Wednesday, August 10, 2016

An Interfaith Dialogue Panel--thoughts, reflections, resources


"What is it like to be you, to live in your faith, here in the Chattanooga area?"

That is the question (or something close) that was posed to the panel, the Interfaith Panel of Chattanooga.  (I knew that in advance, luckily, because I ran about 15 minutes late to the panel discussion due to a prior meeting.)

This panel has been travelling around town, sharing their personal experience with audiences at a variety of locations in order to help dispel stereotypes and ignorance.  Last night they were at St. Elmo UMC in St. Elmo and it was co-sponsored by Thankful Episcopal.

Last night's panel participants and moderator: Michael Dzik, Judaism; Nur Sisworahardjo, Islam; Sush Shantha, Hinduism; Brandon Jones, Atheism; and Lisa Harrison, Christianity.  Charles Neal, Moderator.

Each panel participant shared their personal experience-- the good, the challenges, whatever it was for them. After each of them shared, there was a time for questions from the audience.  One of the questions from the audience was 'in your faith tradition, what happens to you when you die?'  After the panel discussion, I learned from one panel participant that hearing the other participants answer was enlightening to this person.  They learned from the sharing time too.

This panel has been sharing around Chattanooga for at least over a year (with some variation in speakers) and will continue to share because they understand the importance of creating space to share and listen, to dispel stereotypes and ignorance. It is a wonderful step in the right direction.

The Interfaith Panel of Chattanooga now has a FaceBook page: Interfaith Panel of Chattanooga.  The purpose of the group from the FaceBook page:  "The purpose of the Interfaith Panel is to increase understanding and appreciation for the diversity of faith in Chattanooga. The event is free and open to the public.  The panel will meet at different places of worship and talk about the challenges they face practicing their faith in Chattanooga.  Like and share this page to stay in touch with the panelists and the upcoming venue for the next meeting."

As many cities in the world these days, Chattanooga is a multicultural, multilingual, multiracial, and multifaith place. It is to our benefit if we learn about one another as we share the same space.

Yet, it's a struggle we've had for many years.  Instead of learning how to live with one another well, we sent folks off to another place to live.  We segregated schools, buses, and water fountains.

Though we have continued to struggle, it is discussions like these, interfaith dialogue panels that give me hope.

They remind me of my multicultural leadership classes I took.  In one of those classes we watched a video project where people around the world had table fellowship with one another to get to know one another in order to dispel ignorance and stereotypes.  Faith wasn't part of the discussion.  It was simply that they were different from each other.

This project was called the Next Door Family.

Here is the Next Door Family video:


Some books in one of my multicultural leadership classes that might be beneficial to someone who is seeking to learn about "others" in their community:

whistling vivaldi: how stereotypes affect us and what we can do by Claude Steele
lifting the White Veil: A Look at White American Culture by Jeff Hitchcock

A book on interfaith dialogue:

Getting to the Heart of Interfaith: The Eye-Opening, Hope-Filled Friendship of a Pastor, A Rabbi, & a Sheikh by Pastor Don Mackenzie, Rabbi Ted Falcon and Sheikh Jamal Rahman

These are just some of the resources I have on hand. It's only the tip of the iceberg of what is available for us if we want to learn more.  Truly, a great way to learn more is to engage with others in dialogue and table fellowship.  As we get to know others, their culture, their faith, etc., then the stereotypes and ignorance disappear.

It's a much better community and world when we learn to live together, to support one another, to encourage one another, regardless of race, religion, gender, sex, nationality, language, etc.  We say this is how we are going to live and treat one another, but do we?!?!

May we continue to make steps toward unity in community!

Debra


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