From Anchorage, Alaska to Austin, Texas and from Detroit, Michigan to Tom’s River, New Jersey, communities came together to worship and celebrate our shared beliefs and our vision for an America that embraces all of its faith traditions. We came together in worship and in song, in dialogue and in music. And as we broke bread, we broke stereotypes. We rejoiced in our commonalities and we celebrated our differences in activities of respect and inclusion.
Below are messages of tolerance and civility from just a few of the many Faith Shared events held around the country:
Faith Shared received extraordinary coverage in the United States and in a variety of international media outlets such as the Urdu Timesin Pakistan, Al-Jazeera, the Pakistan Post, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Aztag, an Armenian newspaper in Lebanon. We sent a strong message both here in the United States and around the world that Americans could come together and demonstrate respect, curiosity, civility and friendship across faith lines.
This celebration is not about faith forced or faith imposed. Faith Shared is, at its best, a radical act of democracy – faith shared – and is one of the most powerful initiatives that Interfaith Alliance has ever produced. We hope to see its influence continue to grow. Visit the Faith Shared Gallery to view pictures and watch videos of services held around the country.
- "We may have different beliefs and traditions than the church, mosque or temple down the street, but we share in common a desire to worship freely and search for answers to life's questions through our faith." Reverend Dr. C. Welton Gaddy at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC
- “In my faith tradition, tolerance begins with the belief in the inherent dignity of every member of the human family: young and old, male and female. From this essential belief follows that of inherent rights, such as the sanctity of human life, for example. As reported in the Torah and refrained in the Quran, the taking of a human life without cause or reason is tantamount to killing all of humanity. By the same token, the saving of a human life is equated with saving all of humanity.” Dr. Said Ahmed-Zaid at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Boise, ID
- “Americans, unfortunately, are stuck in the past… And the past has been confrontation and conflict. But God is calling us into a new future, especially since September 11, 2001. While the United States government responded with two wars, religious leaders are calling on one another to better understand one another to be in dialogue, not confrontation." Rev. Gordon V. Webster at the Lake Avenue Baptist Church in Rochester, NY
- “I think that’s why it is particularly important for people in all three traditions to do just what we and others did at the end of June — hear how each [of us] understands God and the stories and what they mean for our lives. We may not agree, but one of the things we found in our gathering is that we can hear each other without feeling threatened, we can laugh together, we can share common concerns raised in our own distinctive forms of prayer.” Pastor Phil Haslanger at the Memorial United Church of Christ in Fitchburg, WI
Faith Shared received extraordinary coverage in the United States and in a variety of international media outlets such as the Urdu Timesin Pakistan, Al-Jazeera, the Pakistan Post, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Aztag, an Armenian newspaper in Lebanon. We sent a strong message both here in the United States and around the world that Americans could come together and demonstrate respect, curiosity, civility and friendship across faith lines.
This celebration is not about faith forced or faith imposed. Faith Shared is, at its best, a radical act of democracy – faith shared – and is one of the most powerful initiatives that Interfaith Alliance has ever produced. We hope to see its influence continue to grow. Visit the Faith Shared Gallery to view pictures and watch videos of services held around the country.