On the website of The Guardian newspaper, in the "Comment is Free" section, in the "Belief" category (*phew!*), is today's question for debate: "Is interfaith a waste of time?" Here's how it was set up:
This is national Interfaith week in Britain. But is the project anything more than another piety for polite people to observe?
Interfaith relations, like motherhood, and apple pie, are difficult to oppose. But their appeal is much more limited. Almost everyone can understand the appeal of delicious pies, and even parenthood. The appeal of listening to other people talking about their relationship with God is less obvious. Even believers generally prefer to disagree with people who are more or less the same; it's often said that the people who like interfaith relationships have more in common with each other than with other members of their own faiths.
Yet it is obvious that they are also essential. The world is too small, and faiths are too large, for everyone to persist in comfortable isolation. Even toleration may not be enough. The different religions, and even atheisms, must learn to co-operate and appreciate each others' strengths if they can. But how can this be done? How can we move from theory into practice? And even if we do find that the nice and serious people of every faith and none can respect each other, what does this do about the problem of nasty people of every faith, who are the ones that we really worry about?I couldn't resist this of course. In fact, it's probably the closest to "a red rag to a bull" for me. So I posted my own response, late Monday evening, as follows:
GeorgeMB22 November 2010 11:50PM
Here in Leicester, inter faith work is an essential, regular and ongoing aspect of the life of our city. Leicester has a reputation as a peaceful place, where many faith communities coexist without open conflict or contention - and even go beyond that into areas of co-operation and working together on issues of common interest and concern. For us in Leicester, inter faith work is about how we live together. Our Council of Faiths, for example, is not an academic debating chamber, nor an arena in which to test out competing truth claims. It provides a means in which, and through which, representatives of eight member faith communities (Baha'i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jain, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh) can agree to live together amicably. And as for inter faith being "another piety for polite people to observe" our contribution to National Inter Faith Week is (for the second year running) a display of mutual support through an exhibition in Highcross, the city's biggest shopping mall, for the whole of this week. This is fronted by more than 50 volunteers this year (though no more than three on duty at any time), drawn from these eight faith communities and beyond - including people with no allegiance to any particular faith, but who recognise the importance of doing something like this to keep up our good track record on community cohesion and the promotion of good relations. We're reliably informed that last year, this exhibition had up to 400,000 "footfalls" and we're hoping for even more this year, being so deep into the Christmas shopping period. We're out where people are, engaging them, presenting a positive message and model of diverse faith communities working together, talking with them about things they care about - and more than that, we're listening and trying to do something that will preserve the peace and develop the harmony of our city from all sort of challenges. We don't import conflicts from other parts of the world and we can't resolve conflicts within or between faiths - but we know the value of getting along together and we'll go a long way to ensure that works in Leicester; inter faith is one important, dynamic and meaningful way of contributing to that.
Other readers "recommended" my response, three times. If you want to see this in context of other comments, go to:George M Ballentyne, Equality & Diversity Officer, Leicester Council of Faiths
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2010/nov/22/national-interfaith-week-question
