See this remarkable speech about religious pluralism given as the Baccalaureate address by Muslim undergraduate student Sarrah Shahawy at the University of Southern California in May, 2011.
On the first Sunday in May- this year, May 6, 2012 (or other times during the year) – churches dedicate their worship to a celebration of our interfaith world. Progressive Christians thank God for religious diversity! We don’t claim that our religion is superior to all others. We recognize that other religions can be as good for others as ours is for us. We can grow closer to God and deeper in compassion—and we can understand our own traditions better—through a more intimate awareness of the world’s religions. On PLURALISM SUNDAY, churches celebrate elements of other world faiths in their sermons, litanies, and music; many feature speakers and singers from other faith traditions. Some congregations have exchanges with other faith communities, going to each other’s houses of worship. Here are some ways that churches have celebrated the event in the past:
Niles Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, Fremont, CA, celebrated Pluralism Sunday on Sunday, May 8, 2011 with a dialog sermon (by the Rev. Jeffrey Spencer and the Rev. Steve Kindle) based on Matthew 2:1-12 and Acts 10:9-16. It covered topics such as how we become Christians, the implications of our stories of becoming Christians, why (given the plurality of religions that exist) we are still Christians, and (given that neither claimed that Christianity is superior to all other religions) what we think about the validity of other religions and the purpose of evangelism for progressive Christians. You are invited to listen to the audio of it here.
On Sunday, May 22, 2011 at Plymouth Congregational UCC in Helena, Montana, Rev. Cathy Barker preached on religious pluralism and use the wonderful “Reading from Many Traditions” from the Tanenbaum Center, with special music with Native American drum and flute.
On Sunday May 1, 2011, the “Conversations about Progressive Christianity” study group of Lynnhaven (VA) Colony Congregational Church, United Church of Christ sponsored its Second Annual International Pluralism Sunday. After the success of sharing with several of its local Buddhist communities last year, this year the church shared time and attention with members of the Jewish community. Rabbi Israel Zoberman, Founding Rabbi of Congregation Beth Chaverim in Virginia Beach, was the speaker for Pluralism Sunday at Colony Congregational. May 1st was also Holocaust Remembrance Day and the church focused this solemn remembrance from an Interfaith perspective and the themes that follow for the whole human family. In addition to this special day of worship May 1st at 10:00 am and potluck meal at 11:00 am, several other learning opportunities happened: a Shabbat service with Congregation Beth Chaverim on Friday April 15th at 7:30 pm and the community-wide Holocaust Remembrance Day service at 6:45 pm on Sunday May 1st at Ohef Shalom Temple in Ghent.
The Unitarian Church of Weymouth, MA, featured a Pluralism Sunday sermon by the pastor, Richard Trudeau, on May 1 titled “More Like an Eddy than a Rock,” presenting the basic ideas of Buddhism, contrasting them with those of Christianity, and pointing out ways in which the two supplement each other.
First Presbyterian Church of Elizabethton, TN, celebrated Beltane on Pluralism Sunday, May 1, 6 pm. Bel was the Celtic sun god who was in his glory during the light half of the year. In the old traditions, this feast day celebrated the new growth and fertility of the land and all of its inhabitants. The Peacemaking Committee celebrated with dancing and dining at the church, and will hold the rite outside if weather permits.
The Congregational Church of Belmont, CA, on May 1 heard a local Baha’i leader speak in worship and the pastor of the church, Kristy Denham, preached on “Many Streams, One River”.
First Congregational Christian United Church of Christ, Chesterfield, VA on April 10 had Malik and Annette Khan of The Islamic Center of Virginia to do a presentation of Islam with the church’s Adult Faith Formation gathering. It also celebrated pluralism in its May 1 worship.
Celebrations of Pluralism Sunday include many other creative ways of embracing religious pluralism as integral to our Christian faith. Mt. Hollywood Congregational UCC in Los Angeles included in worship a performance by the students of the Shanti Interfaith Choir from the University of Southern California. St. Paul’s Church in Laramie, Wyoming, read the Golden Rule in 6 different religious traditions. Other churches focus on sermons about religious pluralism: Rev. John Shuck, First Presbyterian Church of Elizabethtown, Tennessee; Rev. Christine Paulus, St Luke’s Church in Philadelphia.
SIGN UP your congregation to be listed as a participating church for 2012 – by emailing Rev. Jim Burklo, Pluralism Sunday Coordinator for ProgressiveChristianity.org. (Churches can celebrate the event on other dates and still be listed as participants – indicate your plans for the event to Jim so these details can be listed on our site.)
PLURALISM SUNDAY is initiated by ProgressiveChristianity.org- a network of hundreds of churches nationwide. Our congregations have adopted a “Welcome Statement” that affirms that other religions can be as good for their followers as Christianity is for us.
Learn here what churches around the world are doing to promote religious pluralism as a profound expression of the love and the humility that Jesus preached and practiced. You’ll find sermons, litanies, book reviews, and other resources your congregation can use to create a celebration of PLURALISM SUNDAY that is appropriate for your community.
