promises about the future or an afterlife, instead, he encourages his students to find the Kingdom in their midst and inside themselves. ‘If your leaders say to you, ‘Look, the Father's Kingdom is in the sky,” then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, “It is in the sea,” then the fish will precede you. Rather, the kingdom is within you and it is outside you.’ This is echoed by the words of the Buddha in The Dhammapada (D 255): ‘There is no path in the sky—a monk must find the inner path.’ " (Rev. Dr. John Mabry)
“Any faith that has regarded itself as the One True Way has defined itself as much by who was left out as by who was allowed in. And the unfortunate truth is that, at one time or another, this has been true of most faiths. This is what makes the Chaplaincy Institute, and the Interfaith movement we are proud to be a part of, so important. Our students are prophetically proclaiming that one divine, sublime truth that all religions know but have such a hard time embracing: there are no outsiders. There is no ‘them,’ and there is no ‘us.’” (Rev. Dr. John Mabry)
"During the course of my studies at ChI, we were taught about many of the world’s major religions and faith traditions, including what the practice of prayer is. This was, for me the most powerful experience in shifting my own heart, from an unconscious idea of “us versus them”, to a dawning awareness of all of us, here on the planet, as precious children of a divine source, wanting the same things, experiencing the same things, and turning towards our Source, in whatever language or practice, in prayer and supplication and gratitude. More than all the academic learning, the experiencing of prayer with people of other faiths shifted my heart." (Rev. Elizabeth River)
“I don't believe that I have ever attended such an all-inclusive event as that which honored Huston Smith. From the Native American drumming and chanting which opened and blessed the occasion, through the Whirling Dervishes which flowed like water yet opened like flowers, to the Buddhist and Hindu priests who extended their blessings over us all, the time was full of spirit and joy. … For my part, I went home singing!”
(Shelby Morales, ChI Student)
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