Fighting the Good Fight of Faith

It is a simple fact that all human beings have the same aspirations, wants, needs and desires. I believe that when leading men of faith get in a room to discuss tolerance and respect, it's easy to make great progress. The hard part is getting them in the room.

I am excited to announce this morning, a delegation of over two dozen Chief imams and rabbis representing nine European nations arrived as part of an interreligious mission to strengthen Muslim-Jewish relations and combat Islamophobia and anti-Semitism in the United States and across Europe. The mission is hosted by The Foundation for Ethnic Understanding (FFEU) in conjunction with the World Jewish Congress United States and the Islamic Society of North America

I am pleased to serve as the Chairman of FFEU, working alongside and inspired by my partner, the courageous, Rabbi Marc Schneier, the President of the foundation. The Foundation for Ethnic Understanding is no stranger to Muslim-Jewish interreligious activities. In its 20th year, The Foundation has led efforts in North America to strengthen the bond between the Muslim and Jewish communities by bringing together rabbis, imams and other community leaders and by encouraging real dialogue. Last year, these efforts culminated with the first ever twinning of 50 mosques and 50 synagogues in North America, a program that will expand to Europe this fall.

The purpose of this international gathering is to introduce to the European participants successful American-style interfaith initiatives that could also be implemented in their own countries, to facilitate and encourage a dialogue with colleagues, and work to improve America's standing with Muslims abroad.

High level meetings and programs are scheduled at the White House, Congress, the U.S. Department of State, the United Nations, various mosques and synagogues and elsewhere. The European religious delegation will also visit ground zero, Ellis Island and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.

When we think of the seeds that are being planted over the next four days, we are filled with great optimism and hope. We applaud the efforts of the Foundation as well as the Rabbis and Imams who are with us this week, and we look forward to building a brighter future for our Muslim and Jewish children and all children alike.

Comments

[BoyInBOYCOTT]

Building a brighter future for Jewish or Muslim children.....unless they are gay/lesbian.

One of the foulest episodes I've witnessed is Muslim, Jewish, and Christian leaders all attacking the LGBT community in Israel, it seemed they were attempting to out do each other who hated us MORE.

[PlaceboStudman]

I am forced to ask, if this interfaith movement is intended to bring together people of different faiths and spiritual leanings, why is there such a focus on Islam and Judaism? Why are there no Christians involved, and perhaps more importantly, no "Non-believers" (a loaded term, if I ever heard of one. Everyone believes in SOMETHING, we just don't believe in the standard definition of God presented by the major religions). If this interfaith mission does not include Christians, Rationalists, and other of the "lesser" religions, then the same problems with religion will remain, and this whole thing will be for naught, no matter how much progress is made between Muslims and Jewish people

[NickMcH]

Actually there are plenty who reject the entire notion of belief. Sartre, excuse me if I spelt it wrong, wrote about the condition of Bad Faith. Now to avoid the semantic argument of " Well I believe in the sun" that is a poor understanding of different kinds of belief. I for one do not defame those who would seek peace but it isn't exactly like it wouldn't come quicker by dropping religion and moving on to solving other causes of division.

[gx5000]

These Religions and Churches are simply power structures of old.
Their leaders and aspirants will never let go easy...
Then there are those that still need to believe in something, anything....fables.

The trouble is that these groups have attained so much power and their followers so gullible
as to be everlasting. One or more groups may one day overcome the other as was in the old days and
will plunge this continent in a Dark age once again, but this time, well, we can create our
own pillars of salt I'm afraid, and this could be the end.

[lainey]

With peace in our hearts, our minds, our words and our actions, together we can make this world a better place. Thanks for all the work that you do: It is honorable and worthwhile, and most importantly, your goals can be achieved.

[Promote]

Well it took awhile for Women & Blacks to Vote in America ! I wonder if that had anything to do with Misinterpreting Religion ?

[Merlin7]

It's deplorable that 40 years after men walked on the moon, people are still arguing and fighting over supernatural entities whose existence is not supported by one shred of objective evidence. Houston, we still have a problem.

[Harlyridr]

And I'm still having a problem believing that we even went to the moon! NASA still to this day just dismisses anyone with proof or facts stating otherwise and SO.... I have an issue with the religous folks that keep trying to shove GOD down my throat as well.

[Harlyridr]

Excuse me, I meant religious, spelling suffers today for some reason.

[Edward Current]

You have to be kidding. What do you say to people who insist they have proof that you don't ride a Harley? You don't just dismiss them, do you?

[alphabet99]

yet, the astronauts who took part in the various moon landings say that this experience deepened their belief in "supernatural entities."

[CatmasareOK]

hey if you start out brainwashed ...... how far is there to go to be deeply deluded!?

[pissedmichael]

I am an atheist. However, this is one of the few times I have felt there may yet be hope for at least a peaceful resolution to religious 'differenc­es'--which I believe are so few as to be negligible. It is only the hidden agendas of the fanatics who have no problem distorting beliefs and values of any one religion to the end of supporting those agendas. While I fundamentally do not believe in the basic tenets, I do believe that they are all afflicted with a 'silent majority' whose membership is entirely altruistic in nature--that, like all else in any society, it is the bullies who tend to paint the picture of the membership.

[Clavis]

Faith is not belief. It is allegiance to an idea. True belief is instinctual; if you believe that the ground under your feet is solid, you will walk confidently on it. "Having faith" that the ground is solid means you are putting your trust in some other source of information, even if it's just your extensive previous experience walking. The "Faith" of religion is not trust-based at all. It is an acceptance that your ability to reason and to understand are no longer your primary means of knowing what is and what isn't -- that they have been replaced by a system wherein you take whatever it is that you *want* to be true, and you convince yourself that it *is* true... and if it doesn't make sense, or if Central Religious Concept A and Central Religious Concept B cannot be logically reconciled, then you just accept that someone smarter than you has that all figured out, so you won't worry about it. (This is, of course, separate from the cultural benefits of religion as a way to ossify a society -- to enshrine misogyny and injustice, for example, or to claim land rights, in the name of "tradition".)

Also recognize, has Christopher Hitchens has pointed out, how often religious leaders seek and gain power in the here and now, despite their emphasis on the *next* world...

[kitkatborn]

Life exists. If we have to have faith in the existence of a God who stands outside of Creation we need to reconfigure our truths. As a student of spirituality I find it amazing that, in this quantum age, people have so much trouble putting their minds around this. Hidden in the teachings of the leaders all over the world is the idea that all are part of Creation and Creation is God.

[PCL07]

People of different faiths do work well together. This past week, food and medical supplies were allowed into Gaza through Egypt thanks to a group full of all different religions- http://www.vivapalestina.org/

[speedy0314]

while it's hard for me to view rabbis & imams in a room together as a bad thing (although it does sound like the beginnings of a terrific joke), i'm with most of the other commenters here: color me unimpressed.

the all-too-often straight line between 'faith' & 'fanaticism' may have been far more benign in less technologically advanced ages. these days, "men of faith" (from george w. bush to iran's ayatollah ali khamenei) have hardly shown themselves to be shining lights of humanity.

the abrahamic faiths have long over-stayed their welcome in this humanist's eyes.

[iskra]

Agreed.

The moderates provide the foundational support for fanatics to exist. While they point to the fanatics as 'extreme' they continue to promote giving up reason in favor of doing the bidding of a 'higher power'.

[DavidATolucaLake]

You do not need to believe in a supernatural "God" to be a decent, caring human being.

Stop the insinuation that religious people are more moral than those who are not.

[CptKendrick]

How can you say that?

Science can only teach us how to fly to the moon.

But religion can teach us now to fly into buildings.

[loOranks]

Ouch!... ;-)

[gx5000]

Ouch !
ZING.....
Nothing left to say....

[sambethme]

your comment is quiet irrelevant. Even though I agree with you, your comment makes no sense in reply to what he said.

[MrsFonebone]

"...the leading men of faith..."

There's your problem right there. Patriarchal, antiquated, tribal belief systems that just don't translate into modern secular tolerance.

[EnterTheNow]

What is Faith anyway? It is a structure that humans create when they don't know something for sure. You don't need a Belef System or Faith around your mother for example because you KNOW your mother. If they really KNEW GOD, they wouldn't need to create a belief system arount It. Religious people hold having faith as the goal. The problem with Faith in the first place is that its based on a bunch of though forms, which can be very powerful no doubt in a positive or negative way( just look at people who would blow themselves up for their beliefs). But through learning to quiet the mind you can experience Life (or God if you want to put a lable) in a very profund way, always in the Now ( the only place where Life really happens).

You can read The Power of Now or A New Earth to learn these techniques.

[skippypicasso]

My aspirations, wants, needs, and desires will have been met when people stop believing in imaginary omniscient omnipotent deities..

[elmerfude]

Amen to that skippy.

[Lauren Collier 1]

Why will your aspirations, wants, needs, and desires be met when people stop believing in "imaginary omniscient onmipotent deities? I believe this is a desire of Satan. Are you Satan or a soldier of Satan? There will always be some people who give up believing in a higher power than man (who was created by the higher power), but I do believe that Satan uses people like you to spread ill-will amongst us to create more non-believers. Just remember, Man cannot solve the problems of man. It will take a higher power to do that. In the meantime, I will continue to pray to GOD for man's salvation, including yours.

[iskra]

Non-believers have as much morality as those of faith and far less violence. Stop trying to demonize us.

If there are human problems then it's up to us to solve them, you can keep waiting for magical intervention, the rest of us will get back to work.

[elmerfude]

What nonsense! When will you grow up and take some responsibility? It is a lazy cop out to create all sorts of problems and then expect some imaginary being to solve them for you. Don't you dare lay a satan trip on me. It was religion after all that perpetrated genocides, inquisitions, witch hunts, crusades, book burnings and the like over a period of hundreds of years. And you would again too if you had half a chance.