Adapted from class notes from Rev. Dr. William Lesher's "Introduction to Interfaith" class at The Chaplaincy Institute, June 20, 2007. Dr. Lesher is the Chair of the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions.
Ignorance about one another’s faiths is causing catastrophes in our world. “There will be no peace on Earth until there is peace among the religions of the world,” Hans Kung said. If this is not totally true, it is at least pretty true. This provides a powerful motivation for an Interfaith approach.
Nobody “owns” the Interfaith movement. It is all over the world, in many communities, congregations, organizations, nations, and global expressions. Interfaith dialogue is like throwing a rock into the water—the ripples go everywhere.
There are so many ways to access divine wisdom. One of the jobs of an Interfaith community is to mine the richness of the various traditions, sensing the spiritual depth and distinction within each one while continuing to find places of common ground.
Seeking convergence, not consensus, is key to interfaith relations. Within each of our respective spiritual paths, can we find convergent goals, hopes, and dreams that might form the basis for coming together? Can we work toward convergence of action, of ideas, of spiritual practice, of place, of mystical experience?
Somebody said, “When grace strikes, nothing is changed, yet everything is transformed.” At the 2004 Parliament of the World’s Religions, people did not come away as converts to other faiths. If anything, their commitment to their own tradition was deepened or broadened. As someone said, “I was inspired by my new Muslim friends to pray more.” It makes all the difference to learn about a faith tradition from those who are actually living it.
At the Parliament, prior to the first workshops of the day about 70 worship situations take place. Our objective is not to make a unity out of all of the world’s religions, but rather, to foster harmony among them. For this reason, we do not attempt to experience Interfaith worship together. Instead, groups are asked to practice interreligious hospitality: to be hospitable to one another. The basic posture being put forward is one of respect and understanding, appreciating Spirit’s widely ranging expressions. We seek in every way to break down barriers and bring people inside the experience of other ways of worship.
The Interfaith movement is, at its core, a local movement: “If it hasn’t happened in your parish, it hasn’t happened yet.” Occasionally the Interfaith movement goes global, such as the convenings of the Parliament of the World’s Religions. The intent of such gatherings is to inspire people to go back home and engage with religious groups and institutions in their communities.
The mystery, depth, and greatness of the world’s religions is stunning. And where we are going on this Interfaith journey is ultimately a mystery. For all of this, we give thanks.
In the words of Dag Hammarskjöld:
“For all that has been: thanks.
And to all that shall be: yes.”
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