Compassion. What is it? What do the various religions teach about it? What can we learn from each other about compassion? How do we move from talking about compassion to doing acts of compassion?


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By Carl D. Evans Compassion. What is it? What do the various religions teach about it? What can we learn from each other about compassion? How do we move from talking about compassion to doing acts of compassion? ![]() These are some of the questions under consideration by the Board of Directors and Advisory Council of Interfaith Partners of South Carolina. IPSC began four years ago as a statewide interfaith organization. The partnership includes ten religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Native American Spirituality, Paganism, Unitarian Universalism, and the Baha’i Faith. IPSC’s mission is to foster understanding and cooperation among the religious groups in South Carolina. This mission, of course, is shared by other organizations and it is by working together that we can better achieve our common goals. One of the most notable of these organizations is PICNA. IPSC has enjoyed the support of PICNA from its inception. The two organizations have cooperated on several significant programs and they both participated in a conference sponsored by the North American branch of the International Association of Religious Freedom, the oldest interfaith organization in the world. ![]() IPSC’s program has been rich and varied, and PICNA has been represented in many of IPSC’s activities. Two festive Gatherings of Faith brought together several hundred people to meet people of all ten faiths, to develop friendships, and to celebrate our diverse faith traditions. On a memorable Sunday afternoon at the historic Newberry Opera House, all ten religions used various art forms to present a sampling of their spirituality. Members of the ten religions met for a 16-week course of study on “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Your Neighbor’s (and Your) Religion But Were Afraid to Ask.” IPSC has observed World Interfaith Harmony Week each February and South Carolina Interfaith Harmony Month each January. The month-long observance in January has coincided with Governor Nikki Haley’s annual proclamation of January as South Carolina Interfaith Harmony Month. IPSC’s January and February observances are held at temples, mosques, synagogues, churches, and religious centers of our ten religious groups. These occasions give visitors a chance to experience the hospitality and worship life of the ten religions. For those interested in a more reflective experience, IPSC has sponsored a retreat and a variety of small group dialogues. In October, 2013, IPSC became a member of the Charter for Compassion movement (www.charterforcompassion.org). Since then IPSC’s program has focused on compassion. We began with a small group book study using Karen Armstrong’s Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life. We learned that compassion is a central teaching in all religions. We were also reminded that compassion is more than a concept - it is also something that we do. Following the book study, the Board of Directors decided to encourage interfaith community conversations on compassion in a half dozen South Carolina cities. In February of this year, representatives from the targeted cities met for training and to begin the process of forming interfaith teams in each city. Their purpose was to plan an interfaith community conversation on compassion. Some of these community conversations have already taken place; others will take place in the near future. IPSC hopes that ongoing interfaith groups will be among the results of these community conversations. So far the interfaith group in Florence, South Carolina, has held several events, including their community conversation on compassion. The Board of Directors recently accepted the Florence interfaith group as an affiliate of IPSC. IPSC will continue to nurture the local interfaith groups that emerge from these community conversations. Next year a few more cities will be targeted to do the same thing. Eventually, as people of all faiths turn their attention to compassion, we hope to see a more compassionate society in South Carolina which will include, of course, more understanding and cooperation among our religious groups. IPSC’s next annual meeting will focus on the theme of compassion. A keynote address on compassion will be given by the incoming President of IPSC, the local groups that have promoted conversations on compassion will present the results of their efforts, and representatives of IPSC’s ten religious groups will report on the acts of compassion that the respective faith communities have adopted. The annual meeting is designed to showcase what communities across the state are doing to learn about and promote compassion and what IPSC’s Board of Directors and Advisory Council members are doing to engage their respective communities in doing acts of compassion for underserved children, teenagers, and adults in our society. Interfaith understanding and cooperation is a civic virtue. IPSC is determined to demonstrate that when we respect each other and work together to serve the underserved, interfaith work does make a difference in the quality of life our citizens enjoy. IPSC cannot do this alone, however. The continued support and cooperation of PICNA and similar organizations is needed, just as we have enjoyed and appreciated their important contributions in the past. The amount of work to be done is vast. When we work together to accomplish our common goals, we can and will make a difference in our communities, our state and nation, and the world. Dr. Carl D. Evans is President of Interfaith Partners of South Carolina. For more information about IPSC, go to www.interfaithpartnersofsc.org.
1 Comment
Sofian Haikal
10/21/2014 08:17:07 am
this discussion and sharing ideas among religions is very important to raise the level of awareness about the positive sides of every religion, unfortunately the media is not going a good job in reflecting the bright side of other religions, and these discussions are one way to fill that gap.
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