Minister's Musing

Rev. Mark Ward
Unitarian Universalist Church of Asheville

February 2008

One thing that surprised me on arriving in Asheville nearly four years ago now was how little interchange there seemed to be among different religious traditions here. In a city with such diverse religious expression, why aren’t we talking together more? I still don’t know the answer to that question, but I’m encouraged to be a part of an effort hoping to correct that state of affairs.

Last fall the men’s Brotherhood at Congregation Beth HaTephila, the reform temple that is one of our neighbors in North Asheville, issued invitations to as many different religious traditions as they could think of to attend an organizing meeting of people interested in forming an ongoing interfaith dialog. The meeting, hosted by the temple, drew some 30 people from about a dozen religious traditions. We held our second meeting recently at the Cathedral of All Souls in Biltmore Village, and the next meeting will be at our church from 10 AM-noon on Feb. 13. Feel free to stop by if you’re interested.

The creation of an interfaith group, of course, raises the question of what this group should do. Should we be creating opportunities for dialog among our different communities? Should we be engaged in social action or justice work? Should we be creating interfaith festivals or community events? Perhaps all of the above.

The role of religion in community life is an interesting question. In our secular society, religions have no formal part to play, and yet, like us, many faith traditions see it as part of their mission to help make this a better world. Each tradition has its own idea of what that means, but we also share similar values. As one participant in a recent meeting put it, “we all share a belief in the sacredness of humanity.” I’m delighted to see this group taking shape, and I’ll keep you posted on where it goes.