At Complete Peace

After the Haven Interfaith Parent open house I was reminded of the importance of the work that we are doing.  As we reflected on our experience of being a multi-faith group several themes became evident. The first was the safety each member felt to express their beliefs even if their beliefs were different than the rest of the group. Several factors contributed to this feeling of safety. The mission statement and the ground rules helped define the meetings for the members. The understanding between the members, because of the mission statement and the ground rules, was that we were there to learn, understand and be peacemakers. This understanding allowed members to know they were safe to share a different belief.  The group members might have been reluctant to admit it, but the various silly and not-so-silly activities that we do at each meeting helped us realize that even though we have different beliefs  we are all human. Being human means we share many common experiences.  Sharing those experiences with each other also helped us feel safe to share our beliefs at the HIP meetings.

The second theme I heard  was that being in the group made us more comfortable and confident to talk about spiritual and religious topics with people outside the group. Someone said that prior to being in the group she didn’t talk about religious or spiritual topics with someone from another faith for fear of offending them. Being a member of HIP has taught her how to ask questions about someone’s faith.  The group also expressed the confidence that has developed to address inaccuracies about other faiths. This was expressed by Muslims who hear negative comments about Christians and it was expressed by Christians who hear negative comments about Muslims. The group conveyed that being able to talk about spiritual and religious topics with others has deepened and enriched their lives.

And finally there was a simple but profound statement.  A Muslim gentleman said that when he was at HIP meetings he was at complete peace.  HIP is a group where we have discovered we have much in common but we also discuss our differences. What a wonderful testament to the importance of multi-faith work; being at complete peace.