Last night Braver Faith, a “department” of Braver Angels, convened a pre-inauguration event. We had three speakers – a Rabbi, a Southern Baptist Pastor, and the national Braver Angels Ambassador. Surrounding their reflections were prayers offered by Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Bahai members. At the end we were invited to sing – on mute — ‘My Country Tis of Thee’. In spite of the differences in faith and politics (seven identified as red and seven identified as blue), there was a common desire to work together – by bringing our faith, our hope, and our commitment to love one another. The event, which was recorded on Youtube, can be viewed here:
Yes, our faiths are different but our desire to find common ground is shared. As is our commitment to a presence and power beyond ourselves. As one who has been ordained for nearly five decades, I am always enlightened – and grateful – for what I can learn from other faith perspectives. It deepens my own. The root of the word religion is religio, which refers to the symbols, narratives and practices that bind people together. We meed to do that. Last night we demonstrated it.
You can learn more about Braver Angels, a national movement to depolarize America, by going to its website: www.braverangels.org
