The week of Jan 31 is World Interfaith Harmony Week, and in recognition of that we heard from Len Gierach, Netta Phillet, Guy Blood and Karen Gail from the Edmonton Interfaith Centre for Education and Action (EICEA). They told us that their group began twenty-five years ago with the goal of bringing people of all faiths in Edmonton together through education. Their membership is a coalition of thirteen+ religious groups, including Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Jain, Sikh, Hindu, Zoroastrian and Indigenous faiths. Their goal is to show people that we can find ways to keep our own faith while using it to help us unite with people of other faiths by offering peace and understanding through education. We need to recognize that everyone has a right to their own faith. They said that sometimes what we perceive as religious issues are really more about money and power. We need to be more committed to peace, justice and compassion in our personal lives. They also said that we can help to break down differences by sharing our culture with others. Each of us connects with the divine in our own way.
They presented an excellent short documentary by film maker Eric Spoeth entitled ‘Building Bridges’, which hilites the roots of interfaith conversations and efforts in Edmonton. This documentary can also be viewed online at edminterfaithcentre.ca.
We would like to thank them for this very interesting and thought-provoking presentation.