Tapestry of Faith: A Chorus of Faiths: A Program That Builds Interfaith Youth Leaders

Taking It Home: Difficulties of Interfaith Work

All people and cultures without exception hold myths to be true. Anyone who believes that others—less sophisticated—may naively hold myths to be true while they themselves do not, are themselves naive. — Alice Blair Wesley, Unitarian Universalist minister

IN TODAY'S WORKSHOP... We learned about the difficulties of interfaith work, explored our own "baggage," and learned how to use stories as a tool for communicating our values and building bridges. Here are a few activities to continue your exploration:

  • Share "my interfaith story" with your family. What do they find surprising? How do others in your family communicate about their life and values? Have you learned anything that could help them do that even better?
  • Eboo Patel's story, "We Are Each Other's Business," from Workshop 4, is a great example of how to tell stories in the manner you learned today. Read or listen to other pieces in the "This I Believe" National Public Radio series online. Analyze a few to identify the five parts of a story you learned about. What other qualities make them good stories? How can you incorporate what you discover into the way you tell your own story? For fun, try using the story map to map your favorite book or your favorite spiritual story!
  • Think about the people with whom you will do your interfaith service project. What difficulties might some of them find in interfaith work? How can you help assuage their fears? If you personally know anyone with whom you will be serving, call them and ask.