The first week of February 2026 is the UN World Interfaith Harmony Week.
Events are happening worldwide.
A few of us from South Lakes Interfaith Forum met in Kendal with the Mayor and Deputy Mayor.
We discussed what Interfaith means to us.
There is always the question: what more can we do?
In the past year we've had services at the Unitarian Chapel and South Lakes Interfaith meetings.
We talked about more Interfaith for schools and a focus on youth groups.
The Baha'is sent a letter to the World Religious Leaders.
While emphasising the good that religion has done in the past, inspiring people to love, forgive, and sacrifice, today they noted all the sectarian hatreds and conflicts.
Several years ago, a Muslim imam and a Christian pastor from Nigeria stood on opposite sides of a painful religious divide.
Each had suffered deeply.
And yet, through the healing power of forgiveness, they chose to walk a path together.
Imam Muhammad Ashafa and Pastor James Wuye became unlikely partners in peace.
Together they established a centre for interfaith meditation.
They now teach others to replace hatred with hope.
The plea in the Baha'is' letter was for religions to take courage, rise above the fixed conceptions of the past, and commit to a genuine unity.
The letter said that if we believe God is 'one' then we should venture the idea that religion can also be 'one'.
This should then be at the heart of any religious discourse, fostering humility, respect, and love.
Mike Humphreys, South Lakes Interfaith Forum.
To share an insight about how your faith impacts your view of things, please contact us on faithviewpoint@gmail.com.
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