In the current state of the political and cultural world, one doesn't need to look far to see religious pluralism done wrong. A candidate for president explicitly calls for banning Muslims from entering the U.S., and politicians from both sides of the aisle line up behind a refugee policy fueled by religious fear. Simultaneously, the perennial War on Christmas debate gets an injection of new life thanks to politicians pursuing "values voters" and sparsely decorated cups at Starbucks. Watching all of this is like waiting for another shoe to drop -clearly a segment of Americans would like to challenge our nation's commitment to religious pluralism, the only question is what the next fight will look like and when it will come.
So what a pleasure it was to see our nation's leaders get religious pluralism right. Recently, I was invited to participate in the White House Convening that was entitled "Celebrating and Protecting America's Tradition of Pluralism." At the invitation of the administration, I led a delegation from Interfaith Alliance to hear from three of the most respected voices in the Executive Branch - Melissa Rogers of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Partnerships, Cecilia Munoz who directs the Domestic Policy Council, and Vanita Gupta who heads the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice as acting assistant Attorney General - reaffirm the priority of George Washington's vision of a multifaceted life of the spirit in the United States.
The room at the White House that day was a cross section of the American religious landscape, with people from every part of the religious and political spectrum. In our delegation alone were members from Oklahoma, Iowa, New York, Arizona, Florida, Virginia and California. There were Muslims, Jews, Protestants and atheists; there were men and women; straight people and those who are gay; college-aged activists and people like me with many miles on their interfaith journeys.
Barbara Dworkin, an Interfaith Alliance board member from the Albany, NY area, captured the spirit of the day. "I didn't have to give any lengthy background information," she said of conversations with other delegates. "We were all on the same wavelength."
Kile Jones, an atheist delegate, reveled in "how normal it all was. I hugged Sikhs, chatted with Muslims and Jews, laughed with a Baptist."
This joyous gathering was a reminder to me, and I believe to many others, that there is an appetite for a fresh discussion about religious freedom and a recommitment to religious pluralism. The palpable relief we felt, however, did not obscure the difficult times we live in or the hard work ahead of us. We heard the solemn concerns of delegates who lost family members to hate-fueled violence and whose conversations with the youngest Americans were cautionary rather than celebratory. We agonized over why civic pride had to be tempered by a certain constancy of distrust.
This pain was met with promises of action from the Administration. Representatives from a cross-section of cabinet-level agencies spoke in the names of their secretaries on the specific initiatives to which they are committed, and Ms. Gupta announced plans for a series of roundtable discussions including citizens and officials charged with task of developing the appropriate policies that flow from our commitment to religious pluralism.
But while it is heartening to see such momentum from federal government, religious pluralism cannot be only a top-down phenomenon. We need people on the ground to take up this charge. One such movement, launched at the White House convening is the "Know Your Neighbor" initiative. Imagined by Gurwin Ahuja, an activist in the Sikh community, KYN aims to get me out from under the covers and persuade me to raise the shades. A coalition of faith-based groups from across the advocacy and philanthropic spectrum has formed to encourage Americans to reach out to their neighbors and learn about their faith or philosophy and the culture to which they trace their heritage.
Our hopes are that by understanding the people next door, at work and in the public square, the misinformation and stereotyping that have allowed certain prejudices to flourish will be uprooted. Asking a friend or acquaintance to share his or her own beliefs seems a much more honest way to learn about others than relying on third-party presumptions!
Of course, learning about others requires not just asking, but being willing to tell. Iqbal Mamdani, who joined me at the White House Convening, told me he was impressed by Rev. Brent Walker of the Baptist Joint Committee who reminded us that at least as important as knowing your neighbor is being a neighbor - and all of our traditions emphasize the importance of showing that neighbor love. A Muslim learning from a Baptist preacher is a significant interfaith moment, a Jew and a Muslim being able to discuss how this Baptist's message informs their work together is a recipe for a more sustained pluralism.
However, religious pluralism is only possible on the bedrock of religious freedom. That is why, when I spoke at the convening, I reminded my fellow delegates that our belief in the strength of American values was essential to a sense of personal and national security. The unalienable human rights proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence and the specific iteration of religious freedom in the First Amendment have stood us in good stead for well over 225 years and will continue to do so as long as our common faith is in them. The White House Convening Celebrating and Protecting America's Tradition of Pluralism was a great reminder of that truth.