In addition to my work as a writer/journalist I am a seminary-trained interfaith minister and religious diversity teacher.
Naturally, I was outraged when I heard about a Florida pastor calling for a “Burn a Qur’an Day” on September 11 of this year. The Dove World Outreach Center plans to host a bonfire on the evening of 9/11 to burn copies of the Qur’an.
In an attempt to counteract prejudice and hatred, I contacted some of the people I know in Portland’s Muslim community about hosting a “Read a Qur’an Day” instead. These friends improved upon the idea by suggesting an interfaith gathering where we read others’ texts and engage in friendly interfaith dialogue.
As many mosques will host Open Houses on September 11, we’re looking at Sunday, 12 September, to come together to celebrate religious diversity in the U.S. As it happens, other organizations across the country will be doing pretty much the same thing that day.
God has no religion.
– Mohandas Gandhi
We’re still working out the details — such as place (probably a park) and time. Granted, this is getting organized rather late in the game. But even if it’s just me sitting by my lonesome under a tree, I’m committed to showing up for this.
I’ve got a Tanakh and paperback copies of some other religious texts — e.g., The Bhagavad Gita, books on Shamanism and Wicca, the Christian Bible, possibly the Upanishads and the like — but none that I can give away to people to take home with them.
So…. Would you like to join us? Do you have a favorite passage from Torah or meditative chant you’d like to suggest or share? Want to talk about the Wiccan Rede or the Eight-Fold Path? What do you think can be done about religious intolerance? Any and all are welcome to join in this peaceful gathering of cooperation and sharing.
Please get in touch if you’d like to learn more, if you’d like to help organize, if you have ideas you’d like to share…. I’d love to hear from you!
