Meera Atkinson
Imagine this: you, a Christian, are taking a stroll in your local park. You glance across the park to see a Muslim woman being spat on. What do you do?
Unpack the issues...
Even though Australia is a multicultural society, there nonetheless remain violence and conflict over cultural and religious differences.
The concept of interfaith relations is therefore of increasingly critical importance in our society. In practical terms, this means promoting both understanding and acceptance of the differences between faiths; recognising any unifying similarities; and advocating for peace between all religions and peoples.
Rev Glenda Blakefield works with the Uniting Church’s Relations with Other Faiths group, which was formed some 20 years ago when church members around the country raised concerns about how the Uniting Church could and should relate to people of other faiths.
“Often people who come to Australia come from a place of non-Christian faith,” says Glenda. “That was the picture of how our country was beginning to look in the late 80s. It looks even more like that now and will increase so over the next 5–20 years.”
At its heart, interfaith awareness is about sharing our humanity.
“I think our Christian heritage points to a strong tradition in peacemaking,” says Glenda. “What does it mean to live in a street with your Muslim neighbour? What do you do when you’re walking in your local park — and this happened to me — and a Muslim woman is spat on?”
Relationships between faith groups are developed in various ways. At a leadership level, you might see official ‘dialogues’ take place. But at the grass roots level, the Relations with Other Faiths working group (and other similar groups) engages with local organisations to advocate interfaith awareness and peace. For example, the group promotes activities in schools and local communities and it is at the ready to liaise with the media about interfaith issues if and when the need arises.
This area of work is complex. Sometimes it’s difficult to get the Christian church to agree on ways of doing things within its own ranks, so to achieve respectful understanding of those of other faiths can be a big challenge. Similarly, each tradition has its own rituals and taboos, so dialogue can require sensitivity and diplomacy.
But there are resources available from many faith groups online to assist those of us interested in learning more.
As an example, the Relations with Other Faiths working group is currently reworking its website to provide resources for those engaged and interested in promoting positive relationships with people of other faiths. These will include guidelines and resources for planning interfaith gatherings, interfaith etiquette guidelines from each of the major faiths in Australia, and resources for learning more about Australia’s religions.
Shannon Dillon also works within Relations with Other Faiths. She says that at the heart of the concept is the notion of “valuing diversity and living with difference”.
“Loving the neighbour who is different is part of the Uniting Church’s identity and mission,” Shannon says.
“In extending its welcome and hospitality both within and beyond its church boundaries, the Uniting Church holds together and values neighbourhoods of difference within the Australian context and in our international relationships.”
Glenda stresses that, although people tend to focus on the differences, there are many similarities between faiths and recognising this helps bring us together. She also points out it’s not an issue of relevance only to trendy liberals in the city; relating to those of other faiths is a fact of life for Christians everywhere.
“More and more refugees and people coming from outside our country are settling in regional towns,” she says. “The first thing a church member can do to model peace is make people feel welcome in their town and, where there are fears, to take some leadership in trying to calm fears, as the people of peace. It’s important we get our heads and hearts around this for the future of our church and our country.”
Unpack the issues
- How would you respond to the situation in the park?
- What is the value of interfaith dialogue?
- What do you think are the key challenges to pursuing interfaith relationships?
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written by Ted Witham , June 02, 2009
I wholeheartedly support the comments in the article, but would add that interfaith dialogue is now necessary, not just because of our common humanity, but in order to be fully Christian.
written by Anna , June 02, 2009
I thought you might be interested in adding the following resource from the UK to your collection if you haven't already found it. It's called "Bridging community divides" by Margaret Harris and Patricia Young form IVAR it.http://www.ivar.org.uk/documents/ivar_bbreport.pdf
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