Children of Abraham

The Children of Abraham: Interfaith Understanding class at St. John's Episcopal Church begins Wednesday October 21, and lasts five weeks - each Wednesday night from 6:30-8:00pm.

I am passionate about interfaith dialogue - particularly among the Abrahamic traditions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) - because I am terrified of the consequences of silence, fear, prejudice, and slander. Fear of the other leads to prejudice, stereotyping, and lies, which in turn lead to a violent theology and demonization of the other, finally to brutality and murder.

As a Christian, Episcopalian, and a spiritual seeker, I cannot, in good conscience, say the words of my baptismal covenant, swearing to "seek God in all persons and respect the dignity of every human being," and remain aloof and uninvolved in the quest for interfaith understanding.

I studied Religion at Transylvania University, traveling to Poland, Turkey, Greece, Israel, Egypt, and spending a semester in Morocco - pushing, pulling, trudging, trekking, and digging through questions of faith, belief, ethnicity, politics, gender, language, and history. I'm still not satiated in my quest for answers; I came away from my undergraduate experience having figured some things, but I am just as full of questions now as I was at 18 years old. These questions motivate me; my memories and stories inspire me to continue learning, searching, and to start to share.

Children of Abraham is my first substantial attempt to share my experiences in a church setting in order to begin a conversation. St. John's is a loving, welcoming, and progressive place; I very much look forward to the class and the discussions that we will have.

When I was living in Morocco, I had ample time for reflection and meditation. I spent a lot of time reading and writing, and found a renewed enthusiasm for prayer and the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer. I used the Psalms - conveniently included at the end of the BCP - often to calm my mind, focus my thoughts, and to pray to God.

Psalm 133 has for a long while been one of my favorites, and while living in the bustling capital city of Rabat, it spoke to me in a powerful way.

Psalm 133
1 How good and pleasant it is
when brothers live together in unity!

2 It is like precious oil poured on the head,
running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron's beard,
down upon the collar of his robes.

3 It is as if the dew of Hermon
were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the LORD bestows his blessing,
even life forevermore.

It still resonates as a powerful injunction to all believers (e.g. monotheists) to learn to live together in peace.