As a Christian, the two greatest commandments I live by are ‘Love God with all your heart, mind and soul; and love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ My travels have taught and reinforced to me that my neighbor is every man, woman and child created by God. Many of these individuals have a different faith than my own faith that I’m proud to claim. I believe to love them requires that I also respect differences of faith.”
“The most important purpose of the Frankfort InterFaith Council is to demonstrate in a concrete way how Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Jews and others can come together in an environment of respect and acceptance, and learn from each other. That type of atmosphere creates a positive learning environment that can prevent and drive away fear, distrust and misunderstandings in our community.”
“Through the InterFaith Council, I can help clear up misunderstandings about Islam, and make friends with others with common values.”
“I enjoy serving on the council to explore and learn about the commonness in most religious teachings.”
Students from KSU’s Cultural Awareness class (front row), pictured with Frankfort Interfaith Council members (back row), at one of the Council’s monthly meetings.
”The last century’s rise of technology, the exponential development of global communication, and a vast improvement in mobility have contributed to a diversity that is flourishing in our society. With the globalization of society, people of various faiths are living even in small communities like Frankfort. Religion is a touchy subject, and not one that many people enjoy delving into. But instead of focusing on religious differences, the InterFaith Council studies what we have in common. I personally feel our interfaith dialogue will help us accomplish great things such as increasing awareness, harmony, and rooting out religious extremism.”
“The Council is a way of understanding different religions through human interaction. When I was growing up in Frankfort, an opportunity like this was not available because of a lack of diversity. The world has changed radically. Now it is essential that all of us have a better understanding of world religions to work toward peace and justice along with people of different faiths, rather than opposing them.”