by Robin Herne
I have been actively involved in Interfaith work for over ten years now, primarily in Suffolk but more recently in Colchester as well. In reflecting on the importance of such work, I think a personal account of my own experiences is probably best.
To me Interfaith is essentially about learning and sharing between all the religions of the world. In sleepy old Suffolk we have at least a dozen religions practised, many more if one includes all the endless subdivisions and denominations. I do want to emphasise that it sharing between ALL religions. Some many people, both those hostile to and those passionate advocates of Interfaith, tend to focus almost entirely on Christianity. There is much talk about Christian-Muslim relations, or Christian-Jewish dialogue, or camps where Christians and Pagans can talk to each other. All of this is well and good, but I have found that some of my most useful insights have come from speaking with Sikhs and Jews.
Before we go on to other faiths, let us stop a while and look at the issue of the Churches. I am a polytheist druid. From the viewpoint of a devout Christian, I am probably the most awkward bugger they are likely to get stuck in a room with. At one event a slightly pompous vicar had been holding court to a Muslim, when he turned to me and asked how I viewed God. The answer of “which one?” did not go down overly well. Unlike medieval Christians (and the evangelical extremists who still live with a medieval mind-set), most modern day Christians are relatively liberal and tend to assume that Muslims, Jews, Sikhs etc all worship the same basic God, even if they don’t see Jesus as his one and only son. As a polytheist I make no such assumption. My experience of the universe is that there are many gods and goddesses, and I feel it important to convey this as a belief widespread in ancient pagan religions (though less so in modern ones.)
Why am I labouring this point so much? Largely because I want you, the reader, to grasp that getting involved in Interfaith in no way requires you to dissemble and pretend to be more socially acceptable than you actually are. Many Wiccans might feel uncomfortable talking about skyclad ceremonies to a Sikh, a Heathen might anticipate a negative reaction from discussing sumble with a Muslim. To me, this provides all the more impetus to discuss such matters. It is our very reticence to appear too outside convention that serves both to strengthen the stranglehold of the convention, and to make our own ways seem all the more sinister to the observer. To be genuinely effective, Interfaith requires honesty and forthrightness, not a concern about what the neighbours might say. Truth against the world!
There is a trend in Interfaith that I find disturbing, and this is the urge to focus exclusively on common ground. There is an oft-heard cant that we all worship the same God, are all going to the same place, that all religions are basically the same. This is certainly a central doctrine of the Baha’i Faith, and may (for all I know) be one that you, the reader, adhere to as well. If you do, fine and dandy, but ~ again that stroppy polytheism ~ I don’t. I do not attend Interfaith to conform to some one-size-fits-all spirituality, but rather because I love the diversity of many people, many views, many gods.
It is true that I have learnt much from suddenly seeing a similarity. I see a strong echo between the duties and roles of a rabbi and those of an ancient druid. Equally I have learnt a great deal from seeing quite marked differences ~ listening to people who follow a Guru they perceive as an incarnate deity, and realising why this is so alien to my own world-view.
One of the underlying problems, for me, with this “sameness” philosophy, is that it seems accompanied by an anxiety that we musn’t (in true Fawlty Towers fashion) talk about the war. Sitting in a room with people from a dozen different faiths, one soon remembers that most of them at some stage in history have waged war against another ~ and for several, those wars are still raging. It would be quite awful for an Interfaith meeting to descend into a punch-up, but I see nothing to be gained from burying our heads in the sand and pretending that past persecutions have never happened. Nor do I see any point in keeping silent about things I disagree with. One of the three ideals of the Fianna was eloquence ~ which I interpret as the importance of speaking out, either to praise what is good, or to decry what is unconscionable.
I find the Islamic view of homosexuality quite appalling. Where sexuality is a topic for discussion at meeting, I say so. There is no need to scream and shout and deride people for holding their beliefs, but equally there is no reason to sit silently by as if in agreement. Disagreements can be civil and that, I think, is an important lesson to learn from Interfaith work.
To return to the issue of many faiths. This country grows more diverse, not less. We can learn from each other, both in terms of what to do and what to avoid. I have witnessed ceremonies in a Gurdwara, discussed the Jewish concept of hillul hashem, been inspired by Baha'i concepts of tribal life, been overawed by the beauty of a Mandir, attended a Buddhist moon ritual, and engaged in many conversations and activities that I would probably never have heard of were I not involved.
In ancient times the druids, amongst many other things, served as ambassadors between tribes. Druids, I feel, are advantaged as candidates for Interfaith work. The words 'witch' and 'pagan' still conjure up a lot of negative press, which the word 'druid' simply does not ~ so we do not have that PR barrier to overcome. Wiccan covens still place much emphasis on secrecy and oaths of silence, which can make going public in an Interfaith situation difficult. Heathens are, stereotypically, more renowned for their plain-speaking than their diplomacy. Unfortunately many Interfaith groups are still resistent to the idea of allowing certain religions (including the Pagan ones) into their playgrounds ~ and the process of jamming a foot in the door is, it has to be said, one that requires an awful lot of diplomacy and kid-glove techniques.
A popular Interfaith activity is inviting other religions to attend your services and see how things are done. As mentioned previously, I've witnessed Buddhist, Hindu and Sikh services. Since the Revival in the 18th century, Druidism has placed a strong focus on open, public ritual in a way that most other modern Pagan religions have not. This year, 2005, an Imbolc feill is being thrown open to members of the Suffolk Interfaith community to attend. Some may choose just to watch, but many have asked if they can contribute poems and readings to honour the sacred flame as they perceive it within their own traditions. The Quakers have offered to host the ceremony, as none of our local druid community own premises or land big enough to take the numbers.
Whilst I would actively encourage other types of Pagan to get involved, it seems almost natural to me for Druids to be prominent in the inter-tribal diplomacy of the Interfaith world. As a polytheist Druid, it is important for me that when I give talks on Paganism to outsiders, I emphasise the fact that there are many religions and that Paganism is not some amorphous blob (as many books written by supposed Pagana uthors tend to present it.) Heathens do not hold 8 festivals a year, Kemetics do not cast Circles, Hellenics do not have hold to the Wiccan Rede etc. In preparing talks for Interfaith meetings, I have had to conduct a great deal of research and learnt an awful lot about what other Pagans do, and what they believe. One of the great joys of teaching, is that it helps you to learn.
This has been a rather personal ramble through the world of Interfaith, and I hope I have given you a flavour of both the positive and negative features of such work. If you want to get involved, but don't know where to start, feel free to contact me by e-mail or write to the Interfaith Manager at the PF. I became the PF Deputy Interfaith Officer in 2004, and we are working on a variety of educational resources that will be made available to Pagans involved in Interfaith work. Both the Manager and I are committed to making such resources available to all interested Pagans, regardless of wether they are PF members or not.
I want to finish by giving you a reading. It was read out by James Parker, a fellow druid, at an Interfaith Celebration (in which each faith gave a short reading, poem or song on the theme of 'community') in Colchester in 2004. Not only are there interesting ideas within the reading, but the fact that it was given in front of the local MP and important figures from mainstream faiths shows that druids are returning to their old roles as leading lights in the wider community.
Beannacht Diathan leat, Robin
robinherne [at] hotmail [dot] com
COLCHESTER READING
The word community is related to the word commune ~ to tune in to, be part of, share with. With what does a druid commune? Modern druids, like our spiritual ancestors, place tremendous importance on the tribe, that group of family and friends with whom we share our lives. In times past the loyalty of kith and kin was vital to survival, each pulling their own weight no matter how young or old. For the druids of old, as for most pagans now, tribe is about more than aunts and cousins and children.
Death does not separate one from the tribe, nor end ones obligations to it. The ancestors are all around us, continue to support and help us. In exchange we honour them and uphold their legacies. The tribe consists not just of the living, but of the dead too. Nor is tribe just about humanity. We share our lives with innumerable beasts, be they pets, farm animals, or wild creatures. We depend too upon the trees, which are the lungs of our planet, and the plants that surround us. To the Pagan mind each is a living, thinking, feeling being. And still the tribe expands, for as Pagans we must include the denizens of the Otherworld, the land of the spirits. The bocain that live in our houses and hide our socks when we ignore them, the urisk in the mountains, the selkies in the sea, the ghillie dhu in the forests. Each must be given their due, each valued for their help. We are a vast community. We are Tribe.
To many a God am I known,
They share my life and share my home,
They are my constant companions when I roam,
When the Clan are away, I am never alone.
So to my Clan, the strong and proud,
By the Gods we're family and laugh aloud,
By the Gods we're family under the stormy cloud,
By the Gods we're family to the ancestral crowd.
We bow to the sun, we bow to the sea,
We bow to the land, we bow to the free,
We bow with honour, with respect well-earned,
We bow to the wheel of the year, again turned.
Hail to the young, the old and the strong,
Hail to the Gods, praised in the bard's old song,
Hail to the ancestors, to whose line we belong,
Hail to the wisdom by which we all get along.
From the birth of the world unto its end,
Our Gods of all time will always attend.
Gods of the animals, the trees, the rivers too,
They welcome me ~ so I welcome you.
