For more than a decade, interfaith efforts have been on the rise in the United States, fueled by the growth of newer religious minority groups and by post-Sept. 11 interest in Islam. But participants and experts say a new credo is changing the movement: Go deeper.
Meeting for months in small dialogue groups. Running a joint anti-gun violence program. Taking educational trips together.
This growing wave represents a significant change in the movement called “interfaith,” a transformation driven by the belief that efforts have been too feel-good, not concrete or effective enough. It favors intimate group projects and community service over largely anonymous and safe group settings, such as lectures and joint worship services that happen once a year.
That philosophy made the small back room of the D.C. club Busboys and Poets feel even smaller one night last month, when a few dozen people listened to an imam interview a rabbi and then broke into groups for discussion. The assigned questions: What traditions of your own do you hold most dear? What could you learn from other groups you don’t agree with?
People made soft, general comments. But by the time the whole group rejoined for a Q&A, they were more frank.
“How do you deal with a fanatic, a person who wants to kick you out of your home?” a Christian man originally from Palestine asked in a sharp tone, from the front corner of the room.
Read it all.
Washington Post: Interfaith Movement In America Digs Deeper
For more than a decade, interfaith efforts have been on the rise in the United States, fueled by the growth of newer religious minority groups and by post-Sept. 11 interest in Islam. But participants and experts say a new credo is changing the movement: Go deeper.
Meeting for months in small dialogue groups. Running a joint anti-gun violence program. Taking educational trips together.
This growing wave represents a significant change in the movement called “interfaith,” a transformation driven by the belief that efforts have been too feel-good, not concrete or effective enough. It favors intimate group projects and community service over largely anonymous and safe group settings, such as lectures and joint worship services that happen once a year.
That philosophy made the small back room of the D.C. club Busboys and Poets feel even smaller one night last month, when a few dozen people listened to an imam interview a rabbi and then broke into groups for discussion. The assigned questions: What traditions of your own do you hold most dear? What could you learn from other groups you don’t agree with?
People made soft, general comments. But by the time the whole group rejoined for a Q&A, they were more frank.
“How do you deal with a fanatic, a person who wants to kick you out of your home?” a Christian man originally from Palestine asked in a sharp tone, from the front corner of the room.
Read it all.