Transformation

Beyond Tolerance explores the possibility of people of different religious traditions celebrating their religious diversity and affirming their common humanity as they work together to build a multi-faith community. Through this experience participants are invited to share in the story of the women of the Wellesley College multi-faith student council, a group of 21 women representing diverse religious traditions (Baha'i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Native American, Pagan, Sikh, Unitarian Universalist, and Zoroastrian), who have engaged in a three year process of building multi-faith community.

In creating this piece, we used a process that has been central to our formation of a multi-faith community. We began by defining our own religious experience within the context of a particular faith community, identifying the symbols, stories and moments that have meaning for each of us. We then carefully moved into an encounter with each other through a process of sharing these stories in a way that allowed both story-teller and listener to learn from one another. And finally, through sharing with each other, we found ourselves drawn deeper into our own traditions as well as into relationship with one another in a multi-faith community. Our commitment has been to do this in away that allows us to celebrate our own experience without diminishing the experience of another as we move from the isolation of our own experience, through an attitude of tolerance of one another and finally to a sense of interdependent community.