What if we took the time to meet a Muslim, Jew, Hindu, or Buddhist? What if we saw that we had more in common than we thought, but emerged stronger in our own faith? Would the world be any different? We think it would be!

What if we all could benefit from interfaith understanding and cooperation? Learn about how CIR makes this dream a reality. Check out this professionally produced documentary about CIR here!

Produce year-round programming that models and fosters understanding and cooperation among all faith traditions.

Connect and engage community leaders across all faith traditions in programs

Unite faith and other leaders to work together to identify and help solve social problems in the local and global communities.

The Center for Interfaith Relations (CIR) utilizes dynamic and engaging programs to promote interfaith understanding and cooperation. The annual Festival of Faiths brings big-name speakers to Louisville to discuss issues of faith, such as Steven Prothero, author of American Jesus: How the Son of God Became a National Icon.

But CIR views the Festival as only a first step to common action by faith communities to address shared problems. The 2007 Faith Leaders Forum served as a catalyst for hundreds of faith leaders work together. CIR took social action in For Our Own Good: Louisville Responds to Youth Violence and in helping organize protests against the genocide in Darfur. CIR's youth program, PeaceCasters, empowers youth to explore messages of peace and cooperation through digital media.

CIR also seeks to promote its mission globally. It often hosts foreign delegations through the World Affairs Council of Louisville. In addition, citizens of Rwanda and Kyrgistan are in the process of replicating CIR's Festival of Faiths and Faith Leaders Forum in their own countries.

The Divine is present in all persons and in their religious traditions.

Members of religious traditions are enriched by interfaith interaction and cooperation.

The community is enriched when:

• Members of religious traditions bring their faith and beliefs to civic life.
• Houses of worship embrace their civic responsibility to the surrounding community.
• Houses of worship use their facilities for interfaith interaction and cooperation.