One of my daughters sent me an article about World Religion Day that appeared on her company intranet on Jan. 12. It occurred to me that this was a topic worth exploring, and I decided to investigate it further online.
The event was first celebrated in 1947 in Portland, Maine, under the title, World Peace Through World Religion. Gradually, more communities began setting aside the third Sunday in January to observe it as World Religion Day. The purpose is to foster harmony between people of all faiths, including Indigenous values and cultures with deeply held wisdom.
Interfaith activities are often organized to bring people together from mixed backgrounds. Forums are arranged where people can “step out of their bubbles” to connect with the views and experiences of newfound friends who may have a different framework of thinking.
Everyone’s story is unique and worth the time for dialogue, both in listening and expressing one’s ideas. It’s plain to see that many conflicts and wars have been based on religious disputes and yet, using the worldwide web, it has become easier to find common ground and see similarities between religious paths.
The new website of the Wrangell Baha'i community was completed on Jan. 12 and develops these themes further. It's at http://www.bahaisofwrangell.org. As the opening post says, “We desire to join hands with our neighbors in a community-building process that cultivates friendship and transforms it into spiritual and material progress.”
Some really great things are already happening in Wrangell as faith communities openly engage with one another — the shared study of sacred verses, devotional gatherings, meaningful conversations on a multitude of subjects, children’s virtues classes open to all, junior youth and youth exchanges, various social and economic activities.
Any day is a good day to get together to share insights and perspectives that will help create a more united and better world right here and now.
-- Kay Larson
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