Jerusalem: Inspired and Confused in the Holy Land

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2014 / THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS

VATICAN CITY Pope strikes ‘monsignor’ title for most priests Pope Francis has done away with the honorific title “monsignor” for all but a few priests, further evidence of his desire for priests to be simple, humble servants. The Vatican’s Secretary of State sent a letter to its embassies asking them to inform bishops’ conferences of the change. From now on, the Vatican said only diocesan priests who are “chaplains of the Holy Father” can use the honorific, and then only after they turn 65. Bishops, vicars and arch- bishops still get to be called “monsignor,” and Holy See officials will have the title if their office warrants it.

WASHINGTON

As cohabitation gains Prem Namadeva, an interfaith minister, lights an interfaith menorah in a class with youth of Trinity United Methodist Church. (Charles Honey/MLive.com) favor, shotgun GRAND RAPIDS weddings fade Living together is a growing arrangement for America’s dating couples who become parents. The share of unmarried My prayer for peace among religions couples who opt to move in together after a pregnancy surpassed what demogra- phers call “shotgun marriag- startswithfaithinouryoungpeople es” for the first time over the past decade. That’s according to a forthcoming paper from of Youth Ministry Chelsea Smith. Running off with the World’s Parliament of Religions at the National Center for Health Charlesarles through Feb. 23, it includes Buddhist, Jewish, the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, which brought the Statistics. Honeyney Hindu and Islamic speakers and is open to other wisdom of Eastern religions to the West. About 18.1 percent of all honeycharlesm@eycharlesm@ youth groups. More than a century later, the movement single women who became gmail.ail.cocomm Iwas there to introduce Prem and give back- still is a toddler. It has come a long way in West pregnant opted to move in ground on the Grand Rapids Year of Interfaith Michigan since 2012, when the Year of Interfaith with their boyfriends. That is Understanding, a continuing project of the Understanding ushered in a flurry of activities compared to 5.3 percent who Kaufman Interfaith Institute at Grand Valley among Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus and chose to have a post-concep- itting through movie trailers State University. (Its director, Douglas Kindschi, others. But as Prem suggested, religious under- tion marriage. the other day while waiting to coordinates the column below called “Interfaith standing can’t be achieved in a single year or a Insights.”) single world’s fair. DETROIT see “American Hustle,” I was I had expected the class would be enjoyable, The basis of understanding, he told the Trinity struck again by how obnoxious- not that it would speak to my soul. But as it often youths, is knowledge, appreciation, gratitude and Muslims mark birth ly noisy our culture is. does, a discussion on faith surprised me by turn- love. Far from settling for “tolerance,” true under- S ing the questions back to myself. standing leads to a love of religious diversity. of Muhammad BLAM! CRASH! KABOOM! The Prem leads interfaith services at Mothers After all, he said, what fun would it be if all birds This week, Muslims across explosions and gunfire and high-decibel music Trust/Mothers Place, a Hindu ashram and spiri- or flowers were the same? Metro Detroit and around just kept coming. Rapid-fire switches between tual retreat in the little burg of Ganges south of The Trinity teens seemed to have no issue with the world commemorate scenes made sure our attention never strayed for Saugatuck. Prem, whose given name is Terry this. Like most other young people, they are less Mawlid an-Nabi, the birth of a single second. Lancaster, is an ordained interfaith minister who burdened by the baggage of religious prejudice Muhammad in the sixth cen- The noise used to sell tickets and popcorn is was raised Catholic but has extensively studied than we who grew up in moat-encircled castles. tury. only a more extreme version of that which we the world’s great faith traditions. Many youths today play soccer with Muslim strik- According to Sunni tradi- encounter every day. TV commercials and com- He brought an interfaith menorah, the Jewish ers and do school projects with Sikh classmates. tion, he was born on the 12th mentators come at us constantly, competing for devotional candelabrum, and presented prayers “You’re the future,” Prem told youth the group, of Rabi’ Al-Awwal, the third oureyesandears. The Internet offers 24/7 joy of peace for each faith. One such was from after leading them through the peace prayer. The month of the Islamic calendar, rides of games, videos and blogs. It’s enough to Taoism: “Let there be order and harmony within teens wrote down what peace meant to them. which began at dusk Monday. make you shout to no one in particular, “Just our hearts. Then can there be peace and harmony Acceptance of others, one said; no worry or nega- Shi’a Muslims mark it on the SHUT UP, will ya?” in the world.” tivity, said another. 17th, which starts Saturday. What a pleasure it was, then, to sit for a few Order and harmony in the heart: Now there is a Such ideas of peace are seeds planted in them Observances often include minutes of splendid silence with a church youth state of being I long for. Peace and harmony in the by God and loved ones, Prem said, adding they gatherings, readings from the group Sunday. We had been invited by our world looks like a long shot but does seem attain- can choose to grow these good or bad seeds. Quran, poetry and prayer. teacher to close our eyes and meditate on the able on the individual level. Or so I’m told. “The person you become depends on which “Prophet Muhammad is word “peace.” As we sat there in a little corner If so, like the jewel of the lotus mantra written seed you water,” he said. “The best way to water the most important figure room, I listened to the clock ticking behind me on a Buddhist prayer wheel, peace is a precious those seeds is through prayer.” in the daily lives of obser- and the cars swooshing by outside. I had a sense gem indeed in this noisy world. Just sitting in that room with those young vant Muslims,” said Dawud of serenity, that everything was OK here, just for “The jewel is inside all of us,” Prem said. “It’s people, I felt a little more peace growing inside. Walid, executive director of this moment. our job to bring it forth.” The water was their willingness to learn, and the the Council on American- I owed this little piece of peace to Prem Peace, Prem pointed out, can mean many certainty of how much I have yet to understand. Islamic Relations-Michigan, Namadeva, an interfaith minister who led this things: an absence of war or fighting, a personal who plans to discuss his life Grandyouth session Rapids at my Press church, 01/16/2014 Trinity United state of tranquilityCopy Reduced or harmonious to %d%% relations from original with to fit letter page at several events. “Our social Methodist in Grand Rapids. others. That last one is an ongoing goal of the Ç GO ONLINE etiquette and religious rituals He was the first speaker in a five-week series interfaith movement, which Prem noted is rela- VisitMLiveMediaGroupcolumnistCharles ... (are) based upon his charac- on interfaith prayer organized by Trinity Director tively new in religious history. It officially kicked Honey’sblogatsoulmailing.com. ter, his spirituality and ethics.”

RAWLINS, WYOMING INTERFAITH INSIGHTS ACLU: Let Jewish inmate wear skullcap Jerusalem: inspired and confused in the Holy Land The First Amendment rights of a prisoner at the Wyoming State Penitentiary Note: In 2012, MLive.com was a the world and where And yet it has been a most confus- tity, and identity comes with boundar- are being infringed upon partner in the communitywide “Year thousands come to ing time as I consider that while we ies. There is a “we” and a “them,” and by the state, according to a of Interfaith Understanding” initia- pray. We visited the are all part of the same Abrahamic identity can exclude and even lead to letter the ACLU sent to the tive. The success of that project led to Church of the Holy family, quarrels have continued here de-humanizing the “other.” Wyoming Department of an ongoing effort to build interfaith Sepulcher, consid- throughout history. It is place of con- I am reminded of the challenge Corrections on Friday. understanding in West Michigan. ered by Christians quest and re-conquest, destruction from Professor Avishai Margalit, for- The letter has triggered an This new column, Interfaith Insights, as the place of the of the temple, persecution, crusades merly from Hebrew University here early review of the depart- is one such effort. It is coordinated crucifixion and the Kindschi and, today, great controversy of not in Jerusalem: ment’s religious headgear by Douglas Kindschi, director of tomb of Jesus. We only who owns this land but who can “Can Judaism, Christianity and policy. the Kaufman Interfaith Institute at have been to the visit these sites. Political issues in Islam be pluralistic? The question Inmate Clarence Fisher Grand Valley State University, and Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa this area of the world are obvious, is not whether they can tolerate one Jr. is an Orthodox Jew. He will be written by Kindschi and others Mosque, considered by Muslims as and our time here will not make a another, but whether they can accept believes it is an integral part in the interfaith community. the place where Mohammed took his dent in that. However, I am reminded the idea that the other religions have of his faith to wear a Kippah, “night flight” to heaven. All of these of the theme of the “Year of Interfaith intrinsic value. … They will not only a skullcap that some sects of By Douglas Kindschi sacred sites are within the Old City Understanding,” which was a quote refrain from persecuting the others the Jewish faith require men of Jerusalem and within a half-mile from theologian Hans Kung: “There but will also encourage the flourish- to wear at all times. s of this writing, I have com- radius. If there is a place where the can be no peace among the nations ing of their way of life.” Prison rules only allow Apleted three days of inspiration three Abrahamic traditions come without peace among the religions.” This might be the step toward Fisher to wear the cap in his and confusion in what must be together, this must be it. It has been a I believe interfaith understanding can political resolution in this part of the jail cell and during religious the best place in the world to think most inspiring experience. While our contribute to peaceful solutions here world. Let us seek peace, between services. He wants to wear about interfaith issues. We have vis- traditions differ in many ways, there and elsewhere. nations and between religions. It is it all day and was denied his ited the Western Wall, which Jews is no doubt something special is hap- Religious faith and religious tradi- our challenge. request this past summer. consider the most sacred location in pening here. tion are important parts of our iden- Email: [email protected]