The Jewish mystic and writer, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, once wrote, “for though my faith is not yours and your faith is not mine, if we are each free to light our own flame, together we can banish some of the darkness of the world.”
Since Covid, Northwest Barrie United Church has become a hub in Barrie where various faith communities have found a temporary or permanent home. The Spiritualist Society holds regular services in our church on Sunday evenings. On Mondays and Thursdays, we welcome practitioners of Tai Chi, and on various other days during the month we have both Hindu and Muslim groups meeting in the Hall for religious services. We also have Highland dancers on Wednesday nights (Scots represent another faith tradition, don’t they?)
It’s exciting to share space with such rich and diverse communities. Small challenges can occur when dishes are not put back properly or when the chairs are stacked against the wrong wall, but by and large, we share the space in a spirit of mutual respect and trust.
I love the fact that our church can be the centre of a very eclectic religious wheel.
HOWEVER…. when I was in the Hall last week and found a small and unfamiliar book of prayers written in a language that I could not read, I realized that although we share the same space with many varied groups, we share little else with them. As I flipped through the prayer book, it dawned on me that I have no idea what they do when they are here. I don’t know what Spiritualists sing, Hindu’s chant, or Muslims recite. I don’t know how they gather, what they eat or how they pray. And they don’t know any of those things about us. Even though we share the same space, we remain as divided as if separated by a border or an ocean. It struck me that accommodating others is one thing, and understanding them is another.
Rabbi Sacks was wise when he said that if all peoples of faith can light their candles, the darkness of the world would recede, even a little bit. Understanding each other is not a prerequisite to shining our lights, but if we did, would not those lights shine with a little more passion and purpose? Sharing space with those who are different from us is a start, but what if we took it a step or two further? What if we shared ideas? What if we shared food? What if we shared prayers? What if we shared music, laughter, or stories? What if we made the effort to move from accommodating to understanding?
It takes a lot to step onto another’s path up the mountain of truth. It takes a lot to walk through a door where unfamiliar practices occur on the other side. It takes a lot to sit opposite from someone who looks and worships differently from us, and say, “please tell me about your faith.”
We have taken the first step at Northwest; we are sharing space. What if we took the next step and really tried to get to know each other? Imagine the light.
