Earlier this week I wrote about how the pandemic has been a true test of community, shining a light on ways some of us come together in the face of a serious threat while others fragment apart.
A series of events in recent weeks have unfortunately left a feeling that we are not all trying to come together as one community.
During that same period though there was a nice reminder that some in our community are pursuing efforts to bring people together in a different respect, as many speakers and organizations from San Diego embraced Interfaith Awareness Week.
With nearly a dozen virtual and in-person events between Aug. 8 and 15, many San Diegans went out of their way to educate others and try to further a better understanding of different peoples, faiths and cultures.
For example, the Poway Interfaith Team hosted the week’s opening ceremony as well as an event dubbed “Domination Decoded” where Bobo Elliott of the Manzanita Band of the Kumeyaay Nation in San Diego addressed what happens when followers of one religion impose themselves on native inhabitants.
Later in the week The San Dieguito Interfaith Ministerial Association led a hybrid “walk” at the labyrinth at Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Encinitas, where participants carried messages to promote a more inclusive society. And Escondido resident Yusuf Miller, a member of the Racial Justice Coalition San Diego who is involved with many of the region’s interfaith efforts, led a discussion on the interfaith heritage of Islam.
Interfaith efforts are by no means new to San Diego. Local interfaith coalitions have worked together for years to combat societal challenges related to homelessness, immigration, health care, human rights and religious intolerance, among other issues.
However with Interfaith Awareness Week recently ending I asked leaders of a couple of interfaith groups for advice they’d give San Diegans who want to start bridging religious divides.
“I’ve been doing interfaith outreach work and ministry for a long time and the truth is the wheel does not need to be reinvented,” said Karen Koblentz, president of the San Dieguito Interfaith Ministerial Association. “All the opportunities where people want to share mostly have already been done, so find one of those and participate.”
For example, San Dieguito Interfaith Ministerial Association hosts a meeting on the first Wednesday of every month where they bring in a speaker. September’s discussion is expected to focus on how residents can spur action at the local government level without running for office . Another discussion will focus on pronoun usage.
Rosemary Johnston, Secretary of the San Diego Regional Interfaith Collaborative, similarly noted that many local interfaith groups are eager to welcome people who have an interest in getting involved.
The San Diego Regional Interfaith Collaborative hosts two large gatherings every year on topics of interest to local faith leaders and community member, so people can come together in fellowship and collaborate on ways to take action. Previous gatherings have focused on addressing family violence, aiding immigrants and refugees, and the relations between law enforcement and local communities. The next gathering on Sept. 14 is open to the public and will focus on how faith leaders can respond to trauma in the community and help people grieve and heal.
“There is a great need in our community and our wider society to build bridges, not walls,” Johnston said. “Faith communities are uniquely able to do that.”
If ing a group or participating in a group event isn’t quite in your comfort zone, Koblentz and Johnston said another option is to try and learn more about a different religion by researching it on your own, or you can seek personal interaction in a more intimate setting, perhaps inviting out to coffee someone you know who is of a different faith.
You’re also welcome to the regional interfaith collaborative, Johnston said, “but you could also use personal and make the effort to go to open houses at houses of worship and … take that extra step of getting to know people of other faith traditions.”
In reaching out, Koblentz and Johnston advise, be sure to approach other faiths with an open mind and an eagerness to listen and learn. They said it is important to try and avoid having a preconceived idea of what someone might think just because of the faith they practice. And, instead of being defensive about how it may differ from what you believe, be open to the commonalities.
“I certainly can’t say who you believe God to be is not who God is; that would be arrogant,” Koblentz said. “Ask what can we agree on that we can move forward with … Find what aspect of your divine and my divine we can build upon. That’s how we build a foundation.”
They both also noted that you shouldn’t think that opening up to other faiths will damage your own belief. In fact, it may do the opposite.
“It requires an openness and ability to hold true to your own faith, but also a respect for others who don’t share that belief,” Johnston said. “Interacting with (people of other faiths) gives me a greater appreciation for their faith, but it also strengthens my own.”
Another recurring theme that came up is the importance of ing we’re all one community and one human family.
“It’s about care for the community. There is virtually nothing we do that doesn’t affect other people,” Johnston said.
“Don’t make decisions that are just convenient for you … We have responsibilities to the wider community, and all of our faith traditions speak to that importance of being part of the human family.”
Koblentz added that we all want the same thing for humanity — food, shelter, peace, our kids to grow up and be happy — and our differences are not deterrents to building a community.
“If people educate themselves on the similarities that we have in common it would move us more toward an acceptance that our differences add to that tapestry of faith,” Koblentz said.
“You look at a tapestry and it has bumps and some colors are really bright; others are muted, and then you see outlines and maybe imperfections. But when you stand back, it’s magnificent and it takes all of those things. All those things I believe are the pearls of religion.”
