CHICAGO: “Who is my neighbor?” was the topic of an Interfaith Gathering hosted jointly by Brother David Darst Center, First Lutheran Church of the Trinity and the Office of Spiritual Life and Service Learning at ITT on October 15 at Darst Center in Bridgeport.
Enjoyable part was, they invited people from normal everyday life from different faiths. Maria Alicia Ibarra from Lutheran-Eleca, Melissa Naiman from Jewish, Iman Kort from Islam, Norm J.Volpe from Roman Catholic and Professor Jagindar Singh Ramdev represented Sikh faith.
There were set of five questions. How does your religion impact your day to day life? Would your life have looked different without your faith? Why is your religious pathway the right one for you? What makes your place of worship different or unique from other faith traditions; what draws you to your place of worship? What role does conversion and proselytization play in your faith; is it important to share your religion with others? What are some religious practices that you engage in as a unique aspect of your faith tradition, such as: prayers, ceremonies, rituals, special celebrations, etc.?
Each representative answered and shed light as per their religion. It was timed. The Moderator did a good job keeping track of questions. After the initial presentation, public was encouraged in question answer session.
Some people were surprised from answers given by Prof. Ramdev on behalf of Sikh religion because some have never heard of Sikh religion. They have seen pictures of turbaned people but no idea about what religious ideology they have.
It was eye opening for most of them because most people from audience lived nearby and have no interaction with Sikhs. Some showed interest in visiting Gurdwara, (Sikh place of worship). They really liked the idea of fresh prepared free food. Another interfaith conference is slated at Palatine Gurughar on November 15 and all are invited.
Thakar Basati
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