It has been more than 200 years since the Constitution that gives us freedom of religion and calls for the separation of church and state was adopted. Yet, many people remain intolerant.
We live in one of the most ethnically diverse cities and attend an equally diverse university, but many of us fail to understand what other religions have to offer. Sitting down for dinner and discussing our differences could help us learn to tolerate and respect one another.
Most of us claim to be tolerant of religions and personal beliefs different from our own. Many of us have friends and or have relationships with people who don’t share the same views as us, but how many of us really embrace or understand different religions?
Islam is quickly becoming the largest religion in the world, yet many people have refused to open their minds and learn about it because they are afraid of accepting people with different beliefs. Since Sept. 11, racism against people from the Middle East has escalated.
‘When our national security is on the line, ‘racial profiling’ – or more precisely, threat profiling based on race, religion or nationality – is justified. Targeted intelligence-gathering at mosques and in local Muslim communities, for example, makes perfect sense when we are at war with Islamic extremists,’ author Michelle Malkin said in a USA Today article.
People have let fear of the unknown control them. Their judgments are often so clouded with their own beliefs that they become ignorant.
The Greater Houston Amazing Faiths Dinner Dialogues, a project founded by Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston in partnership with the Rice University Boniuk Center for Religious Tolerance, invites participants to open up their homes and host or attend dinners with guests of different faiths.
At these dinners, participants and moderators focus on similarities between different religious groups. Sitting in a comfortable, judgment-free environment, people can open up to talk about their faiths.
The fear of learning something new, or betraying our own belief system, is what stops so many of us from accepting others. Being comfortable and confident in your own faith is important, but understanding other people’s faiths is equally significant.
Interested students can offer their homes to guests or attend a dinner by signing up at Interfaith Ministries’ Web site at www.amazingfaithshouston.org before Nov. 12.
Liz Price is a communications junior and may be reached at [email protected]
