Several days before Thanksgiving, beginning in 2015, Temple Beth-El’s Social Action and Adult Education committees have sponsored a program of interfaith dialogue on a chosen theme. Several local clergy and faith leaders offer their perspectives on the topics, and then they lead program participants in small group discussions reflecting on the presentations.
This year, at the program on November 18, the theme was “With Liberty and Justice for All - Leadership, Justice and Unity: What Can We Achieve Together?”
To begin, I shared two prayers for our country from Jewish prayerbooks. Both prayers spoke about liberty, justice, unity, and respect.
Father Ron Catherson (St. John’s Catholic Church of Antioch) defined liberty as “the power to act,” and explained that the freedoms we are granted in our country (religion, speech, peaceful assembly, etc.) carry with them responsibility and consequences. We can use our freedom to treat others with respect and love.
Pastor Donna Cavedon (First Christian Church) declared that people of faith respond to the injustices they witness based on their sacred texts. Religious teachings, rather than politics, form the foundation of a belief that justice is only justice when it is justice for all.
Sureyya Husain (Islamic Center of Las Cruces) said that “it is the foundation of faith to hold fast to humility that teaches us to honor the differences among us. We are admonished to stand firm for liberty, and for justice, and to not let the hatred of any people prevent us from being just.”
The Rev. Carol Tuck (United Methodist), in her remarks on leadership, focused on biblical examples of leaders who served the people. Public service is a privilege that citizens need to honor and support, because so many public servants do their work without appreciation. Competent servant leadership is necessary for accomplishing justice and liberty for all.
Gordon Butler, from the Baha’i community, addressed the topic of unity. Religion, he said, has the true purpose of bringing unity to humankind. Even when some human communities have been at war with each other, there has always been a persistent pursuit of peace, stability, and dignity for our fellow human beings.
The Rev. Dr. Harvey Daiho Hilbert (Founding Abbot and Senior Teacher of the Order of Clear Mind Zen) explained that “the path of unity of spirit is a path of getting out of our own way. When we can do that, all faith traditions can come together. It is rather like setting ourselves aside for the sake of the higher good.”
Pastor Jared Carson (Peace Lutheran Church) spoke about collaboration, which he characterized as “hard, complex and messy,” but it begins when we are willing to put ourselves in the same place with people from other faith traditions.
Insightful comments emerged from the small group discussions following the presentations:
- People recognized how their respective faith traditions help them handle change in their lives.
- Caring for others and being present with them can give us a clear perspective about their realities.
- Collaboration and cooperation are not about being in agreement, but, rather, about the desire to be together. We, as human beings, don’t want to be alone.
This time of year features celebrations that are characterized by symbols of light. May we be guided in our own lives and in our connections to the greater community by the lights of understanding and respect that can lead us all to freedom, justice and unity.
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