In her debut article entitled “Introducing Interfaith” published on March 9, 2010, Katz explains that one very important aspect of her job with Project Interfaith is to address and clarify common misconceptions people have about interfaith work, and redefine expand people’s view of interfaith dialogue.
“Many people still equate interfaith work with gathering a bunch of people from different religions to sit down in a room together and share their deeply held beliefs,” says Katz. While she agrees that the above statement explains interfaith dialogue and work in its most conventional form, it excludes people who are “simply not interested in or comfortable with participating in something which is so intimate, requires such a tremendous amount of trust, and frankly, can sometimes be pretty heady.”
A self-proclaimed “social entrepreneur”, Katz feels it’s important to engage people in dialogue to the degree and depth that they are comfortable with. This philosophy helped shape the Project Interfaith programs to include a wide variety of activities that promote religious education and engage people in dialogue on a personal level.
“This means we use the arts to explore and educate about religious and cultural diversity; we bring in thoughtful speakers to examine how issues of faith and identity connect with popular culture and current events; we even offer workshops for professionals to help them become better prepared and more comfortable serving people of diverse beliefs and cultures,” says Katz.
In the latter half of the article, Katz puts on the interfaith detective hat and busts three common myths about interfaith work.
“Myth #1: Interfaith work is only for those who are connected to a religion”
In light of the subject of my recent blog post, I especially enjoyed reading her response to this myth. According to Katz, interfaith work is first and foremost about building meaningful relationships, regardless of religious beliefs. Interfaith work belongs to people of faith, no faith, and everyone in between alike. The ultimate goal of interfaith work is to build a community where all members are valued equally through education, sharing, and connecting.
“Myth #2: Interfaith work weakens or dilutes one’s faith or identity”
This has to be one of the most controversial misconceptions about interfaith work. She explains that in order to effectively participate in interfaith work, one needs to have a strong understanding of his of her own beliefs and culture. However, the point of interfaith work is to explore other philosophies, beliefs, and cultures with an open mind. And while Interfaith does not require that you abandon your faith and assimilate into one mega-religion, it definitely causes one to self-reflect and question their beliefs. In her own personal experience, Katz explains that “this frequently leads people to develop a deeper understanding of their own religious/spiritual and cultural identity and awakens a desire to learn more about their tradition and themselves.”
“Myth #3: Interfaith work is just about getting people of different faiths & cultures to agree”
Katz disagrees with this statement. However, she agrees that in the early years of the interfaith movement there was an overemphasis on commonality, which distracted from the many differences that equally define many faiths. The goal of interfaith work is to build healthy, meaningful relationships founded on mutual respect, trust and understanding, not blind agreement. All to say, we don’t all have to agree with each other 100% of the time. What’s important is having the conversations and experiences that expose us to different ways of thinking, different cultures, and different religions.
I really enjoyed reading Katz’s first installment of her column, and I am eagerly looking forward to the next. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate and thank Katz for her column, and everything she has accomplished with Project Interfaith. Both have touched, and will continue to touch and inspire people all around the world. Katz is definitely a young leader whose career we will all be following in the years to come.
Website: http://omaha.net/local-writing/accidental-theist
Project Interfaith Website: www.projectinterfaithusa.org
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