We are on the verge of an election which is perhaps more divisive than any other presidential election in the history of our country. We are in the midst of a pandemic that is raging across the globe. Our children are staring at screens trying to learn and our teachers and parents are struggling to maintain education in a time of crisis. Civil unrest is rocking our cities and it feels like nothing will ever be the same again.
And maybe it shouldn’t be.
As we look ahead to the future, it may sound irrational to say, but one of the things which should not be dividing us is religion. As strange as it may sound, religious beliefs should not be something that separates us, because at their core, many (if not all) of the world’s religions share the same basic tenets. Somewhere along the line, we have forgotten that. Religion is used is so many detrimental ways and belief systems are attacked and weaponized in ways that threaten to tear us apart as painfully as any other form of intolerance. And it should not be this way.
It just shouldn’t.
Lori Vail, Associate Professor of English, holds a Masters of Arts Degree from Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity school, invites us to a conversation about how “God is Not One.” Perhaps, in the process, we can all be reminded of our own humanity and the humanity of those around us. We need unity now more than ever and if we can set aside some of the most powerful barriers that separate us, maybe we can move forward together to ease the ills of the world and improve the human condition for all. Our gods, our beliefs, and our spirituality can, and should, be used to heal all the world instead of adding to its division. There is strength and power if we work together and this conversation will highlight why this is not outside the realm of possibility.
I will be there not just because I’m hosting, but because I want to learn. Join me.
(password: 2020)
