Reader Comments

We love to hear from readers — leave your comment hear for others to see.

Comments

[David Crumm]

Welcome to the 2nd Annual Interfaith Heroes Month! Please, click on the "Comment" link and share a few words — even if it's just a brief word of encouragement. We hope to get a vigorous discussion rolling this month with readers around the world.

[Doug Kee]

David,Thanks for forming this site and Read the Spirit. I have been searching for resources and kindred spirits to develop interfaith dialogue and action in the Christian church I attend in Plymouth,MI. You offer many great ideas to get us started.Searching for a Pathway to Peace,Doug Kee

[Steve Spreitzer]

Reflection on one on my interfaith heroes, John Paul II.

I recall the July day in 1986, when I moved into the basement bedroom at St. Casimir Parish in Lansing to begin work as coordinator of youth ministers and social services. When I arrived at this "Polish" parish in the old Polish enclave of Lansing, I was greeted by a cleaning woman who had recently arrived from Poland. As I opened the door to drop off my first load of possessions, I was greeted by my second Polish person—a picture of John Paul II, which I promptly plucked off the wall and hurled into a storage room. After all, he represented the Church's authority which was being imposed upon this liberal, U.S. Catholic. Some ten years later, after reading some of the countless documents JP II penned, I came to know a different person, a different spirit. I appreciated reading about global solidarity and to this day hold his "Gospel of Life" as one of my favorite books as it so powerfully outlines my own views about the sanctity of life. I was excited to learn he helped write Nostra Aetate during the second Vatican Council, which signaled a change in how Catholics viewed people of other faith traditions. In fact the "interfaith" leadership" mentioned by Rev. Buttry led countless bishops to begin to visit synagogues and mosques, which in turn legitimized interfaith "pilgrimages" for Catholics around the world. As one who fought the death penalty for years while the Church turned her back claiming the state had the right to public safety, I was encouraged when John Paul II called governors and leaders imploring they spare the life of the person to be executed, actually convincing the late Missouri Gov. Carnahan to spare the life of Darryl Meese. I was actually proud of my religious leader when he stood, nearly alone in his opposition to the war in Iraq when the drum beat for toppling the Sadam Hussein regime had drowned out the ability of far too many people to hear their own conscience. So, while there is no picture of John Paul II on my wall, there remains a special place in my wobbly-legged soul for this great man, our first Interfaith Hero of 2009!



Steve SpreitzerJanuary 1, 2009

[Mary]

Pope John Paul II was just what the world needed when he was elected Pope in 1978. His contributions to humanity are vast and I am very thankful for all he continues to teach me regarding my Christian faith and very simply just what it means to be human. Thank you for this insighful commentary.

[Bob Bruttell]

I am grateful to Rev. Dan Buttry and David Crumm for making the life of Baruch Tanembaum and other interfaith heroes available to me and others. As a person who is active in the Interfaith Movement I often find that it is frustratingly difficult to bring people together to do the hard work of interfaith dialogue. Tanembaum's experience however puts my experience in perspective. Imagine being kidnapped along with your wife because you were working on interfaith reconciliation?

We are living right now at a time when their is considerable tension between many Jews and Muslims - a time when the political tensions in Gaza and in Lebanon morph into religious tensions. People around the world identify with one side or the other. Some even think this tension proves that there is some sort of "clash of civilizations" at work in the world. And when you add to these political and religious antipathies realpolitik rationalizations for "might is right" and "terror is justified" you get an intransigent and even deadly mix.

Frankly, it often feels hopeless to me as I recently expressed to some of my Jewish friends. What most cripples my sense of hope is that the political realities have poisoned our religious resources. The values that we share as Christians, Jews and Muslims seem to have been drowned by the politics at a time when, I believe, those values are most needed. It is our shared values of being one family, the Children of Abraham, who are required by our God to make peace and seek justice, that have the potential of courageously breaking through the cycles of violence, retaliation and revenge. We should all be profoundly, deeply saddened that we have failed our God and ourselves. In the light of our shared religious values we should be ashamed that the hopeless justifications of realpolitik are so appealing.

And so the example of Baruch Tanembaum, who despite the politics and tensions in Argentina (in his case tensions between Catholics and Jews) courageously held to his religious values, should cause me and others to renew our resolve. I must redouble my efforts. Bob Bruttell

[Delphine Reed]

Thanks for an article that inspired my desire to see something more than mere conversation resulting from interfaith dialogue. I am persuaded that those who possess genuine 'inner'-faith will use the power of their convictions to build bridges that stretch beyond our differences. If some substantive form of unity in action can be seen among people of faith, our troubled world may be able to redefine hope. The world is crying out for a demonstration of our faith!This was my first visit to the site. It was encouraging.Delphine Reed

[Bill Hickey]

Thanks for introducing me to Baruch Tenembaum! Putting him forward as an Interfaith Hero seems especially appropriate to me for two reasons. First, because he was not a clergy person, but primarily a business person, his story reminds me that interfaith work is the work of every believer in what ever walk of life they find themself. Second, his refreshing statement that interfaith work means that, "Each of us will continue sticking to his or her faith, and his or her source of inspiration," means that interfaith work should always have as its first principle the truth that no one's religion is better than anyone else's. That all are equally blessed paths to the Mystery that both surrounds us and is at our deepest core. That language like "the one true faith" has no place in interfaith work or in our theological lexicons. How free of war, torture, terrorism, witch-hunts, crusades, infallible statements, inquisitions, forced conversions, forced non-conversions, etc. we would be if we were to take Baruch Tenembaum's statement to heart!

[Mary Garlow]

We were first introduced to the Focolare in the mid nineteen nineties. As young parents trying to raise a growing family in a world filled with mixed signals, my husband and I encountered a unique sign and fortunately had the grace to read it. The sign was manifested in strong healthy families, relationships and lifestyles rooted in the Gospel and led by a woman, Chiara Lubich. We were quickly drawn by her message of love and charism of unity and discovered the Gospel springing to life within the Focolare. The Focolarini, those women and men who have consecrated their lives so as to promote her ideal of love, exhibited a radical way of living within every culture without stepping outside from the culture. Their love, modeled by Christ, is meant for everyone and never seeks to proselytize. That would deny freedom which would not be love. My husband and I understood there was something very important here for ourselves but even more so for our children.Chiara teaches how to put the Gospel into practice in ways that can be embraced by young children while at the same time are found to have deep theological insights recognized by the most schooled theologians. As outlined in the commentary Chiara captivated the hearts of religious and secular leaders all over the world. God being the source of all good things, the timeless truths of the message of love are recognized and embraced by all people of good will. It is our foundation for unity.With the Focolare my family has had beautiful encounters with people of different cultures and faith traditions which have served to strengthen our own Catholic Christian identity. My children have traveled to conventions where youth gather from all parts of the world to build unity and work for peace and justice. We are part of a family where diversity is never cast aside but insead becomes the vehicle by which unity finds its point of reference. Chiara emphasized that we are all brothers and sisters with a common paternity in God the Father.Jesus gave his life for all of humanity. We join in his mission and give our lives to make His prayer a reality. Together let's work for universal brotherhood and sisterhood.We are all part of a divine adventure.

Mary Garlow

[Rev. Msgr. Don J. Fitzpatrick]

Chiarra is Mother to me, teaching God-Love is the Ideal of my life, doing His will in each present moment is the way by living His Word as Mary who put Jesus in our midst, my opportunity through embracing and living Jesus crucified and forsaken letting go of everything in the present moment to do Will of God as another little Mary.

[debra darvick]

I am enjoying these profiles immensely. Each human being is endowed with heart and soul and mind/intellect. The test for each of us is using the latter in service to, and not in destruction of, the prior two. Thank you for sharing the example of these men and women who have used God's gifts as intended.

[John Mundell]

After my wife Julie and I encountered Chiara Lubich's Focolare movement in 1979 at Purdue University in West Lafayetter, Indiana, I recall us walking home from the meeting that night with a single thought: "This is it!" The presentation by a young Philosophy professor to a group of students on 'how to live the Gospel' struck us deeply, and made us realize that the words of the Gospeal were "Words of Life". As the years went by, and children came, our lives became more and more influenced by this spirituality of unity. Probably the most signficant impact Chiara has made on us has been to instill in us a strong desire for working concretely for unity among Christians and Universal Brotherhood with those of other religions, especially with African-American Muslims. For 11 years now, a group of Catholics, Christians and Muslims have been meeting weekly at a local Jewish deli to share our lives with each other, and through it all, I can say personally that we have grown beyond dialogue to really feel part of one human family. This has manifested itself in a wide variety of ways, from working on social projects, spending time on retreats together, sharing family meals, attending weddings of sons and daughters, and trying to help each other be the best person of faith we can be. We thank God especially for the charism which Chiara had for the desire to work for the fulfillment of Jesus' last prayer: "Father, that all may be one."

John Mundell, Indianapolis

[Gail Katz]

As the president of the interfaith organization known as WISDOM, (Women’s Interfaith Solutions for Dialogue and Outreach in MetroDetroit, www.interfaithwisdom.org ), I see a wonderful parallel between WISDOM’s mission and the life work of Ephraim Isaac. The last quote in the article, “Understanding spiritual and cultural matters in perspective, we can acquire wisdom which helps us to live with our fellow human beings in peace – knowing our limitations, respecting others, appreciating non-material things,” resonated with me, not only because he mentions “wisdom", but because respecting others through an understanding of their faith traditions and culture is what WISDOM is all about.

Professor Ephraim Isaac is an interfaith hero for his dedicated work in helping teach Ethiopians of all faith traditions to learn to read, for teaching the skills for serious dialogue to mediate conflict and sustainable peace, for fostering interreligious dialogue and cooperation to uncover common foundations of religion, and for his efforts on working through conflicts between Muslims and Jews.

Professor Isaac is a master in showcasing the fascinating traditions and rich culture of the Ethiopians, thus strengthening solidarity among his country’s people to work together, put aside their tensions, and promote and celebrate their diversity. Ephraim Isaac did not want to waste time on inter-ethnic, inter-religious quibbling, when together they could take that energy and feed, clothe, shelter and educate the Ethiopian people and build their country into a prosperous land where the people can live in peaceful co-existence.

Ephraim Isaac is a wonderful role model for WISDOM and for all of us!! He is an interfaith hero who has been enormously successful in what we at WISDOM hope to achieve – bringing people of different faith traditions and cultures together to build respect and understanding, create solidarity, work together on projects to better our community and thereby dispel myths and prejudices about each other to open the door to new friendships!! Looking at the terrible discord and violence in our world today, we should all try to emulate Ephraim Isaac!!

Gail KatzPresidentWISDOM, Metro Detroit

[David Crumm]

This comment was submitted by Brenda Rosenberg:

Most heroes earn their title either by inspiring, articulating or implementing an idea that makes our world a better place. Rabbi David Rosen is my hero because he was able to do all three. Rabbi Rosen’s life and work exemplifies how interfaith dialogue can be an effective tool for creating understanding between the Abrahamic families.

His efforts began in South Africa. As the Rabbi of the largest Jewish congregation in South Africa, his hope was to end segregation and bigotry. Rabbi Rosen founded the Cape Inter-Faith Forum; the first council of Jews, Christians and Muslims to address issues through dialogue. He articulated the concept in speeches the government of South Africa found so unacceptable that they asked him and family to leave the country. This did not deter him; he continues to this day to implement ground breaking alliances; chairing the International Jewish Committee on Inter religious Consultations, forming Rabbi’s for Human Rights, playing an instrumental role in the Middle East Interfaith Summit of 2002, the 2006 World Conference for Peace, Dialogue with the Holy See, meeting of Rabbis and Imams in Seville and Paris, and the King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia Madrid Conference on Interfaith Dialogue. I met Rabbi Rosen in his role as director of Inter Religious Affairs for the American Jewish Committee.

Rabbi Rosen has inspired my efforts to create ground breaking initiatives like “Reuniting the Children of Abraham,” a multi media peace initiative that increases communication and understanding between diverse people (Jews, Christians, Arabs, Sikhs, and African Americans etc); “In our Own Voices” a program to increase dialogue between the Jewish community and Muslim community; and “Creating Sacred Connections with Books,” a program that established mini Jewish Libraries in four Metro Detroit Mosques.

Rabbi Rosen’s work has given me the courage to address the challenging topics of Israel and Zionism with Muslims and Arabs. He has taught me that authentic dialogue is seeking to genuinely understand the other as they see themselves.

Rabbi Rosen’s words, spoken at my first American Jewish Committee interreligious affairs meeting eight years ago, still echo daily in my mind; “Who is the real hero? He who turns an enemy into a friend. (Avot de Rabbi Nathan 23). It is not enough to be reactive and remain aloof. We must seek out voices of moderation or we will be playing into the hands of the extremist. Dialogue with all religious groups, especially Muslims, is an imperative, not just for their well being, but for ours and society as a whole.”

My thanks to Rabbi Rosen. May his ground breaking efforts and all efforts of interfaith dialogue improve the human condition and be a voice for world peace and harmony.

Brenda Naomi RosenbergExecutive producer “Reuniting the Children of Abraham”Co Chair Interfaith Relations American Jewish Committee, Michigan

[Margaret]

Thank you so much for recognizing Chiara Lubich! Her life has inspired me since I was 7 yrs old; she taught me that I can always love in every situation and that's all that really matters in life - through her life and love I have embarked on a true divine adventure - Chiara is definitely my Hero!

[Marco Desalvo]

I'm very grateful you honored Chiara Lubich as one of our heroes. I recall that a journalist once asked her: "How can you follow so many people" and she replied, "I follow God..." and so many of us, of all faiths, have followed her and experienced glimses of a united world, what the world would be if everyone lived the 'Golden Rule' present in all religions.

[Bill Hickey]

As one who has a hard enough time being diligent about the practice of Christianity, I am amazed at how Sri Ramakrishnan Parahamsa is said to have "diligently" taken up the practices of other religions besides his native Hindu faith. He appears to have actually lived out his belief, “As many faiths, so many paths.” His notion that "Godrealization" is not the monopoly of any faith tradition is freeing, life-giving, and in our world where religious intolerance and ignorance is what aids and abets so many conflicts, life-saving. Thank you for celebrating this interfaith hero.

[Bob Bruttell]

It will take prophets like Rabbi Rosen to lead us out of our despair at the failure of our political leaders to have the courage to live out the values of justice and peace. It would be good for all of us to study how he converts religious cultural identity, that all too often promotes insularity and fear, into prophetic courage that insists on justice for all G-d's children. I am so grateful that Rabbi Rosen has been an inspiration to countless others who courageously seek peace and justice like Brenda Rosenberg, founder of the Children of Abraham Project.

[Debra Darvick]

I was struck by Sri Ramakrishna Rarmahamsa's philosophy acknowledging the legitimacy of religious diversity:"As many faiths, so many paths."There is no one true religion only a multiplicity of spiritual paths yearning for same center -- closeness and/or unity with the Divine. Great series, David.

[Bill Hickey]

The Universal Worship Service developed by Hazrat Inayat Khan seems like such a simple and beautiful way to acknowledge and celebrate the insights of many diverse spiritual paths -- something that could be done very easily by any faith community. Thank you for including it in today's Interfaith Heroes story. This is a great series.

[Prasanna Vengadam]

It’s very heartening to read about Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa in the context of religious harmony. This 19th century Hindu mystic effortlessly demonstrated the path to god through Samadhi (the highest state of human consciousness in which the human mind is united with god) and the path to harmony between religions. His life and religious practices may seem unconventional, especially to the western world. However, a true tribute to this authentic modern Indian yogi is to understand him from his perspective and convictions.

To fully appreciate the potency of his life and teachings, one needs to note the religious and historical context. In 1830s, Calcutta was a major port city through which the British arrived and set up the capital of East India Company. Conversions to Christianity were on the rise and Hinduism was ridiculed as a low form of idol worship. Many educated and well-placed hindus were abandoning their religion to fit into the aristocratic lifestyles like the Britishers. The most popular Hindu society in Calcutta at the time was the Brahmo Samaj which promoted more pulpit style sermonizing and denounced the rituals and practice of hindu teachings.

Sri Ramakrishna’s legacy is hardly mixed. Every conversation documented in the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna underscores the message of god realization and how to do it:

- You can see and commune with God in this lifetime, only you have to will it.

- Every person has the freedom to worship idols, favorite god/goddesses, or impersonal Brahman not only because he/she has the right, but because who are we, mere humans, to restrict how God can conceptualized?

- All religions are different paths that take us to the same source. He was more than an inter-faith activist; He synthesized and harmonized the different religious traditions in one lifetime.

- Knowledge about religion is not spirituality, but practice of religion is. Just as the farmer’s almanac predicts about the rain or snow, but you can’t wring it to get the rainfall. In the same way, Vedas give knowledge, but its spiritual practices such as retreats, associating with the like-minded, japa, devotional activities, and meditation that take us to god.

- Lust and covetousness (Kama and kanchana as he called them) are the primary obstacles to god realization. Treat money and trash with equanimity because both can’t take you to God.

- Since he was keen on developing disciples who were men, his teachings elaborated on conquering sexual desire. Such teachings were targeted mainly for his monastic disciples, not his lay followers. He believed that when sexual energy is conserved, spiritual energy increases and helps in the rise of Kundalini, which in turn takes you closer to Samadhi or spiritual union. To counter sexual thoughts, he suggested to look as women as mothers or goddesses. This is very similar to Buddha’s teaching to counteract negative feelings in us with positive ones.

- God consciousness and the awareness of God’s presence in every atom are at the core of spiritual life. When Sri Ramakrishna found himself in a godless environment, he felt the anguish of separation from the divine. Some self-destructive moments rose out of such moments of despair and don’t contradict his faith in Goddess Kali. On the other hand, he hugged young Narendranath Dutta, his chief disciple, when he first met him.

- Sri Ramakrishna revived the true spirit of Hinduism and exhorted many to resume a vedic way of life. While some of his practices seem unorthodox, he hoped others would emulate at least 1% of his life (especially his relationship with his wife who he treated with respect and devotion as a goddess) to achieve spiritual progress.

- His broad minded interpretations of the Vedas, Bhagavad Gita, and the Brahmasutras were instrumental in molding Swami Vivekananda who later represented Hinduism at the first Parliament of Religions in 1893. Swami Vivekananda inspired many great minds here in the West including John. D. Rockefeller, William James, Paul Deussen, Max Muller, Romain Rolland, Nicola Tesla, John Henry Wright, etc. Ironically, it was on September 11, 1893 that Vivekananda emphasized the august audience to be accepting of other religions.

Using the analogy of fire, Sri Ramakrishna repeatedly spoke about 3 kinds of people. Some have never heard of fire, others have read about fire, and then there are others who have lit a fire and cooked a meal on it. While many are struggling to accept the concept God, others have some knowledge about God, Sri Ramakrishna communed with the Gods of different faiths intimately on a daily basis.

[Francis Salinel]

Thank you for including Chiara Lubich on your list. I am a fan of her. She is a staunch leader in dialogue while not watering down with her Catholic faith. That is the way to dialogue.

[Bob Bruttell]

This comment was sent to me by Shreekari

As the great Ashoka once said, "All religions should reside everywhere, for all of them desire self-control and purity of heart." This is one of my personal principles. I have always thought that the purpose of religion is to help one on the path to being a moral and righteous person, and that there really isn't much of a difference between faiths if this is the ultimate goal. Although for much of his life, he was violent and cruel, Ashoka finally realized that truth really lies in the path of non-violence. Becoming a Buddhist, he turned around his life, and set an example for all of us. Despite his dedication, Ashoka still promoted religious tolerance. "One must not exalt one's creed discrediting all others, nor must one degrade these others without legitimate reasons." Centuries later, we still have not quite learned how to lead our lives by this guideline. Militants still proclaim their faith to be the one and only, and conversion is rampant in many parts of the world, people demeaning beliefs other than their own. Ashoka's decrees show us the way to lead a nonviolent lifestyle. If everyone followed them, we would live in a much more peaceful world.

Shreekari

[Sheri Schiff]

IRENA SENDLER

There is a Talmudic saying that He who changes one person, changes the world. A group of students in rural Kansas took that concept to their heart and soul. In the fall of 1999, a teacher in a Uniontown, Kansas high school encouraged four of his students to work on a year-long National history Day project that would impact those students, other students who continued the program, their community and the world by telling the story of a true hero, Irena Sendler. Their teacher showed them a short clipping from a March 1994 issue of News and World Report which said, “Irena Sendler saved 2,500 children from the Warsaw Ghetto in 1942-1943.” Both he and the students thought that perhaps the article might be a typographical error since neither he nor anyone he knew had ever heard of this woman or her story. The students began their research and found a profound and moving story of determination, love and courage in the face of evil, horror, death and indifference.

The students discovered that Irena Sendler, a non-Jewish social worker, went willingly into the despair of the Warsaw Ghetto, spoke with Jewish parents and families, and rescued their young children from inevitable death and destruction from the ghetto and the death camps that awaited them. Placing the young children in the homes of Polish families, convents and orphanages, she made lists of the children’s real names and identities, put the lists in a jar, buried the jars in a garden so that one day when the horror and terror were over, she could dig the jars up, find the children, and inform them of their true identity. The Nazis captured and tortured her, but the Polish Underground rescued her and she went into hiding.

Living in obscurity in Communist controlled Poland; her story was buried after World War II. The communists considered her a subversive and her story was unknown worldwide even though she received recognition as a righteous gentile from Yad Vashem in Jerusalem and support from the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous in New York City.

The Uniontown, Kansas’s community was inspired by the story of this remarkable woman. Uniontown is a mono-cultural community with littler diversity and no Jewish community. The students wrote a performance entitled Life in a Jar in which they portrayed the life and courage of Irena Sendler and inspired their town to sponsor an Irena Sendler Day.

Their production of Life in a Jar took on a life of its own. Portraying the life of Irena Sendler, they have performed this program for numerous schools, houses of worship, clubs and civic groups all over North America and in Europe (250 presentations as of November 2008). Discovering that Irena was still alive and living in Warsaw, they would take a jar to every performance and collect funds for Irena and other Polish rescuers. They wrote and corresponded with her, discovered a Polish student who could translate for them, made a collection of her letters, and shared them with many other educational institutions and organizations.

The Uniontown students turned their history project into a national cause and appeared on many media outlets and in numerous newspaper articles. They became knowledgeable on the Holocaust, World War II, and the Polish Underground. Their lives were changed forever. Their correspondence, research and project information have been used in at least twenty colleges and universities in their curriculum. They raised funding to go to Poland, meet Irena, and study and follow her journey. In subsequent years, other trips to Poland have taken place, in addition to meetings with Irena and the children that she saved. Most were never reunited with their families; most of the parents of the children had been murdered in the Treblinka Death Camp.

In addition to affecting their own community, the Jewish community of Kansas City became involved through funding opportunities and outreach to other communities in North America. Scholarships in Irena’s name were established to aid the Uniontown students who needed assistance with college tuition. The Milken Family Foundation produced a DVD and study guide that has been placed in over 1,000 schools throughout the United States and throughout the world. Over 1,500 media outlets have presented articles about the Kansas students and the Polish hero. In 2006, an international Irena Sendler award was started. Schools have been named after her and books in Polish and German about her courage and bravery have been published. In 2007, she was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. She passed away on May 12, 2008 at age 98.

Although Irena did not seek recognition, her story spoke to the values of extraordinary heroism. Reaching out to a community that was not hers, saving children destined for “extermination” in a cruel and brutal environment, Irena risked her live and the lives of hundreds of others, including 25 other social workers that helped her in her task. As much of the world turned a blind and indifferent eye to the suffering and destruction of the Jews in Europe, I wonder how and why a comfortable, educated woman would become the inspiration for rescue and salvation for the doomed and the disenfranchised Jewish people of Poland. I marvel at her determination and her courage and hope that others find inspiration in her story and in the story of the Uniontown, Kansas’s students who made her story their own. As child survivor, Renata Zajdman, a close friend of the project says, “The young men and women of Kansas put Irena’s story on the map.”

[Anne McCrady]

If only India, Pakistan and the rest of the world could come together under the sacred wheel of Ashoka. We need his open-hearted directives now more than ever!

[Steve Spreitzer]

Thanks for this thoughtful and well written piece on one of my heroes, Thomas Merton. I recall reading about a transforming trip the monk Thomas took to the dentist in Louisville, KY. While standing on the street corner he was struck by poverty and inequity surrounding him and was led to receive and give the love of God with his new sisters and brothers. Reaching out to the other by design or accident led Thomas further along his spiritual path and allowed the rest of us to be beneficiaries of his journey through his numerous books. For those unfamiliar with Merton, I recommend "Seven Story Mountain" as a starting point. Continued thanks to Dan Buttry, David Crumm and John Hile for the gift of Interfaith Heroes!