OT Interfaith dinners in your neighborhoods?

I had a chance to be one of the hosts of a intefaith dinner last nite. It was a wonderful experience and wish we more to get to know other faiths and to meet people from different cultures and diverse belief systems. Definitely puts things in more perspective. Has anyone here ever been to a interfaith dinner?

Wed. Oct 10, 6:44am

Probably just about every time I go out with friends, it is an interfaith dinner. I'm not trying to be a rude poster, just curious - is it unusual in your part of the country (or perhaps world, if you're not from the US) to associate with people of different religions? What religion are you? I'm Jewish, and live in Chicago, and know that if I only ever associated with other Jewish people, I'd run out of people really fast!

Wednesday, October 10, 2007, 2:27 PM

OP here I am muslim and live in Chicago. No you are not being rude, I guess I didnt write my comments with more clarity. In our mosque, it was our first interfaith dinner so it was nice to meet and have a dialogue with people about faith and religion. I wish we had more events like this so we can learn more from each other.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007, 4:28 PM

That sounds like a great experience! hehe here in whitebread town, I thought by "interfaith" you meant Catholics and Anglicans hanging out with Lutherans. ;)

Wednesday, October 10, 2007, 5:24 PM

Again, I don't mean to offend, but really, I find it so strange that people should only mix with particular others on the basis of their agreement about what is going to happen when they die. Yes, I'm an atheist, but have plenty of friends of all faiths and of none and really, none of us ever even discuss religion / belief systems (save to poke fun at one another about it). Dinner is dinner is dinner - preferably with friends and / or family.

Thursday, October 11, 2007, 1:14 PM

Funnily enough, dinner isn't always the same, depending on religious observance. :-)

Although I think the first two posters could probably get together -- aren't kosher and halal foods very similar?

Thursday, October 11, 2007, 1:27 PM

I'm the second poster. I must admit ignorance - I don't really know what halal is. Kosher foods are, essentially - no pig (nothing with a split hoof), no shellfish (no bottom-feeders/scavengers), and you don't mix dairy with meat (if you have chicken for dinner, you cannot have anything that is a dairy product, and vice versa), but, fish is not a meat (you can have tuna and cheese in the same meal.) You also cannot eat meats that come from the back half of an animal (a brisket is okay, but a filet is not.)

But, as a Reform Jew, I do not keep kosher. I agree, though, that dinner is not always dinner. A traditional holiday dinner differs greatly between most cultures and religions, even if most of us don't eat in that manner most days of the year.

Thursday, October 11, 2007, 5:32 PM

1:14 - I also have friends that come from many different faiths/beliefs and we hang out and have dinner all the time and of course it's not strange or out of place.
I'm also part of a group of mixed faith/non-faith individuals that meet periodically with the expressed purpose of discussing our beliefs in a respectful way. I've learned so much from that group, mostly that we have a lot in common. As someone who isn't all that sure what I believe, talking to a group with a wide range of beliefs has really helped me.

Thursday, October 11, 2007, 5:48 PM

A Unitarian Church in my neighborhood hosts a Passover Seder every year and after the OPs uplifting experience, maybe I will attend. (I do not identify as either Unitarian or Jewish).

Thursday, October 11, 2007, 7:53 PM

I would love to attend an interfaith dinner and not b/c I don't have a 'mix' of friends, but b/c we don't ever talk about religion - ever! Now I'm wondering why...

Thursday, October 11, 2007, 9:36 PM

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