welcome

Welcome to the Common Ground web site.

An Exciting New Season Gets Underway

We’re thrilled with the new programs, new resource persons, and new topics we’ll be offering in 2010-2011.

On Sunday October 17, we’ll honor one of the most renowned Muslim scholars and interfaith leaders of our time. Dr. Irfan Ahmad Khan – my own longtime colleague  and fellow Trustee of the International Interreligious Peace Council – will join us in the final presentation of the 2010 CG Chair Program. 

On Saturday, November 13, renowned global scholar and activist James Quilligan will grace the CG Symposium in honor of Marjorie Lindsay Reed. James will help us all to “Envision the Global Commons.” It’s one of the most important issues of our time and no one understands it better.

We’re also delighted to welcome back a CG favorite, Robert McClory (Wednesday, 9/29: “Can the Catholic Church Survive?”) and to introduce several new faculty members:

  • Rosemary Hurwitz (Wednesday, 12/8: “Linking Personality to Spirit Through the Enneagram”)
  • Jerrol Leitner (Wednesday, 10/27: “The Scarlet Letter for Today”)
  • Carl Jerome (Thursday evenings when CG is in session: “Mindfulness Meditation”).

Note that the CG Crystal Lake satellite remains on hiatus until Winter 2011.

It’s an exciting lineup. We look forward to seeing you at Common Ground.

And remember, you can download a pdf copy of the CG Fall 2010 Bulletin right here at the web site! Just go to the Downloads page and click the appropriate link under Common Ground Fall 2010 Bulletin. (You can find the Downloads page under the Resources tab in the Menu Bar.)

 

Jim Kenney, Executive Director.

 

 

 

What's Happening?

Common Ground is a center for inquiry, study, and dialogue. Our primary concern is the human quest for understanding and the human pursuit of significance. While our endeavor began with the study of world religions and the commitment to inter-faith dialogue, our range of program offerings has been greatly expanded over the past several years.

Today, our primary focus is on the world's great cultural, philosophical, religious, and spiritual traditions and their implications for every dimension of human experience. Our course offerings include a tremendous variety of topics, including, but not limited to: history, literature, art, science, psychology, business, relationship, health, and personal growth. Our programs are shaped to meet the needs of all who are excited by ideas and serious about the quest.

Common Ground is for those who are already deeply grounded in their own traditions and for those who are still searching. It is a place for all who are fascinated by the convergence of the ancient with the modern, of East with West, and of spirituality with planetary reality. Common Ground brings together a knowledge of the past and a vision of the future for a better understanding of the present.

Common Ground is a fully registered not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation.

CG.org is being redesigned from the ground up.  There will be too many new features to list here but please pardon the mess while we finish developing and testing the new web presence.  Thanks for visiting!

We think you'll enjoy CG's occasional E-Mail Newsletter about upcoming programs, special events, and important developments. CLICK HERE You can subscribe by clicking the link at the bottom of the Archive page. to visit our Archive of past Newsletters.

Please note the Common Ground Campaign is ongoing.  We need your help to balance our budget as we approach the end of our fiscal year (December 31st).  Your generosity makes possible everything that we do.

Meet CG's Resource Persons for Fall 2010

It's a great group! You'll find many returning CG Regular Faculty members and several new resource persons. Get to know them. | Read More...
CG Satellite Schedules

  | Read More...
Sponsorships, Honors, Memorials

 Remember that you can make a gift to Common Ground in honor or in memory of a friend or loved one. You can also sponsor a lecture, a workshop, etc. ... | Read More...
The Common Ground 2010 Challenge

 A new Challenge Grant helps to kick off our 36th year! | Read More...
CG Satellite Locations (Directions)

  Directions to Common Ground's many Satellites. | Read More...
Spiritual Practice at Common Ground

Common Ground now offers three different programs focused on spiritual practice. | Read More...
Thriving in the Crosscurrent

Jim Kenney's new book published in May! | Read More...
The New Common Ground Membership Plan

Support Common Ground and receive many benefits. | Read More...
Bulletins and Class Materials Now Available In The CG Download Section

In order to easier distribute Common Ground bulletins and class materials, we have created a free download section.  | Read More...
Sep14 9/14/2010 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM Voodoo Histories: Conspiracy Theory in the Modern World
Common Ground Deerfield (map)
Why do reasonably intelligent people embrace bizarre beliefs? Why are often outlandish conspiracy theories so eagerly championed by otherwise reasonable folks? David Aaronovitch has some remarkable insights to share in his new book, Voodoo Histories: The Role of the Conspiracy Theory in Shaping Modern History. We’ll consider his ideas and those of other “conspiracy” experts, as we touch on a broad range of strange ideas and their cultic adherents. Topics include: the “birther” mania surrounding ...
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Sep15 9/15/2010 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM Living in a World Without God
Common Ground Deerfield (map)
In the USA today there are probably more people simply living their lives without reference to any higher order than there are people actively fighting the idea of a transcendent reality.  We will observe the various forms “living without God” takes, from humanism to agnosticism to militant atheism.  We will engage these worldviews: learning from them, sometimes challenging them, always trying to understand them. And through understanding them, we will better grasp the positions we are...
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Sep15 9/15/2010 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM CG FLOSSMOOR: The Devil You Say
Common Ground Flossmoor (map)

In his new book, The Rite, author Mike Baglio follows a California priest to Rome where he will train for a year to be an exorcist. The author shares his subject’s in-class experience as well as his apprenticeship with an Italian exorcist / priest. The book explores the difference between psychological pathologies and what the Church considers genuine demonic possessions. It’s a fascinating and disturbing story.

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Sep15 9/15/2010 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM WED. EVE: Why is Michael Pollan "Defending Food"?
Common Ground Deerfield (map)
The author of the bestselling The Omnivore’s Dilemma is at it again. In response to the thousands of readers of Omnivore who asked him what they should eat, Pollan wrote In Defense of Food. He takes on the “food” industry (most of what we eat isn’t food), nutritionism (he thinks that ideology has made us less healthy), and the erosion of our cultural appreciation of the shared meal. So what does he suggest? “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” Surprisingly, Pollan is not a vegetarian and he’...
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Sep17 9/17/2010 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM CG CHICAGO: Why Is Michael Pollan "Defending Food"?
Common Ground Chicago (map)
The author of the bestselling The Omnivore’s Dilemma is at it again. In response to the thousands of readers of Omnivore who asked him what they should eat, Pollan wrote In Defense of Food. He takes on the “food” industry (most of what we eat isn’t food), nutritionism (he thinks that ideology has made us less healthy), and the erosion of our cultural appreciation of the shared meal. So what does he suggest? “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” Surprisingly, Pollan is not a vegetarian and he’...
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Click here to view Fall Schedules for CG's many Satellite locations. Satellite events are highlighted in red on the All Locations calendar. You can also use the Calendar drop-down menu to view the listings for one location only. The calendar opens in the current month. Click the button for the next month (top right) or the previous month (top left) as needed.

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