“God’s voice speaks in many languages, communicates itself in a variety of ways. What is required of us is not to agree on every point of doctrine, but to realize that we are all engaged in a common quest to preserve the sacredness of human life.”
— Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
Recently, I was overjoyed to see the many fans of soccer around the world celebrating in community as their teams competed on the world stage. Watching so many people from all walks of life partake in joy was not only spiritually fulfilling, but also affirming of the importance of the activities we engage in that bring us into community with those who don’t look like us, walk like us, talk like us, love like us, or pray like us. It was thrilling! I also found myself deeply disappointed to read about the conflict within the Catholic Church sparked by a group whose motivations included an objection to interfaith dialogue, among other things.
According to the article, the now excommunicated group, believes that “the Catholic Church is the ‘one, true faith,’ and interfaith dialogue is seen as not only unnecessary but a harmful concession by church leaders.”
While followers of this group might double and triple down on this position, I began to wonder, what happens when ALL faiths take this position?
What happens when we all declare that we are the “one and only true faith?”
Yes, this question is rhetorical because we all know what happens when we declare our own reality and perspective as truth, when we declare that God loves only those who are “like us.” Undoubtedly, the end results rarely reflect thoughts, words, and deeds consistent with the values espoused by all faiths, namely love, compassion, and kindness.
In honor of our nation’s 250th anniversary, we published a special article “Religious Liberty at 250,” which shares perspective on true religious liberty and the role faith plays in all our lives. I encourage you to read the article and consider what positions you take in your daily life that function to exclude others, rather than embrace them. I then ask that you challenge yourself to confront those positions as a way of deepening your own faith. As a very wise faith leader once said,
“We don’t need faith for the things we can accomplish on our own [namely hatred, conflict, division, and violence.] We need faith for the things that feel impossible [like love, connection, compassion, and kindness.]”
Of course, there are those who think that standing in love, kindness, and compassion means being a doormat, to which I strongly disagree.
We need not sacrifice our sense of humanity and connection in order to be faithful, to uphold our laws, and to participate in community.
One of the characteristics of negativity (as described across various faith traditions) is that it tells lies – lies about us, lies about others, and lies about our connection to each other. We should all be leery of any creed, tradition, or leader who declares the purpose of faith is hate, not love. As people, we must become keenly discerning of those who twist faith to co-sign their proclivities, rather than utilize it to champion their own inner development and growth. We must come to see faith as a shield to protect the vulnerable, not a sword to dominate the public square.
On our 250th anniversary, I was reminded not only of the values upon which our nation was founded, but also the continued struggle to ensure those values apply to us all.
With my deep respect,
Shara Smith, CEO