Articles | Book Reviews | Education
The Loneliness of Separateness
The following is a column from the Religion Page of the Brantford Expositor June 23, 2001. Ross Readhead is a member of the Brantford, Hamilton, Niagara Regional Multifaith Committee and Secretary of the Brantford Community Multifaith Resource Committee.
The approach of treating everyone exactly the same is completely out of sync with today's sentiment that individual differences must be noted and rewarded. There is a lesson here that Canadian churches need to take to heart.
Our churches are not coping well in meeting this post-modern age. Along with most of our social institutions they are experiencing confusion and depression.
It is my observation that one area in which some churches and faith groups are finding re-invigoration and shared energy is in accepting the multifaith principle that recognizes the uniqueness of each spiritual and religious tradition. Ontario is composed of people of many religions and cultural traditions. These are enriched as they mix so as to find unity in their diversity.
Unity need not mean conformity. Most multifaith programs are not an attempt to form a generic faith, but a recognition and an appreciation of one another's contribution to experiencing and expressing the holy and transcendent aspect of life.
My own experience in participation with the Ontario Multifaith Council has been one of spiritual enrichment and broader religious understanding as I've had the opportunity to work alongside individuals of dissimilar faith practices and conviction. One's individuality is honoured and one's beliefs are nourished in company with other points of view and experiences.
Separateness is a lonely existence and our spirituality need not be, and should not be a matter of facing the world alone. Where we experience community, the free association of individuals, we can find strength and gladness. In community there is diversity and uniqueness, and opportunity to grow and expand in one's faith and service.
Avoiders of responsibility often hide in a specific collective group. Enthusiastic individuals in religion today aren't usually stick-in-the-mud persons with eyes closed to the religious world around them, but persons who recognize the progressive nature of spiritual understanding, part of which may come from sharing in one another's other's enlightenment and celebrating each other's joy.
Ross Readhead
Posted by editor on September 30, 2003 10:19 AM