The Problem with Proselytization

December 4, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Assimilation is not just something that happens in Star Trek.

I wrote some time back about how it is imperative for me to be courteous to those who come to my door. This is part of my upbringing as well as a moral obligation stemming from my religious convictions. By and large, I see proselytization efforts as futile and mostly harmless, but the practice has certain assumptions at its core that can lead to behaviors and attitudes that can be quite harmful to those of us in the minority. The assumptions are as follows: There is one true way. Because … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Jess Matz posts Tagged With: , , , , , , Leave a Comment

Hospital Chaplaincy, an Interfaith Challenge

July 19, 2013 By 6 Comments
Huntsville Hospital

Hospital chaplaincy is an often misunderstood vocation. Many unfamiliar with the work of the hospital chaplain equate it with ministry, but that is not what it is at all. Ministers seek to bring a specific message to those with whom they work. Hospital chaplains lay aside their personal beliefs at the door to the patient’s room and seek instead to immerse themselves in the spiritual worldview of the patient or the patient’s family. At Huntsville Hospital where I am working we have one … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Carol Kirk posts Tagged With: , , , , 6 Comments

My Long Strange Journey to the World of Interfaith

June 21, 2013 By 2 Comments
Wild Garden: Pagans in the Growing Interfaith Landscape

I am a relative newcomer to the world of interfaith work, but the idea of involving myself in this area of practice has been with me for a long time.  When I received my Third Degree initiation in the Oak, Ash, and Thorn Tradition of Wicca in 1996 my goal was to become active in interfaith work and start trying to build bridges of understanding with those of other religions.  Unfortunately for my stated purposes the Gods had other ideas and within three months of my initiation I was running a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Carol Kirk posts Tagged With: , , , , , , 2 Comments