My Message to Churches, Mosques And Synagogues: Do Your Job!

I am saddened, but not surprised, that the forces that strive to keep us divided have silenced a vital dialogue in a Synagogue in West Hampton, N.Y., in which Rev. Al Sharpton and Rabbi Marc Schneier of the Foundation For Ethnic Understanding strove to bridge a deeply troubled part in America's past: the Crown Heights Riots of 1991.

In this racially and religiously charged episode, two people lost their lives, a young black boy and young Jewish man. It was an ugly and disturbing chapter in our nation and our city's history. Rev. Al Sharpton and Rabbi Schneier tried courageously to advance the cause of understanding between races and religions by shedding light where darkness has reigned. That light was not extinguished by Rev. Sharpton's conscientious decision to pull back until the moment comes, hopefully soon, to restart the dialogue.

Let me say this, as the Chairman of The Foundation For Ethnic Understanding, it is the solemn and fundamental obligation of ALL religious institutions and leaders to fight relentlessly for understanding and reconciliation. Because the tenet of every religion from East to West is peace and salvation. And the only way that we all can reach this state is through dialogue, debate and the light of understanding.

The haters will always hate. Hatred is their oxygen. You can drudge up grievances from the past and anxiety about the future in every moment, but the only moment we have is the one we live in now. It is in this moment, today, right now, that we can make a difference. When we see a moment where we can advance the condition of our human existence, we need to grab that moment, listen, engage and become our better selves. It is a crying shame that this did not happen this weekend at Rabbi Schneier's synagogue, but that's nothing. It will happen. Jews and blacks are tied by the bounds of history to understand and appreciate each other's struggles and striving for inclusion, acceptance and understanding.

But it is to the institutions -- the synagogues, the mosques, the churches, the temples -- that I address this statement: DO YOUR JOB! Dig deep into the roots of your religions and fight for peace through reconciliation, understanding and love, which is the universal feeling that binds us all.

 

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Comments

[andrewsullar]

09:43 PM on 08/26/2011

Yes, the churches, mosques, and synagogues should do their job are refer to Yankel Rosenbaum as the Emmet Till of the 90's. The truth hurts, but it is not their job to placate black folks. They need to advocate for this man who was lynched and stop appeasing the lynch mob and their apologists.

[Bea Johnson]

06:56 PM on 08/21/2011

Insanity: Entire populations destroying other entire populations over who's right... and never noticing that each and every person on earth have their own subjective reality and perception of the divine. Thus no one could ever possibly believe exactly the way that you do. What happens when we get down to the last two? Wow... I can't even understand why any of us fight about religon in the first place. It's personal, not public and then there's that pesky little thing called freewill...

[dahlia97]

09:52 PM on 08/21/2011

I think they fight over it because of 'doubt.'
If you don't think I'm right, maybe I'm not...so, if I get rid of you, it means my god is right....here let me prove it by killing you.

[AntithiChrist]

05:47 PM on 08/21/2011

My Message to Churches, Mosques And Synagogues: Get a Real Job! And Pay Your Taxes!

[SayBlade]

10:19 PM on 08/21/2011

Could say the same to the über rich.

[mrobbin6]

05:42 PM on 08/21/2011

Great message! Too bad it will never fly. The different religions, as the different governments of he world, will never agree or attempt to reconcile their disaggreements on anything. They are too busy telling of how their religion is better than all the others. As my faith in God runs deep, my mistrust of all religions runs much deeper. I do not attend a church of any kind as the world is my church, if I can;t talk to God in my back yard or a quiet place somewhere of my choice, I sure won;t be able to do it in some building stuffed with bigotry. As you can tell by now, I don;t beleive in religion. It only serves to separate people into different groups and pit them against one another. Hardly an outcome that God would have wished upon all his children. That said, it is not for leaders of the different religions to tell us how great thier religion is, it is to tell the world that God wants alll of his children to love and respect one another no matter of religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation or political preference. Great idea, but it will never fly!

[thepinkpantsuit]

01:47 PM on 08/21/2011

In fact, and it saddens me to say it, but every time I attempt to promote a message of unity, I am attacked by my own religion.

[ducking.]

[whirlybird]

10:46 AM on 08/21/2011

Excellent article. Keep pushing this theme.

[HopeisEternal]

09:47 AM on 08/21/2011

If God is real then he must wonder what he created. Humanity is deeply flawed from every perspective. Organized religion attempts to tell us what God wants but ends up doing the things he supposedly is against.

[2083]

04:13 AM on 08/21/2011

To say "the tenet of every religion from East to West is peace and salvation." is not oversimplification, but an outright untruth.

Why anyone would believe in so called interfaith dialogue is absurd, inherent in any belief system is a belief in its superiority over all others. It's ridiculous to think that anyone would join a faith if they thought a different one was on to something.

[Adam Bair]

10:41 AM on 08/21/2011

Only those that are still at a fundamental understanding of their religion believe that it is either perfect,or the only right way. As people grow and mature in their spiritual journeys, they see the flaws of human interpretation on their religion. They see they many ways that the Creator tries to guide and connect with people, through many religions. There are many paths to a relationship with God. Walking your own path does not require the disparagement of the other paths. Sadly most people do not seem to walk far enough along the path they claim to follow to see where it connects with the others. Most people would rather distort the name of their religion to fit their egos, and feel "special" because they follow "the right way". Insecure children all.

[dahlia97]

11:48 AM on 08/21/2011

well said.
Many people need the collective assurance that their path is the correct one....so, the religion to survive begins to encourage the belief that theirs is the only way to salvation ...and they think 'if my path is right then yours must be wrong.' And that leads to the thought that your path is wrong and Gd doesn't favor you or yours. This stabilizes the religion along with a necessary feeling of superiority and a strong fear factor.

So most people don't want to examine their religion too deeply or logically because they'd have to admit the truth that all religions are so similar--stories to explain the creation, how we got here, superior being/beings, a measure of safety and order, where you go when you die, and the message of love.

[2083]

03:09 PM on 08/21/2011

Quran 39:9
"Say: "Are those equal, those who know and those who do not know? It is those who are endued with understanding that receive admonition."

Genisis 12:1-3 (KJV)
"Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."

Gospel of John 14:6
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

Why don't you find us the word "interfaith" in any holy text?

[Laugh or you cry]

02:57 AM on 08/21/2011

You know, I think if churches and the belief in which one you belong to determines electablilty and whether or not they tell their flocks to vote according to their beliefs is going to intrude upon the state so much, they are not any different than political organizations. Therefor, I think they should start paying taxes.

[Miriam Breslauer]

02:20 AM on 08/21/2011

A discussion of stereotypes and misconceptions about various religious groups, cultural groups, and skin colors is needed. Until those giant speed bumps are understood by all, it is almost impossible to coherently and calmly discuss serious issues where disagreements seem to be common.

[Adam Bair]

10:48 AM on 08/21/2011

". Until those giant speed bumps are understood by all, it is almost impossible to coherently and calmly discuss serious issues where disagreeme­nts seem to be common."

Many people do not WANT to understand them, they have much to gain by those speed bumps being in places. Most of our racial and cultural public figures fall into this group, and they lead the discussions around those topics.

[JoshInPgh]

12:58 AM on 08/21/2011

And secondly, how can the synagogues do their job if one of the instigators of those riots refuses to apologize for his part in raging against "the diamond dealers"? There's still much palpable anger at Sharpton, so much that unless we see the remorse in his eyes for what he said, there is no talking to him about forgiveness.

[Bea Johnson]

06:43 PM on 08/21/2011

Then take those who would choose hate and division out of the dialouge. Why do we give the nobs who think their ideology is more important than making the world better power? There are extremes in every group, they define the groupthink. In order to make meaningful change, we all have to refuse power to those who would hurt us all. All of us, every group. Why talk about Sharpton at all? Why not make him and any other extremist irrelevant by mocking the position and refusing to be guilted for it because of the group? We're innocent of the things the extremists spout, less act like it and quit letting them put us into their boxes.

[iwantthetruth27]

01:47 PM on 08/23/2011

Absolutely right!!! Sharpton has shown no remorse for his actions during that terrible time in Crown Heights. A child lost his life - the basic definition of a tragedy - in an accident. Yonkel Rosenbaum was murdered. Sharpton incited hate in his own words. I'm not saying he caused the riots, but he certainly did nothing to stop them. Until he comes out and shows true reflection and remorse, he cannot, and should not be allowed a platform on which to speak

[JoshInPgh]

12:56 AM on 08/21/2011

I'm sorry Mr. Simmons, but to paraphrase Rabbi Cooper from an earlier column, how can the synagogues do their job if the mosques refuse to?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rabbi-abraham-cooper/abrahamic-faiths-mocked-b_b_923974.html

[moebalot]

10:12 AM on 08/21/2011

correct

[Caledoniaz]

11:18 AM on 08/21/2011

If everyone follows that logic, then how does anything ever change? Does a leader not lead from the front, by example, even when everyone around him/her is not doing the same? It's easy to point and say "I'm not playing until they play too". Leaders go ahead and get on the field and play anyway, even if they're there alone for the first half. Taking the high road is how progress is made.

[jonsonj33]

10:33 PM on 08/20/2011

Hello Mr. Simmons,

I agree with your comments and offer a slight glimpse of hope. Here in Houston, Texas a group has been conducting a trans-religious dialog for a few years and plans to do something truly unique in the United States. I had heard of this group locally for many years, but only formally joined the group last week - The Institute for Interfaith Dialog; They are planning to build a unique facility called the Peace Garden. It will consist of all three Abrahamic faiths having an edifice constructed on a common site with a common garden. As long as you have dialog, you have the possibility of peaceful relationship with others...http://www.interfaithdialog.org/index.php

[Adam Bair]

01:06 PM on 08/21/2011

I am fortunate enough to be a part of a church that works actively in interfaith groups a here in NYC. I applaud the building of a shared house of worship, and those who come together to make it happen.
Anything that Houston Texas and New York City can agree on has got to be a good thing.

[yetiwatcher]

10:27 PM on 08/20/2011

"peace and salvation"
does peace always mean peace with fellow man, or does it sometimes mean peace now that he's gone?

moreover, religion inherently enforces the us/them division.
and to admit the value of the other as equal to that of the self implies that the deity of the other is equal one's own.
the Abrahamic faiths cannot countenance such a notion

[Adam Bair]

01:13 PM on 08/21/2011

Your statements are true from the fundamentalist point of view, but that view changes the farther one walks down the spiritual path. If there is only one God, then all monotheistic religions must be worshiping the same God, therefore the deity value/legitimacy is the same. The us/them mentality becomes: those who currently embrace the harmony and love that God wants us to live in (us) vs those who still see religion as a reason for separation and exclusivity.

[GHarry]

10:15 PM on 08/20/2011

"The tenet of every religion from West to East is peace and salvation"? Exactly what planet are you talking about, Russell? Here on Earth the main tenet of every religion from West to East is controlling populations for political and economic reasons If you don't understand that, you don't understand history or what's going on in the world today.
The current conflicts in the Mideast, Iraq, Af-Pak and elsewhere are merely a continuation of the Crusades that were launched hundreds of years ago by Europe's Christian kings and popes. My guess is that's why they continue even though it's obvious they are a huge waste of lives and money: Too many powerful religious blocs on both sides of the conflicts want the battle to continue, so it does. Meanwhile, it's just naive to expect religious leaders to do much to reduce the human penchant for murder and mayhem. Throughout history religious leaders have done just the opposite -- fueling uprisings and wars whenever it suited their interests to do so, which was quite frequently.

[waasi]

10:16 AM on 08/21/2011

GHarry, you hit it right on the head. Re-lie-gion is based on power. Now, having met Russ on many occasions, he genuinely IS a nice guy, however, looking down from the ivory tower and commenting on a population that you yourself make money from is a bit hypocritical. I've been part of both the Christian and Islamic notion, its a system of power and spiritual seduction.

[Bea Johnson]

06:46 PM on 08/21/2011

Lol, true... but the thing is, the ones who want to create war and divison? The read their chosen holy book and missed the point. And what is the point? We are condemned as long as we keep blaming, pointing fingers and trying to mold others to our beliefs. We have to come together and forget all that, love each other or guess what? We're all going down. It's all there if you read the sub-context and don't get caught up in the rules and regulations. It's not a rule book, it's a narrative of how humans hurt themselves everywhere because they refuse to get along.