FESTIVAL OF FAITHS: AN INTERFAITH BRIDGE TO OUR SHARED HUMANITY

Veterans Memorial Plaza, Indianapolis, Indiana USA

 Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
July 31, 2014
Kanwal Prakash Singh.  

The annual Festival of Faiths (FOF) on Sunday, September 7, 2014 (1:00PM - 5:00PM) at the Veterans Memorial Plaza in Indianapolis will feature many colorful faith-inspired treasures, traditions, and educational materials.  Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain, Mormon, and representatives of other faiths will foster unity, share unique traditions, and faith heritage.  Several not-for-profit groups, food vendors, a processional of faith leaders in traditional vestments winding across the Plaza, youth activities, colorful displays, ethnic decorations, and other attractions will build upon last year’s successful Festival.

The sound and spectacle of the sacred arts and performances: Buddhist chants, gospel music, church choir, festive enactments in traditional dances will provide introductions to faiths and cultures in our midst.  The Festival will feature the spirited Bongo Boy leading 100 Drummers, Sikh turban-tying demonstrations, meditation spaces and prayer circles, audience participation, and opportunities to learn and engage.  Faiths and friendships, distinct and unifying ideas will define the Festival and take center stage.

Why should faith communities, citizens, and young people attend and participate in an interfaith celebration?  A simple answer: everyone is welcome; the event is open to the public  and  free. 

Interfaith and intra-faith are hopeful concepts.  As initiatives, they promise to build understanding, help to dispel fear and unfounded stereotyping.

Learning connects our world with the one outside our familiar experiences and circles.  The FOF is literally hands-across-our-many-faiths and cultural communities in a friendly and public setting to develop appreciation for traditions different from our own.  Understanding this spiritual and cultural diversity, developing and exploring its many strengths, are the first steps toward networking, serving, and addressing common humanitarian concerns: hunger, crime, violence, bullying, safety, opportunity, and human dignity.

The Festival of Faiths is above all an educational experience.  For students: there may be fascinating subjects for video projects, writing assignments, and class presentations; to see diversity not as a threat, but as an integral and emerging frontier of culture, community, and our world that they will be inheriting and leading.

 The Festival of Faiths is a signature initiative of The Center for Interfaith Cooperation (CIC).  Don Knebel serves as Chairman of the Board and Charlie Wiles as the Executive Director of CIC; Jane Gehlhausen as Chair of the 2014-FOF and Lisa Morrison as Coordinator of Media and Marketing Committee.  Additional Information:www.centerforinterfaithcooperation.org

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