|
To those in whom love dwells, all the world is one family ~ Hindu
|
"Inter" is the prefix we use to describe reciprocity, or relationship between, within, or among two or more. In my dictionary, the list of words connected to this prefix fills three pages! To me, the description of reciprocity by "inter" reveals an actively moving connection between, within, or among things. Two very helpful syllables!
"Faith", in my dictionary, means trust, confidence, acceptance of a truth which cannot be demonstrated or proved by the process of logical thought. To understand that peoples across the globe are connected by trust, confidence, acceptance in a common truth is inspiring - a common truth of guiding principles and values such as tolerance, respect, and compassion. Belief systems rooted in such values opens us up to the fundamental dignity and worth of all people. Values are important: we make decisions based upon them, we use them to reflect on our actions, whether to transform our mistakes or to build on the good, and they help us sort out conflicts.
To treasure and honor diversity is to companion with others the journey through life. As a proponent of interfaith, I recognize what is universal in the teachings of the world's religions, spiritual paths, and traditions, and I honor the inner search for the sacred in all its forms and expressions. Regardless of their own religious tradition or spiritual path, Interfaith Ministers are trained professionals who:
-
have chosen to learn about, respect, and appreciate the diversity of paths to the Divine, and to look for the universal truth in each one.
-
seek to promote understanding, harmony, and love among people by emphasizing what is universal in the teachings of the many spiritual paths and faith traditions.
-
are committed to the ongoing deepening of their own spiritual practice and connection to the Divine, so that their service to others is always grounded in the integrity of their own spiritual life.
-
are dedicated to serving the spiritual needs of all those who seek their guidance, counsel, and assistance, without regard to race, religion, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, ehtnic background, gender, or age.
Why did I choose this? Well, I just wanted to advocate for the other side, given the widespread strife and violence in the world arising from religious and cultural intolerance. Because of my background in the healing arts and having experienced how important even the smallest act of good intention can be, I feel that my small effort in joining a community that supports understanding and respect does contribute globally. And, I know how it makes me feel . . . that I am living a miracle every day!
| |
|
|
|
Do you love your Creator? Love your fellow beings first ~ The Koran of Islam
Whenever you meet anyone, remember it is a holy encounter. As you see her you will see yourself. As you treat her, you will treat yourself. As you think of her you will think of yourself. Never forget this, for in her you will find yourself or lose yourself . . . Give her her place in the kingdom, and you will have yours. ~ A Course in Miracles: Helen Schucman, Christian scribe
|
|
IF YOU ARE TO BE WED . . .
|
. . . perhaps you are each dedicated to a different religion, or, instead of becoming involved in a structured religion, you have chosen to follow a path of values and guidances which give your lives resolve and direction. In either case, as a couple you have profoundly joined yourselves to the "inter" and are walking a bridge of values dear not only to each other but to that which has connected the faiths of many lands throughout history.
Let "interfaith" act for you as a bridge of enlightening principles just like in a rainbow's cascade of light. As individuals, you have so much to offer to yourselves and to each other. Many are the nuances in your personalities; over time those nuances become known to you more and more. Whatever is not, or little, known, hold respectfully in mystery. Whatever mysteries unfold the slowest, let be lessons in acceptance, restraint, compassion, and flexibility, time-tested values in all faiths. That full spectrum rainbow of values between you bridges the great expanse of your lives together, mysteries included.
Your enlightening bridge of values is your common ground, the place you stand together on your shared philosophies. The bridge of love and respect between you also represents ancient principles of trust, compassion, resolution, and strength, principles that have enlivened faiths of so many cultures throughout history. You in your love for and acceptance of one another embody and exemplify this stream of faith through time. Stand with strength on your common ground.
I believe we do understand the important parts of moving through this life ~ love, easing another's burdens, acceptance, positive outlook, encouragement and laughter, practicing graciousness when accepting help or gratitude from another, and the gift of practicing compromise and restraint. Equally as important are remembrance and willpower ~ so that we can practice as much of our living as possible using these principles. It is because of these attributes that two people of different faiths find each other. It is because of the remembrance of these attributes that friendships, marriages, and partnerships live on. It is because of willpower that we can make a practice out of them, just like practicing your favorite hobby. I hope that, upon these attributes, you may further build your bridge of faith and perceive in each other a full spectrum rainbow that is a glorious cascade of light.
| |
|
|
|
They can be like a sun, words.
They can do for the heart
what light can
for a field.
~ St. John of the Cross
|
|
|
REV. JAMES PARKS MORTON ON INTERFAITH:
|
The former Dean of The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Manhattan, and founder/current President of the Interfaith Center of New York contributed this to Prayers for a Thousand Years, Elizabeth Roberts and Elias Amidon, editors:
"It is no longer news that we live in an era of radical change, where few people retain a pure genetic strain or remain through a lifetime in the same locale. Our world today is nearly unrecognizable tomorrow, and generations last at most ten years. All we know or ever knew has been transformed. Every thought, every land, every connection is not what it used to be. We live on a globe where a person's symbolic world - once largely circumscribed by region or nation, one's own tribe, religion, class, or race - today is defined by the globe as a whole.
My prayer, my hope, my faith for all creatures who dwell upon this earth in the centuries to come is grounded on the bedrock belief that only if we humans draw upon the strengths of the world's many religions and spiritual traditions will our children, our species, and the planet herself survive. It is not an original thought. Many of our greatest minds recognize the primal place of the universal experience that binds us (as in the root of the word religion: religare, to bind). It is this binding, the recognition of the oneness in all its diversity of expression, that is the basis of "interfaith".
I am often asked, What is interfaith? Most fundamentally, interfaith is respect. Respect for different traditions, different religions, different faiths. It is coming to understand them. And more, it is coming to love them. All of us have so many layers in our lives. We speak many languages and listen to diverse music. We eat many different kinds of food. It is time that our spiritual diet, too, becomes a healthy mixed menu. Its very variety makes us richer, deeper, more understanding, more loving.
It is time to come together in respect, understanding, and the common breaking of our many daily breads together. Our shared words of faith must be these: communion (not conversion), respect, and love with compassion."
| |
|
|
|
Nothing in life is to be feared; it is only to be understood ~ Marie Curie
Who sees all beings in his own Self, and his own Self in all beings,
loses all fear ~ Isa Upanishad
|
|
