The Interfaith Movement, US Presidential Elections & A Diverse Democracy

Posted On June 12, 2024

Fr. Carl Chudy, SX

Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller, Bishop of the Diocese of San Antonio, Texas, profoundly stated in light of upcoming presidential elections: “Christians are not a social club that gathers on Sundays to receive nice-sounding catchphrases. We are to be a constant influence in society. Our identity as children of God involves a lifelong journey of struggle and testing. We are called to repent and continually transform our lives, thoughts, attitudes, and actions to live in a kingdom of justice, peace, mercy, fidelity, harmony, and unity.” (America: The Jesuit Review, 03/05/24)

Considering our shared responsibility and influence as Christians in society, I firmly believe that the transformative power of the interfaith movement is a vital part of societal transformation in the United States. It’s not just about dialogue between religious believers; it’s about infusing new energy into democratic ideals that respect our diversity through the evolving interfaith and religious-secular solidarity for the common good. We, as a collective of believers and nonbelievers, are the ones who shape our communities and nation.

When we view the interfaith movement in the U.S. as more than a commitment between different religious communities, we recognize its potential as a potent catalyst for reshaping our shared culture. By prioritizing the common good, we unlock the transformative power of religions. As Fr. Pawlikowski, a scholar in Jewish Christian relations, succinctly states, “Religions enable us to rise above situations where power fosters an environment of inequality.”

Our National Discontent

Amidst the spiritual, psychological, political, and social upheavals that have further polarized the United States, pluralistic solidarity’s urgency and healing power have never been more crucial. The recent 2020 presidential elections, marred by contentious disputes over the electoral results, have inflicted deep wounds on our democracy. The threats against poll workers and the attempts by certain lawmakers to undermine the election results in Congress have eroded public trust in our electoral process, our democracy and the essential institutions that sustain it. This erosion of trust is a pressing issue, a call to immediate action for change.

The tragic insurrection culminating from these events at the nation’s capital on January 6, 2021, gathered over 10,000 people in Washington, DC. Rioters smashed through barricades and ransacked the US Capitol, intending to stop the certification of President Joe Biden’s election. As Trump supporters stalked the halls of Congress and lawmakers fled to safe rooms in fear, the country seemed united in its disgust. (ABCNews, Thursday, January 6, 2022)

As we prepare for elections nationally and locally for 2024, where entire populations of Americans perceive the nation in starkly different ways, it is helpful to explore why religious institutions collectively are crucial to a vital democracy. Each religious community and its adherents express unique visions of the divine cosmos, the light of God reflected in everything, the spirituality and values expressed in our communities, and their unique shaping to a culture we all share. However, only one interfaith voice brings many voices together, which is a different and formidable power.

Democracy Requires Interfaith Solidarity

Jurgen Habermas, a secular philosopher, suggests that religion can remedy contemporary societal issues. It can inspire moral solidarity and political action, bridging social and economic divides. Members of a religious tradition share moral vocabularies (e.g., “Love your neighbor”) and narratives (e.g., parables) that impart concern for the vulnerable with profound meaning and inspire not just individuals but entire communities.

On the other hand, a purely secular discourse devoid of religious influence offers a less robust foundation for collective action. It presents a more abstract view of the individual, emphasizing less the individual’s social relationships and responsibilities. In this sense, both the secular and the religious are complementary and essential in a dialogue between religious communities and secular civic institutions. (Dr. Michelle Dillon, Postsecular Catholicism, 2018)

The purpose of these essential encounters always begins locally, with national and global implications.  The words of Irish poet Padraig O Tuama truly resonate when he says we need to “find a way of navigating our differences that deepen our curiosity, deepen our friendships, deepen our capacity to disagree, deepen the argument of being alive.”  It is not a given that pluralism leads to a more profound unity. An increase in diversity in the community ordinarily leads to a decrease in social trust. It is a work that needs to be positively and proactively engaged. (Robert Putnam, Diversity and Community in the 21^st Century, 2007)

As interfaith community members, how do we reconcile our profound differences while working towards a more peaceful and just world? We must not shy away from difficult questions. Two significant ways of seeing this in action are a national program, The Faith in Elections Playbook, and the other is a local program organized through the Xaverian Missionaries USA, The Metrowest Interfaith Community.

A National and Local Experience

Today, an essential interfaith organization in the country, Interfaith America, and a leading cross-partisan democracy nonprofit, Protect Democracy, launched the Faith in Elections Playbook. The Playbook, which will serve as an anchor for faith-based engagement throughout the 2024 primaries and into the general election, is a step-by-step guide for people of faith to bridge community divides, uplift trustworthy information; support voters with food, water, and a peaceful presence; recruit poll workers; build relationships with local election officials; and offer houses of worship as polling sites.

The Faith in Elections Playbook project represents a unique partnership between one of the United States’ leading interfaith organizations and one of its most influential civic institutions, which sees faith as a foundational American strength. Its interfaith advisory council members represent a wide range of faith traditions, including Judaism, Islam, Sikhism, and multiple denominations of Christianity, including Catholicism and Evangelicalism. The work has already begun across a cluster of community groups, including faith communities, colleges and universities, and other sectors.

A more local program involved in this tremendous national challenge is the Metrowest Interfaith Community, facilitated by the Xaverian Missionaries in Holliston, Massachusetts. It is a collaborative network of religious leaders, congregants, and others representing diverse faith traditions, including our friends and neighbors who don’t identify with any specific faith tradition. We attempt to unite members of our congregations, communities, and the larger public in the interfaith dialogue of life, religious experience, and the common good.

In our community, Jews, Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus, Baha’i, and the “spiritual but not religious, began forming a multifaith and multi-spiritual community in 2018. Our first interfaith program occurred in the evening at our local synagogue, Temple Beth Torah. It was October 27^th, and earlier that afternoon, there was an antisemitic terrorist attack that took place at the Tree of Life – Or L ‘Simcha Congregation synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States.  As we filed into the synagogue that evening, our plans for the joy of interfaith solidarity turned into Shiva, a period of mourning together.

Grief is often too heavy for one person or even one community. That evening, we helped lift the grief of our Jewish neighbors together. Our work in addressing the great divides of antisemitism and Islamophobia, xenophobia, and racism became an integral part of our interfaith journey together. At the heart of much of the resentment and animosity of our political divides today, as we look to electing a new president and local officials,  is an expression of these deeper divides in our human community. Collaborating with our civic institutions, the interfaith movement is a healing balm in a divided country.

Ground Rules

As we look to presidential elections this year, our politics, like interfaith collaboration, require specific ground rules. First, we should not expect perfection from ourselves, others, or even the place we come from. We should not claim innocence or speak only from our scars. We should recognize that truth and love can be increased when we connect with people correctly. Finally, our highest hope should be to grow together, creating a civic space to form a diverse community of hope. (From a People’s Supper, Faith Matters Network).