Interfaith Dialogue? What’s that?
Gretta Vosper’s meditation anticipates the event which is to follow in the afternoon at West Hill United Church – the 7th Roman Catholic Womenpriests’ Ordination. She begins with the analogy of marriage. It seems that those married early in life can grow together in ways that allow each partner to accommodate the other, but those married later have accumulated habits and idiosyncrasies that make this harder. But love sweeps through our lives and all our neatly ordered accumulations get knocked out of place. Pentecost is like that – the idea of spirit, energy, the power of change, blowing through our world. Pentecost makes things messy, especially for those living for a long time in settled modes. For many churches, today is also honoured as “Pluralism Sunday” when people from many different faith traditions consider how we live well together even in our difference.
One approach comes from How to be a Perfect Stranger, by Stuart M. Matlins and Arthur J. Magida. It purports to be an etiquette manual for interfaith dialogue. But should we always defer to our hosts? Gretta tells of her involvement in an interfaith group which included in its statement of values: “we value and respect all forms of spiritual expression.” But is that right? Even if a form of spiritual expression is oppressive? Or has nothing to do with the fundamental values which ground that expression?
Gretta cites Gary Papcak, The Exceptional Seven Percent, which addresses how to be in interpersonal relationship. Part of being successful in relationship means helping your partner become all they aspire to be. Could the same thing apply to interfaith relationship?
Gretta concludes with the example of Irshad Manji, author of The Trouble with Islam, who is engaged in similar a challenge within her own faith tradition. She is told she should be respectful of Islam, that her critiques are a form of disrespect. Yet she cannot remain quiet, for this would mean an acquiescence to things she knows are wrong.
You are beautiful
In his poem, Endymion, Keats seems to hold beauty as something essential to our spirits. But what is beauty? (Gretta mentions lying on a chiropractor’s table and staring at the carpet – this comes from the today’s Children’s Time when she spoke about our tendency to see faces in everything we look at – even in inanimate objects.) But today’s marketing has commodified beauty. More than this, marketing ties beauty to eros – to our desires. It is impossible to live without the power of eros – our creativity and our passion depend upon it. But this comes at the cost of desires that have the potential to destroy all we value. How do we achieve a balanced view of beauty that draws upon the positive forces of erotic power? The meditation concludes with an airing of a Christina Aguilera’s video, Beautiful.
The Eighth Fire
Through myth and story, we find ways to understand who we are and where we’ve come from. For example, our tradition records prophecies to explain the unfolding of events as an orderly and, perhaps, fated procession. It’s easy to tell ourselves that things were fated when we tell our stories after the fact. But quite a different matter if we are trying to move forward into an uncertain future. We can tell different kinds of stories to help us into that future. Gretta offers one example through a fairy tale by Robert Munsch which doesn’t quite meet our comfortable fairy tale expectations. She also offers the vision of peace which Elder William Commanda has shared, not merely with First Nations peoples, but with the whole world. This is from the Seven Fires Prophecy Wampum Belt which he holds in his care. Gretta concludes with readings from the prophecy as she lights seven candles, then invites us to envision the eighth fire, a fire of peace and unity.“
The Pursuit of Happiness
“We hold these truths to be self-evident … ”
Gretta Vosper reflects on the phrase from the Declaration of Independence which, for Americans, constitutionally entrenches the right to the pursuit of happiness. Note what it doesn’t say. It doesn’t say (as it did in Jefferson’s first draft) that we hold these truths to be “sacred.” Nor does it say that we have the right to happiness, only its pursuit. She goes on to talk about the film starring Will Smith, & the subsequent reality TV show of the same name. Gretta concludes the meditation by airing the pitch of a contestant, Cameron D, who is seeking an internship at the brokerage house, Morgan Stanley. You can view the pitch here.