In the Uniting Church in Australia, the Relations with other Faiths Working Group has suggested Interfaith September is a suitable focus for September (since it has 9/11 and also UN International Day of Peace on Sept 21). There are resources available to assist congregations.
This article via New York Times, In praise of the clash of cultures by Carlos Frankael, raises some important issues about how people with diverse religious and cultural traditions need to find common space for a ‘culture of debate’.
Frankael writes: Can we be sure that our beliefs about the world match how the world actually is and that our subjective preferences match what is objectively in our best interest? If the truth is important to us these are pressing questions. We might value the truth for different reasons: because we want to live a life that is good and doesn’t just appear so; because we take knowing the truth to be an important component of the good life; because we consider living by the truth a moral obligation independent of any consequences; or because we want to come closer to God who is the Truth. Of course we wouldn’t hold our beliefs and values if we weren’t convinced that they are true. But that’s no evidence that they are. Don’t we find a bewildering diversity of beliefs and values, all held with great conviction, across different times and cultures? Valuing the truth and valuing a culture of debate are related: because you will want to critically examine your beliefs and values, for which a culture of debate offers an excellent setting. (more here)
See also World Interfaith Harmony Week for resources
