Children of Abraham Interfaith Workshop - The Evergreen State College - Olympia, WA - April 27th, 2011

       The Children of Abraham Interfaith Workshop...have you ever had a project go beyond your expectations or run as you would ideally want it to run? This was my first experience co-sponsoring and being a leader in charge of an Interfaith Event. I worked with my Contract sponsor the Vice President of Student Affairs at Evergreen to get all the people and then from there stayed in communication with the panelists so they would know what questions we would be asking and how the event would run.

      The fact that all three (Josh Levine the leader of Evergreen Hillel representing Judaism, Fred LaMotte of Common Bread representing the Christian, specifically the Quaker tradition, and Muhammad Ayub of the Islamic Center of Olympia) took the offer up and followed through as well as coming prepared for the questions and willing to tackle any type of question from the audience also gave me hope.Their friendships means so much to me as well.

     The event began after 20 people had arrived and sat around the circular lecture hall. I gave the back story to the event and how it came out of the Undergraduate Thesis and and talking with my Contract sponsor, and was using one of the models of dialogue to create successful Interfaith. I then introduced the speakers and then handed it off to kmy Sponsor to lay the ground rules of mutual respect between people during the dialogue and questions.

Then it began - the first question: What does it mean to your religion that it traces it roots back to Abraham?

       Josh Levine was the first to answer and talked about how it was the questioning of Abraham that he represents within Judaism. His quest for truth makes him the Father of the faith. He illustrated this with the story in the Talmud where Abram breaks all the idols in this father's idol shop except one who places the hammer in the hands of. When his father asks who did it and Abram says the idol came to life his father admits that they are not real...this was when his questioning lead him to a belief in One God.

     Fred LaMotte described Abraham as the wanderer. The man who represents the universalism of us to God because he gives up his family, culture, and area of life when God tells him "to go." He described how that essential wandering is an important part of being and that Jesus also was the wanderer and carried on the universalism of not representing a single tribe before God but the universalism of God for all people. How all are "Children of God."

      Muhammad Ayub talked about the brief history of Abraham within the Quran and his two wives, Rachel and Hagar and how Rachel bore Isaac and Hagar bore Ishmael and the traveling to Mecca by Hagar, Abraham and Ishmael and Hagar's search for water and then God creating a fountain of water that exists to this day for pilgrims. He talked about how beards, and circumcision within Islam being inspired by Abraham too and that he is the father of some prophets. Pilgrims at Hajj go around the Ka'ba 7 times, which is also a ritual ceremony from Abraham. They sacrafice a lamb at Hajj, just like Abraham.

    The Vice President then asked how is Abraham connected to the wandering and questioning for the different religions?

   Josh talked about how the Jews were kicked out Israel by different empires and their wandering (not by choice) across the world, as well as the books that came out of questioning the traditions of the Torah to try and understand.

    Fred first talked about the Gospel of Thomas and wisdom coming out of question.  He ended up as wanting to be seen as an Interfaith as core to his identity This lead to good connection between himself, Josh and I at creating an Interfaith Ambassador group after the Workshop. Which is a current new project of mine for the Evergreen and Olympia community.

    Muhammad talked about how questioning is important to bring about understanding and the history of science and philosophy in Islam in the past, showing the role it has played.

The next question was: What are the opportunities and challenges associated with interfaith dialog?

    Josh's story he told in reply, touched me. He talked about how the woman he is engaged to is not Jewish and how in her questioning to understand the traditions and rituals how he has come to better understand, adapt and appreciate his faith. This matters a lot to me being in a similar situation. My girlfriend is Catholic and I'm an Agnostic Theist...but certainly not a Christian. Our dialogs have been an amazing opportunity for me to grow and better understand and appreciate the beauty and good within Catholicism and the Christian tradition.

      Fred let a soldier speak for him. He is a military chaplain and shared the story of a soldier from a small town in Alabama who came to understand Jihad in a different light after seeing the women come to the hospital and help the soldiers...he saw it as the struggle to fight each day and to do what's right, in the eyes and experiences of the people, the strangers who were helping him.

     Muhammad talked about the Interfaith opportunities within the communities and how this event was that same chance and opportunity. He talked about the two Mosques and how anyone is invited and that in that dialog is where misunderstandings are broken down. He talked about how each tradition is distinct and unique and what is not Interfaith dialog. Interfaith dialog is NOT trying to convert another person, and Interfaith dialog is NOT passing the peace pipe and avoiding differences. I'm glad he pointed this out as I've seen Interfaith not succeed due to these 2 factors.

   Fred then brought up how that area in the middle of the similarities can be built upon because of the differences between the faiths.

  After I broke the people up into groups of three for discussion and composing questions for the panel. I moved between them and heard bits and pieces of people sharing their experience with their families faith or their own...it was wonderful, there wasn't the awkward nothingness...there was real dialog.

    After 15 minutes they posed their questions to the panel. The first question was how do the faiths deal with sexism and misogyny within the texts?

    Josh asked if the misogyny would make dialog impossible? When the person asked if it was avoiding the question Josh brought up truthfully if the texts said something sexist or misogynistic if it would prevent dialog on it? After the person said no, he moved forward with expressing how the texts are adapted to mean different over time (as more people reflect and new circumstances and environments occur).

     Fred talked about he saw it was a people in a time trying to understand God as best they could and that it showed the evolution of humans. He also talked about Jesus a liberator of women in his time.

    Muhammad talked about Islamic Feminism and contrasted Saudi Arabia (women not being able to ride) with Muhammad's wives being able to ride animals and them riding modern day vehicles if it were to happen now. He talked about the head scarf being a sign of empowerment as well within the movement and women wanting to be judged by their mind and thoughts rather then flesh.

 The next question was about "Do your books ever say it is right to kill for God?"

     The answers I felt were somewhat avoidant on this issue (God ordering to kill). Here are the replies.

     Josh talked about how in the ten commandments it means "Though shalt not murder" but that it is right to kill in self defense.

   Fred talked about how Jesus was radically pacifistic in his teachings (Turn the other cheek) and that has been subverted throughout history.

    Muhammad talked about religion mixing with politics and politics mixing with religion has been the evil that has occurred in regards to this issue. He also talked about how in the Middle East their are bad Muslims and good Muslims and some who kill in self defense and others who murder.

   The final question was about dogma. My friend talked about a Lutheran Church he grew up in that believed that all people who were Christian, specifically Lutheran were going to Hell and what about that issue within the faiths?

     Fred took Jesus's quote about "I am the way the truth and the light," and how this has been turned into dogma when what it really means is we are all the "I am" in being children of God and having God's light and spirit within us.

    Muhammad talked about how the prophets were not dogmatic and all very similar, as well as how Muhammad preached tolerance of the Christians and Jews. He then brought up how there are so many things that they agree upon but it is never brought up. The issues of: Environment, family, helping the poor, stopping corruption of those in power, and other things.

    It then ended and I met up with a friend and Josh's fiance and talked about the possible Interfaith group being formed on campus that would visit different faiths. We also shared our religious backgrounds. I then met up with Josh and talked to him about it was well...out of this event new possibilities. Now it's simply a matter of making it happen. Suffice to say, the event went beyond expectations and shows how much can be accomplished moving forward.