Learning to talk about difference productively

I am often in conversations and discussions in which the idea of religious literacy is raised. Whether in educational settings, in the workplace, or even in foreign policy settings and institutions, the idea that outcomes could be improved through the embedding of religious literacy is a tantalising prospect.

One of the first pieces of advice I always give is to encourage people to get hold of and use a really thorough calendar of Religious Festivals. For instance, in the UK the Interfaith Network produces an excellent annual calendar, as does RE:ONLINE. For me, this is important because being aware of when particular Festivals take place, and being able to wish people appropriate greetings, is such a simple way in which we can acknowledge and celebrate the faith and belief diversity in the communities in which we live.

I could also add, that for those individuals and organisations who regularly host events, being aware of when Festivals and observances are happening is important too. Full disclosure, I have made these mistakes in the past, it happens to everyone, but scheduling an event for say the second day of Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) when you know you will be inviting Jewish people with the expectation that they attend, risks putting someone in an incredibly uncomfortable position. That is not to say that all Jewish people will find the choice difficult, but if when the event is scheduled there is a choice of dates available, selecting a date which enables the most people to attend without requiring them to be faced with a dilemma or made to feel different, to me seems to be the right thing to do.

I was thinking about all of this recently because I noticed that here in the UK Pesach and Easter fell over the same weekend, and then I realized that that very weekend was midway through Ramadan. Then, to add to it all, as I was walking home my neighbour stopped to wish me a happy Pesach and also to tell me that she was celebrating the Tamil new year, Puthandu, which is observed elsewhere and by others as Vaisakhi. At the time I thought that with such a conjunction of festivals that there would be plenty of material for an interfaith blog.

However, when I did sit down to write, I kept coming back to something which I had seen, or rather hadn’t seen, on social media. There had been plenty of content from religious leaders, politicians and activists expressing good wishes to those celebrating each particular festival, including religious leaders expressing good wishes to those of different faiths. It is completely correct that that should be the case. However, what was less visible was content which acknowledged that all these celebrations were happening at the same time, much less any content which actively sought to explore the ideas raised by this unusual occurrence.

When people talk about “Religious Literacy” they often suggest that it hinges on two things: firstly, the need for greater knowledge of religious identities, practices and experiences; and, secondly, the need for individuals and institutions to have a degree of confidence and skill when navigating that diversity.

Those few days on “interfaith social media” for me exemplified this duality and the challenge presented by the idea of religious literacy. Celebrating the faith and belief diversity of those living around us is certainly a critical first step towards religious literacy (requiring as it does an awareness of those different traditions and key dates in the calendars of those traditions and not forgetting that Calendar either!). However, it seems to me that the critical next step, and one which seems to require a greater confidence, is to celebrate those differences alongside one another. This is not about trying to determine which is “right” or “better”, rather it’s about being able to talk about the differences productively so that all those taking part in the conversation have opportunities to learn. In some respects, this is the opportunity that a Religion and Worldviews approach to education seeks to build on.

To me the opportunity of all those wonderful festivals coinciding, and indeed the opportunity presented by the Religions and Worldviews approach to Religious Education in schools, is that it creates authentic moments when we can learn how different faith traditions understand issues – freedom, oppression, agency, responsibility – through the lenses of how they live their faiths. For me, being aware of these moments, and authentically building on them, is the route towards a more embedded religious literacy.

I would love to hear what you think!