Interfaith Trolley offers tour of religion in America
CHICAGO (RNS) — In America’s third largest city, it’s possible to get a crash course in the world’s religions in a journey of just a few miles — from the University of Chicago’s majestic, ecumenical Christian Rockefeller Memorial Chapel on Chicago’s South Side to the humble Masjid Al-Taqwa, which meets in a converted stable, still under renovation a 15-minute ride to the south.
On Orthodox Christian Easter (April 24), 70 or so passengers took that ride on the Interfaith Trolley, a tour of sacred spaces inspired by this month’s convergence of Ramadan, Passover, Easter, Vaisakhi (celebrated by Sikhs), Ridvan (observed by Baha’is) and Ram Navami (a Hindu holiday).
Perhaps more reminiscent of speed-dating than a comparative religion course, the tour made brief stops at five religious sites across southeast Chicago, hearing from a series of faith leaders and lay people from different religious groups.
Sponsored by local faith institutions such as American Islamic College, the Lutheran School of Theology, Chicago Theological Seminary, the Parliament of the World’s Religions and the Hyde Park & Kenwood Interfaith Council, the trolley was intended to promote interfaith understanding and cooperation.
“This was a beautiful event, far more beautiful than I expected,” said Kim Schultz, coordinator of creative initiatives at the InterReligious Institute, part of Chicago Theological Seminary. “The words shared and the community shared really struck my heart.”
At the Rockefeller Chapel, Mayher Kaur, the leader of the Sikh Student Association gave an overview of Sikh practices and explained that Sikh gurus worked to overcome India’s caste system. A Hindu student told participants about Ram Navami, a Hindu holiday that fell on April 10 that celebrates the birth of Lord Rama, whose story is told in Ramayana. Shradha Jain, a Jain student spoke of her faith’s beliefs and the April 14 festival of Mahavir Jayanti, marking the birth of Jainism’s founder.
At Ebenezer Baptist Church, Patricia Butts, the church’s clerk, recounted the congregation’s musical history — Thomas Dorsey, composer of “Take My Hand, Precious Lord,” founded an early gospel choir there in the early 1930s before moving to Pilgrim Baptist Church, where the former bluesman was music director for half a century. Meeting in a former synagogue, Ebenezer remains known for its gospel music and its annual performance of Handel’s “Messiah.”
Butts also told visitors about the church’s Easter observances, including the seven last words of Jesus, and about its vibrant and dedicated congregation.
“Our senior deacon is 102 years old and still going strong,” she said.
At the Claret Center, which offers “resources for the human journey,” passengers learned about the center’s offerings of spiritual direction, meditation and acupuncture, then heard a brief meditation from Heiwa no Bushi, a BodhiChristo teacher from North Carolina, whose spiritual teaching merges Buddhism and Christianity. Bushi encouraged his listeners to “love wastefully” rather than filling their minds with worry.
“If you love wastefully, you are living fully,” he said.