‘Speed-dating’ provides insight into all religions

Penny Faust, Oxford Jewish Congregation member for Oxford Council of Faiths

It’s an old fashioned way of putting it but my heart has been gladdened recently! There have been two new Oxford inter-faith events in the past month that have taken off in a way that gives hope and real promise for the future.

The first was small-scale and very informal. Well over 30 people of varying age and from a rich variety of faith groups came together for a Faith Exchange.

Based on speed-dating principles, they formed pairs so that each person could talk about their faith and answer questions from the other. And they had only five minutes per person to do so. Then they moved on so that it could happen all over again.

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Although the evening had begun with refreshments so that people had time to meet and chat to each other, they were quite hesitant to begin with. I think it’s fair to say that not one person in the room had ever been to a speed-dating event so they were not quite sure what to expect.

And then things picked up and the level of noise increased as conversations took hold; five minutes is not very long to find out about what was important to their exchange partners so participants plunged straight into the questions that they had been storing up for years.

No-one was trying to change anyone's mind; everyone respected the answers.

Even those paired with someone of the same faith but a different denomination found there was much to talk about: no two people answer the same question in the same way or have identical views on their faith.

By the time we got to the end of the event, people were really on a high.

Everyone had taken part, had had a chance to have their say both in questioning and giving answers, and were much better informed. The most common comment was 'We really must do this again. I've learnt so much.'

The second occasion was more formal but nonetheless inspiring. On the last Sunday in November, under the title 'Uniting for Peace', nearly 200 members of Oxford's various communities came together to show their solidarity in the face of extremism. It's so difficult for one person or one community to give voice to the majority of people who want to live peaceful lives with their neighbours.

In attending the service, everyone showed they were united in their determination not to be overwhelmed by the constant news of violence and fanaticism, and that they wanted to demonstrate support for victims and their families.

Once the formal proceedings were over, we shared a meal and chatted together, making new alliances with people who share our concern about extremism and its effects across the world.

This was the initiative of Imam Monawar Hussain of The Oxford Foundation, supported by the Oxford Council of Faiths.

The service included reflections and readings from representatives of the Bahai, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh communities and two contributions from people of no faith. And participants were able to read messages of support from many well-wishers including Her Majesty's Lord Lieutenant for Oxfordshire, Tim Stevenson and the Prime Minister, David Cameron.

We want to ensure Oxford remains a peaceful city, one in which we can value each other and maintain friendship between our communities, between people of different faiths or none. We know that intolerance and prejudice have no place in our relationships.

By coming together, we demonstrated agreement, mutual respect and our deep desire to maintain inter-community cohesion.

And again, the comments at the end indicated a determination to maintain the initiative, not to let our feelings of solidarity and tolerance peter away.

Inter-faith in the Oxford area is definitely alive and well, and hopefully will continue to grow and mature.

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  • The Rev Charles Chadwick, parish development adviser for Dorchester

Difficult days, but we still show compassion

The Rev Charles Chadwick, parish development adviser for Dorchester

One of the key overarching questions in human existence is “How shall we live together?”

This question can be borne in mind when we think about a whole range of contemporary issues.

Matters as seemingly diverse as how many victims from the Syrian conflict should our country be providing refuge for, to what is the right approach to issues to do with immigration from the European Union, and how do we make proper provision for the most vulnerable in our society, in particular those with complex needs.

Given that we are living in a time of economic difficulty and uncertainty for most people, it is perhaps understandable that we are more likely to focus on our own concerns rather than think about the needs of other people.

Yet the evidence for this is quite the opposite. £32,620,469 was recently raised for Children In Need, and the Disasters’ Emergency Committee reported that an appeal to help people affected by the Ebola crisis in West Africa raised more than £10,000,000 in its first five days.

It seems to me that, at our best, we respond to the question regarding how we should live together by exercising compassion.

I suspect that if nothing else, this is drawing on the example of kindness and compassion seen in Jesus of Nazareth who healed people, fed them, taught them and even went to places and people that everyone else avoided including the most marginalised and those affected by death.

Indeed his deep interest and concern for other people has inspired people across the centuries, not least in 1942 when the original Oxford Committee for Famine Relief – now Oxfam – met at the University Church of St Mary the Virgin in High Street.

It is said that among those at the inaugural meeting were people of faith including Doctor Henry Gillet, a prominent local Quaker, and Canon Theodore Richard Milford.

The Samaritans were founded in late 1953 in London by the Rev Chad Varah to offer confidential, non-judgemental support.

At a time when the term ‘British values’ is being explored in the media, and with the policies, practices and personal values of all politicians under close scrutiny as we get closer to next year’s General Election, we might want to pay close attention to how what they offer might provide a moral and principled answer to the question of not only how do we live together, but how do we engage with one another, and how we treat each other.

In the words of St John of the Cross, at the end we will only be judged on one thing, how much we have loved.

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