In this lesson... We'll focus on a set of moments in U.S. history that led to great increases in religious diversity. And through those moments, we'll explore what can be considered an enduring American ethic of interfaith cooperation.
But first, let's take a brief and broader look at how the history of religious interaction has traditionally been presented and why it is necessary to intentionally seek out and highlight historical examples of interfaith cooperation. Flipping through most world history textbooks, the New York Times, or even your Twitter feed, it can be easy to believe that religion has always led to violent conflict and will always continue to do so. High-profile current events seem to fit this assumption.
This is what scholars call inference error, and it is a common problem with religious assumptions in particular. So let's explain it further. Humans tend to make general judgments based on two things. One, existing beliefs or previous experiences. and two, recent vivid instances that support those beliefs.
Viewing religion as an agent of violence throughout history, as many students are taught in high school, heightens our sensitivity towards stories where religion is associated with violence today. These current events appear to confirm the idea that religious groups will always be in conflict. But a broader understanding of history shows this is not true.
That is why it is essential that interfaith leaders have knowledge about the history of interfaith cooperation. Historical moments of cooperation didn't simply happen, people brought them about. The most powerful examples we will highlight in this lesson are cases where people, interfaith leaders, have intentionally erected bridges of interfaith cooperation. When we think about momentous social movements, we think of Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Joshua Heschel in the U.S. civil rights movement, Mohandas Gandhi and Badshah Khan in colonial India, Nelson Mandela's ability to rally diverse supporters in South Africa. These are fantastic examples of movements that were successful because of interfaith cooperation.
We find inspiring stories and models of interfaith cooperation throughout world history. We could look to Al-Andalus, an Islamic civilization in southern Spain in the medieval era, a time of Muslim rule characterized by cooperation with Jews and Christians, often referred to as La Convivencia or Akbar the Great. who emphasized tolerance and cooperation for the diverse religious groups in Mughal India in the 16th century, or Vatican II's groundbreaking 1965 document, Nostra Aetate, which urged Catholics to not only be tolerant and respectful of non-Catholics, but to actively seek out relationships and dialogue.
The World's Parliament of Religions, held in Chicago in 1893, is a great example of people from the world's traditions coming together to learn more about one another and to share the best of themselves. At the conclusion of the Parliament, Charles Bonney, one of the principal organizers, proclaimed, From now on, the great religions of the world will make war no longer on each other, but on the giant ills that afflict humankind. Many observers cite this event as the birth of the modern international interfaith movement, and, indeed, the Parliament still convenes on a regular basis, most recently in Salt Lake City in 2015. Obviously, there are many darker chapters to the history of interreligious interaction.
But when communities and entire countries have been ripped apart by religious conflict and violence, interfaith leaders are the people who can stand up in the face of that horrible fact and say, this isn't the only way. We can share this community and live in harmony together. We can work together to improve the lives of everyone.
We are up to the challenge. And we shall soon see how interfaith leaders have done just that throughout history. American history is rife with examples of extreme disunity, abuse, even genocide. Our history is difficult and we are still navigating the tensions of inequality, racism, and bigotry today.
These difficulties in our present and past make it all the more necessary for us to lift up the stories of success and cooperation from our history as models for ways we can work together to build a better world for ourselves and for future generations. Interfaith cooperation. has been woven into the fabric of our history since before the beginning of our country. And for the rest of this lesson, we're going to focus on that history.
We can't possibly cover it all, but we hope that this is an introduction to movements, heroes, and great moments in the history of interfaith work that will inspire you to dig deeper and to search out those events and individuals that resonate most strongly with you and inspire you to continue your journey as an interfaith leader.