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What is the Religious Society of Friends called to do in the 21st century? Friends and the Interfaith Movement By Anthony Manousos Santa Monica (CA) Friends Meeting Five years ago, our country and the world were shaken to the core by the events of September 11th. During this critical period Americans were given a moral as well as political choice: should we respond with retaliation and revenge, or should we seek to understand the root causes of violence and find ways to bring about a more peaceful and just world? Sadly, our leaders chose the former course. As a result, we have seen an unrelenting cycle of violence, deception, and mistrust in our country and in the world. But many here in the United States and abroad are seeking a better way. They have created an interfaith movement with the potential for reducing, and ultimately ending, the violence attributed to religion. I believe that we as a Society of Friends are called to play an active role in this vital movement. We are a small group, but we have a long tradition of compassionate listening and of being willing to speak truth to power. As British Friend Marigold Bentley of Quaker Peace and Social Witness writes The lack of dogma in our own faith enables us to open up to those who, for many, have unacceptable beliefs. Quakers have careful processes to enable delicate spiritual discussions. Quakers also have the gift of meeting houses across the country, which are ideally suited to interfaith encounters as they are unencumbered with religious artifacts. This is used to great effect by many Friends. This is true in the USA as well as in the UK. Since 9/11 Friends have been eager to become involved in interfaith conversations. When I gave a workshop on “Islam from a Quaker Perspective” at Friends General Conference’s Gathering in Amherst, MA, Friends responded enthusiastically and we were warmly welcomed into the local mosque. At this year’s FGC Gathering, the Quaker Universalist Fellowship is focusing on the Interfaith Movement and has invited Muslim, Christian and Jewish speakers to participate. Friends have also taken part in the interfaith movement at the local level. For many years, interfaith work was primarily carried on by religious leaders and academics. But since 9/11 interfaith work is now seen as a matter of urgency for all people. As British Friend Sylvia Stagg pointed out: When I joined the Quaker Committee on Christian and Interfaith Relations (QCCIR), interfaith work was of general interest. Now in 2005… interfaith relations has become an over-riding necessity in all our community relations. It is no longer a choice but an absolute necessity. Most ecumenical organizations (which were mainly founded in the ‘50s and ‘60s) have changed with the times and became interfaith, enabling Christians, Jews, Muslims and other religious practitioners to work together as equals in local communities. Although we Friends have reached out warmly and spontaneously to Muslims as individuals and as Meetings, we are not as involved as we could or should be in these newly transformed interfaith organizations. Because Friends don’t have professional clergy, we have tended to shy away from whatever smacks of “organized religion.” We were also excluded from full participation in many ecumenical organizations because we were not considered Christian. Times have changed. Today our Quaker voice needs to be heard, and we need to listen, at these newly emergent interfaith gatherings. Those who feel led to do interfaith work need the support and encouragement of our Meetings. Interfaith work is not without challenges. When we reach out to those who are different, there are apt to be cultural misunderstandings. We need to be tolerant and patient, especially when dealing with Muslims and Jews who have experienced discrimination and have felt under attack over the centuries. There are many hot button issues that need to be handled with great care and sensitivity, and we need to do our homework in order to be effective. A list of helpful resources is provided at the end of this article and at westernquaker.net. Types of interfaith work: the healing and the propheticSome interfaith groups focus primarily on healing divisions and building understanding. Others advocate for peace and justice. Friends can learn from and contribute to both approaches. The work that I do for the South Coast Interfaith Council in the Long Beach area is primarily about fostering understanding. The mediation skills that I have learned as a Quaker over the past 20 years have proven extremely useful. One of the highpoints of this past year’s program was helping to organize an “interfaith icebreaker” for around 60 teenagers of various faith traditions—no easy task, but deeply rewarding. This summer I am facilitating “interfaith cafes” utilizing the Sacred Listening techniques developed by Kay Lindahl, a local interfaith advocate. Her approach is similar to what we do when we get together as Quakers and have worship sharing. We even use questions (“queries”) to stimulate in-depth conversation in small groups. The work that I do for Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace (ICUJP) often involves “speaking truth to power” and standing up to the “powers and principalities.” This group was formed after 9/11 by some of LA’s major religious leaders in order to promote peace with justice. Besides organizing educational events, vigil, and demonstrations, we have stood in solidarity with the Muslim community when it has come under attack. Since becoming involved with ICUJP, I have visited a Muslim imam named Abdul Jabbar Hamdan who was arrested on trumped up charges and held in detention for over two years. Ironically, in front of the detention center where this man is currently being held there is a statue in memory of the Japanese-Americans who were unjustly detained during WWII. By visiting Hamdan, I feel that I am following in the footsteps of Quakers who visited the Japanese internees during WWII. I believe that we are called as Friends to support the prophetic work of interfaith organizations such ICUJP, Tikkun, the Shalom Center of Philadelphia. It is crucially important for Friends to join in the work of these “spiritual progressives.” Grounds for HopeInterfaith work is not only important, it is also an incredibly joyful experience. When Muslims, Jews, Christians and others come together to worship and to work on common concerns, there is often a sense of joy and mutual appreciation too deep for words. Many of these gatherings are celebratory: with music, ethnic food, dance, and various types of worship experiences. Youth and community leaders are honored. Stimulating panel discussions take place and one’s spiritual horizons are broadened. For those who haven’t experienced such gatherings, I recommend either going to one and/or watching the video “God and Allah Need to Talk” by Ruth Broyde Sharone. Whatever the format of interfaith gatherings, people come away uplifted, and I sense the Divine Presence at work. These gatherings also offer grounds for hope. I see parallels between the rise of the interfaith movement and the “citizen diplomacy” movement of the 1980s that helped to end the Cold War. Reaching out to the Russians during the Reagan era was my first Quaker concern. It still warms my heart to think back on this Spirit-led work, which I described in a Pendle Hill pamphlet called “Spiritual Linkage with Russians: the Story of a Leading” (1991). Although conservatives believe that the Cold War ended because Ronald Reagan put so much pressure on the Russians that they finally gave up and cried “Uncle,” there is considerable evidence that “people power” and citizen diplomacy helped to convince both Reagan and Gorbechev that the time was ripe for ending the Cold War. This trust-building movement didn’t accomplish miracles overnight, however. It began rather modestly in the ‘50s when small delegations like those sponsored by British Quakers went to the Soviet Union to begin a dialogue and create friendship. A similar process of trust building in the Middle East began in the 1980s and 90s with groups like American Friends Service Committee, Fellowship of Reconciliation, and the Compassionate Listening project leading delegations and teaching listening skills. In 2004 I went to Israel/Palestine with the Compassionate Listening project. It was an incredibly intense and rewarding experience. Our delegation of Christians, Jews, Muslims, and Buddhists stayed at a kibbutz, a refugee camp, Christian retreat centers, and a school in Bethlehem. We dialogued with those in the Israeli/Palestinian peace movement as well as with settlers. One of the most heart-rending experiences was listening as parents shared with us the pain of losing their children to the recent violence. I will never forget the Palestinian family who told us how their 16-year-old son, a peace activist, was shot in the head by Israeli police in front of his mother. Nor will I forget the rabbi whose son was murdered by Arabs and who has dedicated his life to helping other families heal from such traumas. I will also carry with me the image of an elderly Jewish man named Steve who invited a young Palestinian man named Asmi into his home in Jerusalem and treated him like a son. Steve became the guest of honor at Asmi’s wedding and is now part of this loving Palestinian family. These encounters help us to understand the human depths and complexities of today’s conflicts. Despite war and terrorism, this work of trust building has expanded since 9/11 and now includes mainstream groups such as the Rotary Club International. This reconciliation work goes largely unreported in the media, which tends to focus on the sensational. But I am convinced that these efforts on the part of ordinary people will have an enormous impact over the long run. I am also convinced that this is work we are called to do as Friends. The Legacy of William Penn and Tom FoxAs Friends respond to the call of the interfaith movement, we do well to keep in mind two Friends whose examples speak powerfully to our times. One speaks primarily to the head, the other to the heart. Let me begin with William Penn, one of the great intellectual as well as religious figures of colonial America. Growing up in an age of religious war and conflict, and raised in a military family, Penn was utterly transformed by the experience of Quakerism. He renounced violence. He came to believe that the Light of God is present in all human beings, and in all religions. He founded the Quaker colony of Pennsylvania as a place where people of all faiths could practice their religion without government interference. This was a revolutionary idea at the time. Penn’s willingness to allow freedom of religion in Pennsylvania had a significant impact on our country’s commitment to religious pluralism. Furthermore, Penn envisioned a world in which nations would settle their disputes by law, not war. In 1693, he wrote a plan for the Present and Future Peace of Europe that is considered a prototype of the United Nations. I believe that as Friends, we are called upon to carry forward the legacy of Penn and to work diligently for a society based on tolerance and a world governed by international law. We are called to support the Quaker UN Office (QUNO) and other efforts to strengthen the United Nations, especially as it comes under vicious attack from the religious right in our country. Sad to say, many in the religious right equate the UN with the Anti-Christ. We need to remind our fellow Americans that the United Nations for all its flaws is still the best hope we have for a peaceful and just world. Another Friend whose example calls us to us and to our time is Tom Fox. No Friend is better known throughout the world today, especially in the Muslim world. Fox speaks to the heart of our Quaker faith. Like Mary Dyer, Mary Fisher and other early Friends who were called to travel in the ministry, Fox was willing to risk his life to bear witness to the power of love and the Inward Light. Fox was also part of the interfaith movement. Although he considered himself a Christian, he was open to spiritual insights from other religions, such as Buddhism, Judaism, and Islam. He went to Israel/Palestine and listened to all sides in this tragic conflict. He lived side-by-side with the Iraqi people and took up their cause and their concerns. He showed by his example what it means to “walk cheerfully on the earth, answering that of God in everyone.” When news of Fox’s death was announced, he was deeply mourned by the Muslim community, which will always remember and honor him. A young Muslim man I know named Yasir Shah wrote a letter to Friends Bulletin when he learned of Tom Fox’s death: “I’m heart-broken to say that it’s only recently that I’ve come to find out about such a courageous and dedicated man…. I believe that Tom Fox’s family, the American people, and the Iraqi people were blessed to have someone of his caliber to fight for them…Tom Fox embodied the characteristics of the leaders of the civil rights movement….[and] I pray that we increase our unity in the stand against injustice, and continue to strive for the rights of all humans.” Not all of us have the calling or the courage to follow Tom Fox’s example. But we are called to honor his memory and to carry forward his spirit as best we can in our Quaker witness to the world. List of resources
· “Interfaith—now more than ever” by Marigold Bentley, Quaker news, winter 2005, p. 11.
·
How to Be a Perfect Stranger:
The Essential Religious Etiquette Handbook,
3rd Edition (Paperback). · Practicing the Sacred Art of Listening: A Guide to Enrich Your Relationships and Kindle Your Spiritual Life by Kay Lindahl. Skylight Paths Publishing, Woodstock, VT, 2003. (http://www.sacredlistening.com) · The Sacred Art of Listening: Forty Reflections for Cultivating a Spiritual Practice by Kay Lindahl. Skylight Paths Publishing, Woodstock, VT, 2003. · Listening with the Heart: A guidebook for Compassionate Listening by Carol Hwoschinsky. Published by the Compassionate Listening Project. (compassionatelistening.org) · God and Allah Need to Talk, a documentary about interfaith work in the LA area after 9/11 by Ruth Broyde Sharone (see filmsthatmatter.com) · Sallie King, Friends and Other Religions. Quaker Press of FGC, 2003. · Anthony Manousos , Islam from a Quaker Perspective. Friends Bulletin Pamphlet, 2003. (westernquaker.net) · Jim Pym, The Pure Principle: Quakers and Other Faith Traditions. Sessions of York, 2000. · Dan Seeger, Sharing our Faith. Quaker Press of FGC, 1991. · Claire Gorfinkel, I Have Always Wanted To Be Jewish And Now, Thanks To The Religious Society Of Friends, I Am. Pendle Hill Pamphlet, 2000. · Elizabeth Nesbitt, Interfaith Pilgrims. Quaker Books, 2003. · Carol Murphy, Many Religions, One God, Pendle Hill Pamphlet #150, 1966 · Douglas Steere, Mutual Irradiation, Pendle Hill Pamphlet #175 · Margot Tennyson, Friends and Other Faiths, Quaker Home Service, 1992
Quotes for sidebar (optional)
The worshipers of the Most Gracious are those who tread the earth gently, and when the ignorant speak to them, they only utter, "Peace." (The Qu’ran, 25:63)
Peace, peace, to the far and the near, says the LORD; and I will heal them. But the wicked are like the tossing sea that cannot keep still; its waters toss up mire and mud. There is no peace, says my God, for the wicked. (2 Isaiah 57)
Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. (2: Eph 6.)
In this time when we constantly interact with people of other cultures and nationalities, the Christian and Interfaith Relations Committee (CIRC) of FGC invites Friends to consider the challenges and opportunities inherent in a world in which the many religions confront each other daily. Religious differences play a role in many contemporary wars. Religion is too often used as a weapon to frighten or a tool to incite violence and hatred. Friends must demonstrate a different way. –Sallie B. King, for the Christian and Interfaith Relations Committee of FGC.
This is the word of the Lord God to you all, and a charge to you all in the presence of the living God; be patterns, be examples in all countries, places, islands, nations wherever you come; that your carriage and life may preach among all sorts of people, and to them; then you will come to walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God in everyone.—George Fox.
The humble, meek, merciful, just, pious and devout souls everywhere are of one religion and when death has taken off the mask, they will know one another, though the diverse liveries they wore here make them strangers.—William Penn.
The Inward Light is a universal light given to all men [and women], religious consciousness being basically the same wherever it is found. Our difficulties come when we try to express it. We cannot express; we can only experience God. Therefore we must always remember tolerance, humility, and tenderness with others whose ways and views may differ from ours.—Pacific Yearly Meeting Faith and Practice.
“Mutual irradiation” is defined by Douglas Steere as a interfaith encounter in which “each is willing to expose [him or herself] with great openness to the inward message of the other, as well as to share its own experience, and to trust that whatever is the truth in each experience will irradiate and deepen the experience of the other.”
“This is not to say that all religions are one. The religions are indeed different. While Friends avoid creeds, our Testimonies—Truth, Nonviolence, Equality, Simplicity—are clear and not to be compromised, as is our practice of submitting to the guidance of the Spirit. These give us the guidance we need in our relating to other religions.” – Sallie B. King, for the Christian and Interfaith Relations Committee (http://www.fgcquaker.org/library/welcome/fa-otherreligions.html).
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