From 9th to 16th November, faith and belief communities will be working together to celebrate Interfaith week. 9th November is also Remembrance Day where we, as a nation, remember the contribution and sacrifice made by our spiritually and culturally diverse armed forces.
During Interfaith week, there will be all sorts of events and talks that showcase the connections that have been built between our communities and providing fresh opportunities for people to connect and to get to know their neighbours.
In our September blog I set out a hope that Pagans across the country might consider holding an open event or opening up a moot to visitors from other faith communities. It’s good to get to know people from other faiths. But it’s also good to help them to get to know us.
At the beginning of last month, during Yom Kippur, we witnessed a horrible attack on a Synagogue in Manchester. Many, many faith and belief communities, including our own, sent out messages of support to our Jewish friends and neighbours. Just days later, a mosque was the victim of an arson attack and, once again, messages of support were sent out to our Muslim neighbours. The connections we make with one another throughout the year are important, particularly at times when one or more of our communities are threatened or attacked.
This time of year is also a time of festivals of light in a number of faith and belief traditions. Hindus, Sikhs and Jains have just celebrated Diwali and next month we see Winter solstice, Yule, Christmas. Festivals of light are a wonderful opportunity for us to connect with others as light is something that is significant for human and non-human people around the world. They provide us with opportunities to develop bonds of genuine affection and help us experience the joy of discovering connections between our different worldviews. The world is filled with troubles that can make us feel we’re living through very dark times. Our interfaith connections with each other give us opportunities to bring light into one another’s lives. Perhaps you might find an event near you during Interfaith week where you can build bonds of connection and share in the light.
https://www.interfaithweek.org/events/programme
Mike Stygal
Belief and Education Officer/Interfaith Manager
Contact Mike here