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Power of faith unleashed
by tolerance

Can religion provide solutions to some of the problem areas of our local and global communities, or is religion an intrinsic part of the problem? I think the answer is yes to both aspects of the question.

There is beauty, wisdom and inspiration within every spiritual tradition and every local congregation of believers. If we could work together, we could generate incredible benefits for all humanity. The difficulty doesn't lie within the doctrine and practices that describe how we are different, but within the perspective that differences are inherently divisive and obstacles to interfaith cooperation.

Why does religious difference so often turn into intolerance and violence? What is behind the hatred and mistrust between the Catholics and Protestants in Ireland? What are the root causes of the violence between Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs in various parts of the world? Why can't all of the Christian churches in Kailua unite behind an effort to provide transitional housing for those without houses on the Windward side? The answer, I believe, is because we haven't learned how to live together with our differences.

Religious faith is an intensely personal and integral part of the lives of many people. It can be a source of strength and stability. Unfortunately, it can also become the basis for intolerance and violence.

America provides us with the religious freedom to believe whatever we want, including the freedom to not believe. We also need the undergirding of certain moral principles: respect, responsibility, honesty, justice and compassion. All major religions embrace and teach these moral principles, and they each have a unique version of the Golden Rule. However, some of their followers emphasize or interpret doctrine in a way that overrides the moral principles.

I am very concerned when people talk about the sacred quality of life in reference to Terri Schiavo but send death threats to those who support a peaceful passing. I'm concerned when people express their anger inappropriately while waving their Bible in the faces of those who disagree with them. I'm concerned when President Bush speaks as a Christian about the importance of a culture of life while waging war in Iraq. I'm concerned when a church cannot participate in a project for the houseless because the project includes Buddhists and Jews.

I am deeply concerned when belief becomes a barrier to moral principle and a basis for injustice.

On Saturday, May 14, the Interfaith Alliance Hawaii and the Hawaii Conference of Religions for Peace will sponsor a community forum on religious diversity.

It will be held at Central Union Church from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. In addition to the problems of intolerance and violence, we will explore the strengths of diversity and discuss how we can appropriately express our faith in the public arena without infringing upon the religious freedom of others.

It is my hope that intolerance can be transformed into tolerance and that the strength of our differences can empower us for cooperative acts of justice and compassion. We can disagree on the details of belief, respect the differences and live in harmony.

Somewhere within the promise of this interfaith dialogue lie the solutions to the root causes of hatred and violence and the answers to human need and social justice.

Every natural disaster (tsunami), every human travesty (9/11) and every human loss (Pope John Paul II's death) inspires the highest level of moral and spiritual response. We see it not only in these international examples, but also on a local level when a neighbor suffers or when a friend has a problem. People just naturally respond whenever there is a crisis.

While organized religion can be problematic, from another perspective there is immense potential in the collective good will and faith of these millions of believers. If we could harness this spiritual energy and guide this human compassion, just imagine what we could accomplish. If we could set aside our doctrinal differences and focus on human need (poverty, houselessness, substance abuse), just imagine ...

It has been suggested by others that there is a continuum that extends from intolerance to oppression to killing in one direction, and from tolerance to acceptance to celebration in the other direction. Even if we can't agree about the extent of our present religious crisis, we all need to think about the direction of humanity's future.

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