Sociological Investigation of a Religious Movement

Arizona Interfaith Movement

“For more than a century, some groups of Americans have been attempting to reach out to other religious groups, in hopes of gaining greater understanding and cooperation in their communities.”[1] The Interfaith Movement became largely popular in the early 1990’s in America, with the beginnings tracing back to suburban Long Island, New York. Gustav Niebuhr, a rabbi at Temple Beth-El in Nassau County, New York, posed a question to his colleagues: Is there a group of nearby Muslims who might want to become more familiar with the synagogue’s members?[2] This was a simple idea that has had a huge impact over time. After a year, a few of Beth-El’s members agreed to begin communication with members of the Islamic Society of Long Island. This bridged a long standing gap between the two faith groups, and helped facilitated cultural cooperation. Eventually, this method of developing cultural awareness has been adopted by individual chapters throughout the nation. Leaders of the Arizona Interfaith Movement, founded in 1996 by Dr. Paul Eppinger, adopted the idea of ecumenism and strongly emphasized practice of the “Golden Rule”, to treat others as you would like to be treated, in hopes of developing a more culturally aware society. Specifically stated, they seek “to build bridges of understanding, respect, and support among diverse people of faith through education, dialogue, service, and the implementation of the Golden Rule”. [3]

The event centered around respect of all religions, and the differing viewpoints associated with them. The principal of acceptance was prevalent in the attitudes of virtually all of the attendees; a few people had experiences with those less open-minded. After langar, a vegetarian meal served by Sikhs, four prayers from varying religions were performed for the audience. Included in the ceremony were a Buddhist chant, a Sikh song, and a Catholic prayer. Intermittent speeches explained the purpose of the event, and what would hopefully be achieved. Attendees were instructed to break up into groups of diverse faith. This exercise assumed a large portion of the night, and several questions related to the principal beliefs of different faiths were asked to be discussed among the group members. Interreligious dialogue is a key way to develop understanding, and that was the goal of the event.

I was surprised by the large number of Latter Day Saints Mormons in attendance. Half of my group, which included six people, was L.D.S. Mormons, and the same phenomenon was experienced by multiple others associated with myself. Universally accepted by the three Mormon members of my group, family unity is the most important aspect of their religion. Dani Richardson, a member of the Mormon faith, said that “family goes beyond earth”.[4] She explained that the family has always been together, and their souls will travel on together in the future. She sees God as a father figure, and as such, part of the family. This naturally gives her a deep connection with God, “he is a part of me, a part of my family, and a part of life”.

Mrs. Eppinger was a participant in my group and represented the Christian faith. When asked “What is the most important aspect of your religion?” she said “being aware of the presence of God” took paramount. She compared His presence to that of a fatherly figure. During her explanation, she said that, “When I start to get angry while driving, before I yell a profanity, I think to myself: Would I want God to see me that way?”[5] She simplified her response by saying, “It’s like your grandfather is in the car with you, you wouldn’t want to behave that way in front of him!” This idea of a presence was shared by Mrs. Eppinger and the three members of the Mormon group.

Two members of my group were self-proclaimed Unity. They believed that everyone in the world is unified, and they had a general acceptance of all religions. People of all faiths were invited to join their church to learn more about unity, and the acceptance of fellow mankind. Anthony Fattore shared the word “namast”, which literally means “I bow to you,”[6] or how Mr. Fattore stated, “The god in me salutes the god in you”. He said this word is commonly heard throughout services and is shared by people of the Unity community. The use of this word showed the general feeling of support this community non-exclusively shares with its members. Glenda Thomas was another member of the church of Unity. She had lived most of her life in Jamaica, and after several attempts to find herself, moved to the U.S. to start her own Church of Unity. She said the most important feeling she gets from her religion is the feeling of friendship and support that members of her church share with her. “This supportive community facilitated the transition into my new life in the United States,”[7]she later commented. These comments showed a general quality of acceptance throughout members of the Unit faith.

Interfaith dialogue and interaction can be a challenging obstacle for many members of different religious backgrounds. However, the Interfaith Movement is steadily helping to bridge these gaps amongst the many diverse cultures in this world. The event concluded with a song performed hand-in-hand by attendees of the dinner; the song proclaimed harmony, peace, and sanctity for all of the worlds cultures.

[1] Gustav Niebuhr (www.america.gov)

[2]www.america.gov

[3]www.interfaitharizona.com

[4] Dani Richardson

[5] Anthony Fattore

[6]www.dictionary.com

[7] Glenda Thomas