I found Dr. King’s words to be especially relevant in the context of the Capital Area Interfaith Friends’ service event held this past Martin Luther King Day, Jr. Day at the Washington Hebrew Congregation.
The first thing I noticed upon arrival was the sense of sanctity that lingered throughout the building. From the Hebrew scriptures imprinted into the walls to the various worship spaces throughout, I became quickly aware that this was a place of worship and reverence for the Jewish community in Washington, D.C.
On that day, however, the building was flooded with individuals from all different religious backgrounds, each busy working on a service project. Masses of people rushed around the building with working on blanket donations, clothing sorting, grocery bag assembly, and various other activities. Each person came from different corners of the D.C. metro area, and—most notably—each came from a unique religious background. Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, somewhere in between, none of the above...the list goes on and on. Many religious beliefs were represented that day, all gathered under the roof of the Washington Hebrew Congregation working towards a common goal of social justice.
At the event that day, sewing together blankets and making conversation with those around me, I found it so easy to forget that religion could ever be a source of anything other than peace. The unfortunate truth, however, remains that the world we live in today is one rife with religious tensions and conflict. These conflicts and tensions are the image of religion that is so often broadcast through the media. We cannot deny that religions have been utilized to instigate conflict and warfare and even give moral authority to certain systems of suffering. For many people, this is the end of the story: religious pluralism equates to conflict. Simple.
But that is far from the end of the story. If religions have played a role in conflict and warfare, they can also play a role in shaping beneficial ideas of social justice and pluralistic cooperation. It is possible for different religious groups to collaborate based on common grounds and to work towards a more equitable world, and that is what I witnessed this past Monday. At various times during the day, we would introduce ourselves along with our religious affiliations, and there was no recoiling or hesitation; there was only polite curiosity and acceptance. There were hijabs; there were also yarmulkes. Regardless of our religious affiliations, we were united in the fact that our religious convictions brought us here today to work towards a more equitable world.
Dr. King is right: peace is not merely the absence of tension, and we cannot deny the presence of religious tensions in our world, our communities, and even ourselves. Even the most fervent advocates of religious pluralism must be careful to grapple with and re-examine their understandings of religious pluralism. But when we collaborate to foster justice in our communities, we are taking a step towards overcoming those tensions and, in the legacy of Dr. King, finding true peace.
