Revisiting the Declaration of Common Ground

            Twenty pilgrimages and 13 years later, it is hard to understand how groundbreaking and risky the first pilgrimage felt.  We were truly strangers going on a sense of trust and goodwill. We had to iron out many differences and we were formulating the process as we traveled.  Yet, we witnessed a profound transformation of strangers to community.  On the last days of the pilgrimage, we came together and broke into groups to formulate this Declaration of Common Ground. Rereading this as I prepare for our upcoming pilgrimage, I am moved by the integrity of the process and the hopefulness in the pledge.  While the language is a bit “constitutional” for my taste, the sentiment resonates and it brings me great hope even in dark times that we 45 Muslims, Christians and Jews came together and pointed towards a better way.

WORLD PILGRIMS^© DECLARATION OF COMMON GROUND

PREAMBLE

We the inaugural group of World Pilgrims – 45 Jewish Christian and Muslim clergy and community leaders from Greater Atlanta, Georgia – traveled together through Turkey from October 20 -30, 2002, seeking Common Ground.  During this time we build upon our mutual belief that God is the Creator of all human beings and discovered in each other the spiritual abundance that God bestows upon us all.  We prayed, laughed, wept, argued and celebrated together, openly sharing our personal religious journeys and our faith traditions.

We are here to declare to our communities that we have found hope, trust and an abundance of Common Ground.

DECLARATION OF COMMON GROUND

WHEREAS we find the current state of relations among our faith communities strained by misunderstanding and animosity;

WHEREAS people of faith are mandated by God to create conditions in which all human beings may live in harmony and experience their highest potential;

WHEREAS all people are created equal and loved equally by God;

WHEREAS we affirm that remaining faithful and passionate about our own traditions is critical to the continued vibrancy of religious and community life;

WHEREAS we have found commonalities that supersede historical tensions;

AND WHEREAS we are committed to building faith communities based on mutual understanding;

WHEREAS we recognize our obligation to continuously examine our own understanding and practicing of our religions;

THEREFORE, we affirm that we will:

·        Strive to deeply comprehend and respect one another’s views and defend each other’s rights to express those views;

·        Move beyond acknowledgement and tolerance and engage in education and exploration of both our Common Ground and our differences, in order to remove or minimize misunderstandings, misconceptions, myths and stereotypes;

d

·        Create a common agenda to enhance spiritual and social conditions of all faith communities individually and collectively;

·        Cultivate safe spaces where strong convictions are heard without defensiveness and held in mutual trust;

·        Work to build understanding, respect and trust among our clergy and leaderships, and our congregations and constituents;

·        Support each other in our efforts to build interfaith dialogue and cooperation;

·        Challenge the forces in our own communities that promote fear over faith, violence over dialogue and disrespect over understanding.

RESOLUTION

We, the World Pilgrims of Atlanta, commit to hold each other accountable to upholding these principles in the same spirit of friendship and love shared on this Pilgrimage.

We invite all people of faith who agree with these principles and who seek Common Ground to join this movement to build communities guided by God’s World, Grace and Peace.

We are leaving in 4 days! Let these words be our guide.

Pursuing Wisdom: An Interfaith Pilgrimage to Morocco and Spain

Who Are World Pilgrims?

Judaism, Christianity, Islam as well as other world religions hold many values and traditions in common but rarely do members of these faiths have meaningful contact with one another.  At times their interactions are often marked by distrust and hostility, rather than respect for differences and awareness of common values. World Pilgrims are committed to making a difference.

The ICI World Pilgrims program is based on the principle that before people of different religions can constructively discuss their differences they need to develop meaningful personal relationships with one another.  When friendship and trust must is established, honest and productive dialogue can take places even about areas of difference and disagreement.  Our goals are are to increase empathy and understanding, build trust, reduce conflict, and ultimately create opportunities for collaborative action.

The hope is that each  Pilgrim will:

• Deepen their personal faith by visiting some of the most sacred sites of their religious tradition.

• Gain an appreciation of the shared elements of all three Abrahamic religious traditions, as well as an understanding and respect for the differences

• Establish personal friendships with fellow pilgrims from Christian, Muslim and Jewish traditions even in the midst of the complexities of relationships between these three faiths around the world.

A pilgrimage is a sacred journey, not a travel seminar or a tourist venture. This means taking time for personal and group reflection, devotional time and  personal sharing.  Participants are asked to see these times as essential elements of the pilgrimage. Each location is of sacred importance, a place where spiritual enrichment can take place.

Each journey has a formal and very intentional structure designed to ensure that all the participants achieve the goals of the pilgrimage.  The theme of this pilgrimage to Morocco and Spain is Pursuing Wisdom.  Each participant is asked to commit to this structure so that the shared goals of the journey can be obtained. 

We focus on understanding and acceptance of each other’s faith traditions; discussion rather than debate, respect rather than judgment, empathy rather than criticism.   As pilgrims traveling on a common and sacred journey, the participants are expected to share their personal experiences and faith journeys with one another, and to make a commitment to continue their common experience after returning home.  Traveling makes us vulnerable in the best ways and creates opportunities for empathy, relatability and support.

As a result, we are building a stronger faith community in Atlanta. With close to 400 pilgrims, we support one another’s communities and keep connected once we return. It is such a meaningful experience that many people seek to join another pilgrimage.  We are transforming the faith landscape to better our city and ourselves.

Follow this blog for an inside view of our 20th pilgrimage to Morocco and Spain as we are Pursuing Wisdom.

*This post was taken from the Interfaith Community Institute's webpage and edited by me.  All edits reflect my perspective and not of the ICI at a whole.  

World Pilgrim in the Dead Sea: 2010  Pilgrimage to Egypt, Jordan and Israel