Plenary presentation by Marion Best*, 9 June 2005

Revised version

There will be three parts to my hopes for interreligious relations and dialogue in this short presentation: I will begin on a personal note, move to my hopes for local and regional contexts, and close with my hopes for WCC.

My family is an interreligious one. Twenty-five years ago, our eldest daughter, who was then in her mid-twenties, converted from Christianity to Reformed Judaism. She subsequently met and married a member of the Conservative Jewish Community, and we now are grandparents of two Jewish grandchildren who have celebrated their Bat and Bar Mitzvahs in the Conservative Synagogue. As a result of Cathie's conversion and our commitment as a family to deepen our understanding, the whole family has gained an increased knowledge and appreciation for the richness of Judaism and for our own Judeo-Christian roots.

But there have also been painful times, like when their synagogue was defaced and when a Christian acquaintance offered sympathy saying how difficult it must be for us now that our daughter was somehow incomplete because of her chosen faith. Cathie's mother-in-law carries the tatooed numbers as well as the emotional scars from her years in a death camp, and the tears come quickly when I hear stories of the Holocaust and imagine our grandchildren in those horrific scenes. As I listen to some New Testament passages through the ears of my daughter, they do sound anti-Semitic. While we all desire a just and peaceful settlement of the Israel/Palestinian situation, how and on what terms that will be achieved is difficult to imagine. In the meantime, some of the public statements issued by the churches have raised tensions for us as a family, and I can only pray that, one day, there will be a resolution that will honour both Israelis and Palestinians.

Canada is rapidly increasing as a multi-cultural, multi-faith country. Except for the Aboriginal Peoples, we are a nation of immigrants and refugees, but until the mid 20th century, the newcomers were almot exclusively from Europe. Canada was overwhelmingly white and Christian, with a few synagogues and the occasional Sikh, Hindu or Buddhist temple to be found in major cities. Where church spires once dominated the landscape, there are now a wide variety of temps and mosques alongside. Many churches are located in neighbourhoods that have completely changed, and their ministry has become one of helping refugees and immigrant families make connections, learn about helpful services that are available, and to provide a space where they can build respectful community.

Interreligous marriages are becoming more common, and doubtless will increase in second and third generations. For the sake of "peace in the family", some individuals in these settings become indifferent to their faith traditions; others try to meld their multiple faiths into something new and different, and there are those who are determined to find ways to continue to honour and practice both their traditions. Devout persons of different faiths who are in relationship face many challenges, and they need the support of their extended families and their faith communities as they find their way. I hope that together, we will find ways to support and encourage these families as they seek to live their faith journeys with integrity.

Now to the regional. Some time ago, The United Church of Canada adopted an affirmation that says, in part:

We believe
That God calls the Church
To profess its faith in ways that honour God’s love for all people and creation
To make decisions that demonstrate an unqualified commitment to justice, peace and compassion
To work in partnership with all who seek the health and well being of the whole creation
To discern and celebrate God’s Spirit in people of other religions and ideologies.

This church has a strong commitment to social justice and to living with respect in creation. Believing that the world is at the centre of God's concern, and knowing that we are bound up with one another and with the world of nature, we have made a commitment to join with other persons of good will in the search for justice, love and reconciliation. Thus, the interreligious emphasis has been more on action and working together than on dialogue on matters of theology, doctrine and belief.

However, in the 1990s, we undertook an extensive study with the Jewish community called "Bearing faithful witness", and more recently, with the Muslim community, a study entitled "That we may know one another". Both of these studies are focused on the Canadian context, and involved scholars, religious community leaders and lay people in the preparation. Living faith is always embodied, and we can't know one another by reading a document, so both these studies encourage face-to-face contact in local settings in a spirit of respect.

We have learned that with good resources, local and regional interreligious gatherings can more beyond sharing meals and polite conversation. Both these studies have led to increased understanding and respect for the other's religion as well as engagement in joint actions around particular issues, sometimes local, national or global. Another study is underway in relation to Aboriginal religions. Several churches in Canada have been engaged in a period of lamentation, repentance and restitution as it became evident that devastating harm was done by government-initiated but church-run residential schools whose purpose to educate and prepare Aboriginal people for work also resulted in loss of language, culture and religion. This has been described as cultural genocide. My dream is that one day, we will be able to come together in mutual respect and reconciliation.

Now to my hopes for WCC. I hope we will increase our commitment to interreligous relations and dialogue, and I hope there will be more opportunities for dialogue and building networks between women of different faiths. The Council will need to be more courageous in the ways we encourage and challenge our member churches to take up the interreligious tasks in their own churches and their own settings. I hope there will be more space for education, discussion and dialogue between our member churches on the importance of interreligious dialogue. Hopefully, our member churches will take up the challenges, and the governing bodies will take some concrete decisions in this area. 

We have made anew beginning this week; let's build upon it together.  

*Dr Marion S. Best is vice moderator of the WCC Central Committee and past moderator of the United Church of Canada.