wfn.org | [ENS] Interfaith 'common cause' central as Presiding Bishop visits

["Matthew Davies" <mdavies@episcopalchurch.org>]

Episcopal News Service
Daybook, January 20, 2006 -- Friday Forum

Interfaith 'common cause' central as Presiding Bishop visits Los Angeles

Baha'is offer panel; Presbyterians host ordination; Armenian Orthodox
Archbishop preaches on shared mission

By Pat McCaughan

[Photographs accompanying this article are available online at:
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/3577_71037_ENG_HTM.htm]

[ENS, Los Angeles] A sense of common cause that unites faith traditions
was
central during Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold's January 13-16 visit to
Los
Angeles, where some 30 interfaith leaders were among honored guests for
a
diocesan ordination service and an evening panel discussion.

"A fundamental unity transcends our traditions," Griswold told the panel
gathering of some 250 people hosted by the Los Angeles Baha'i Center at
its
headquarters near L.A.'s Crenshaw district. "We are enriched as we seek
ways
in which to make common cause for the good of our communities and this
nation."

The Presiding Bishop's visit, hosted by Diocesan Bishop Jon Bruno,
ushered
in the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, observed January 18-25
with the theme "Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there
among
them," from Matthew 18:20. The annual observance is an outreach of the
World
Council of Churches, which represents 347 churches in 120 countries.

"Society is longing for direction and searching for answers," said
Randolph
Dobbs, Baha'i Center administrator and coordinator for the panel
gathering.
"Much of what people seek can be found within the walls of neighborhood
churches, temples, mosques and other places of worship."

Other panelists included Dr. Muzzammil Siddiqi of the Islamic Society of
North America; the Venerable Wolpola Piyananda, of the Darma Vijaya
Buddhist
Temple and the Buddhist Sangha Council of Southern California; Rabbi
Harold
Schulweiss of Congregation Valley Beth Shalom in Encino, California;
Swami
Atmavidyananda of the Vedanta Society of Southern California; the Hon.
James
Nelson and the Hon. Dorothy Nelson, both leaders in the National
Spiritual
Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States. A judge of the U.S. Court
of
Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Dorothy Nelson is also a former dean of
the
University of Southern California's law school.

Addressing the gathering, Griswold recalled an experience in Jerusalem
some
years ago when he prayed at the tomb of Abraham in Hebron and noticed
Muslim
men studying the Koran to his left and Jewish women praying to his
right. "I
thought, here we are, the three children of Abraham," he said. "We exist
with a common Parent to make sure none of us feels we have the absolute
corner on God's truth."

The panel's topic was "Religion as the Dynamic Force in a Changing
World."
The theme was also echoed in meditations led by area clergy, including
Episcopal priests Susan Klein of St. Alban's Church, Westwood/UCLA, and
Glenn Libby, chaplain at the University of Southern California.

"Religion is already a dynamic force in a changing society," said
panelist
James Nelson, a retired L.A. County Superior Court judge.
"Unfortunately,
the dynamic tends to be of division, separation, exclusivity. We have to
change that dynamic."

"Each of us has a particular language, narrative, memories," said
Schulweiss, a rabbi well known for his popular talks and writings. "But
one
thing is clear to me. God didn't create Judaism, Christianity, Islam,
Hinduism, Buddhism, any religion. God created all of us and gave us
wisdom
and heart to discover godliness. We are choosers to go beyond the
rhetoric
of oneness. We have to do away with sibling rivalry, the notion that
'God
loves me more.' We have to relinquish the notion that there are certain
people who are elect, certain people who are chosen, that certain people
have absolute truth. That kind of absolutism is deleterious to
everything we
talk about. Can we say, you are not chosen and another rejected, we are
all
choosers?"

The role of women in various faith traditions is just one example of the
way
religions adapt to a changing social context, said Atmavidyananda. "The
caste system has been outmoded, it is being abolished," he said. "We
have
promoted the rights of women, and updated the idea of what karma yoga
is."

Schulweiss agreed: "Judaism is an evolving religious civilization. The
text
may be the same. The truth of the matter is, what's important is
interpretation. There was a time when a woman couldn't ascend the
religious
platform, be counted in a quorum, could not serve as a rabbi or cantor.
Now
we are much more liberal and accepting of the role of women. The only
thing
constant in religion is change.

"This also means acceptance of the gay community," he said. "Much of the
treatment and rhetoric has been harmful, callous, cruel. We are glad to
see
within the Jewish community more and more appreciation of gay life. If
you
want to be inclusive you have to include everyone, including the person
who
doesn't believe in God-the atheist, the agnostic."

>From the Buddhist tradition, Piyananda said the spiritual journey is an
ongoing process of continual enlightenment about oneself and one's
surroundings.

Griswold pointed to life's constant process of discovery, noting that
"the
unfolding of the Spirit of Truth doesn't work solely within religious
construct. It works within the world.

"Views of the cosmos once sent people to prison at the hands of the
clergy,"
he added. "Things in the Scripture described as demonic we now know were
epilepsy. We are always learning more . . . We are all under
construction,
and my prayer is that we be faithful to that process."

Siddiqi agreed that religious texts should be interpreted within the
context
of society, along with reasoning and thinking. "Various groups of
Muslims
are very conservative and don't want anything to change; some are very
liberal and they want everything to change. Some are in-between; being
in-between is the most difficult," he said.

The panelists also agreed during the question-and-answer session that
more
tolerance and dialogue are needed.

"We all have different catechisms, liturgies, creeds. What we have in
common
are not doctrines, but fears," Schulweiss said. "Before you were a
Christian
or a Jew or whatever you were, you were a human being. It's what touches
all
of us, what brings us together. We are all frightened to death of death,
we
are frightened of injury or destruction-there is so much mendacity in
the
world, as well as hopes for peace and tranquility. The beginning of
wisdom
is to recognize who we are before ever joining the synagogue, mosque or
temple," he said.

"Religion has a tremendous amount to contribute to the transformation
and
healing of the world," Griswold told the gathering. "Love by nature has
to
give itself away. The more we root and ground ourselves and our inner
energies of our tradition, we become people of compassion and the world
is
healed to that extent."

Siddiqi said that isolationist and separatist attitudes create pitfalls
for
religious tolerance. "We have to work for economic justice, promote
ethical
values, remove the things that are breaking families apart and finally,
we
have to work together to take away the culture of violence. If we can
solve
problems peacefully, there is a great future for humanity."

Nelson added that the golden rule, common to all faiths, has been
extended
by the Baha'i to mean: Love your neighbor more than yourself. We are
still
having difficulty defining who our neighbor is. The disciples asked
Jesus
who is my neighbor and he answered with the story of the Good Samaritan.
He
created a new dynamic. Our neighbor is every human being on the planet."

Interfaith, ecumenical colleagues attend ordination

Earlier that day, Griswold also presided at the ordinations of 14
priests
within the L.A. diocese. Some 1,400 people attended the Saturday-morning
rites at Immanuel Presbyterian Church. Located in L.A.'s Wilshire Center
district, Immanuel Church offered its sanctuary after it was determined
that
no local Episcopal church was physically large enough to accommodate the
congregation.

Guest preacher was Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Armenian
Church, Western Diocese. Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, Baha'i
and
members of other Christian traditions were also present among the
invited
guests of honor.

These representatives were assembled by the Rev. Dr. Gwynne Guibord, who
serves the Diocese of Los Angeles as its officer of ecumenical and
interreligious concerns. She is also a consultant to the Presiding
Bishop's
Deputy for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations, Bishop C. Christopher
Epting, in service to the wider Episcopal Church.

Griswold said these were the first priestly ordinations in which he has
participated since becoming Presiding Bishop. "It was wonderful to be a
part
of today's service. It was wonderful that it was an ecumenical
celebration,
there was so much applause and joy and appreciation for the presence of
our
ecumenical and interfaith partners."

Ordained were Charles Asher, Robert Fisher, Thomas Hallahan, Abel Lopez,
Melissa McCarthy, Richard Miles, Patricia Millard, Ruth Monette, Liz
Munoz,
Sarah Nichols, Andrew O'Connor, Neil Tadken, Richard Tiff II and Mary
Trainor.

L.A.'s bishops, led by Bruno, and including Suffragan Chester Talton and
assistants Robert Anderson and Sergio Carranza, shared in leading the
rites.

In his sermon, Derderian called the gathering "an historic action" and
expressed "thanks to Jon Bruno, an outstanding member of the ecumenical
community." He called the relationship between the Armenian and
Episcopal
churches "strong and cordial. Today is a reflection of longstanding
fellowship between the two churches."

Derderian congratulated the 14 ordinands "who responded to God's call.
The
spirit rests upon them and they will prophesy. This marks the beginning
of
the Spirit life, the miracle of change. Today, the Holy Spirit rests
upon
them and enriches them with divine wisdom."

Bruno thanked Derderian for his ministry and participation, and, at a
luncheon following the ordination, presented the Archbishop with an icon
specially "written" as a gift. "We treasure the gifts of unity we share
in
ministry, reaching out with Jesus' hands in healing to all who need his
touch."

Bruno also applauded the new ordinands, calling them to growth and
faithfulness in their ministries. On behalf of the diocese, Bruno also
thanked the Presiding Bishop for his visit, and for his ministry
throughout
his nine-year term of office.

The week of Prayer for Christian Unity was initiated in 1908 by the Rev.
Paul Wattson, co-founder of the Society of the Atonement, and although a
world observance, is an important expression of ecumenical activity at
local
levels.

While in Los Angeles, the Presiding Bishop also participated in services
honoring the life and ministry of Martin Luther King Jr. (Please see
related
ENS stories available online.)

-- The Rev. Patricia McCaughan is ENS senior correspondent and associate
rector of St. Mary's Church in Laguna Beach.

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