Try-Tri Faith in Omaha

Diversity.  Acceptance.  Tolerance.  Love.  Respect.  Family.  Friendship.  Community.  Learning.  When you read those words, for most, I hope, thoughts of peace, good will, and good life may come to mind. 

Let’s add these words; Christianity. Islam. Secular Nonreligious Agnostic Atheist. Hinduism.  Chinese traditional religion.  Buddhism.  Primal-indigenous.  African Traditional & Diasporic.  Sikhism.  Juche.  Spiritism. Judaism. Baha'. Jainism. Shinto. Cao Dai.  Zoroastrianism.  Tenrikyo.  Neo-Paganism. Unitarian-Universalism.  Native American.  Earth Centered.  Do you have the same feeling?  I am willing that many of you will not.  In fact in some cases thoughts of intolerance, the threat of not having peace, and perhaps thoughts of violence may come to mind?  All in the name of religion. 

I have said before how proud I am of the great city of Omaha.  It is a special city that enjoys great diversity that is nestled in a state that promotes intolerance, injustice and indifference.  Most every city in the nation is seeing an increase in diverse waves of immigration that causes demographic changes, and Omaha is no exception.  In fact many here embrace it!

Huffington Post Reporter Jaweed Kaleem reports that in Omaha an interfaith organization is taking such a pattern to the next level. Tri-Faith Initiative, a partnership of Christians, Jews and Muslims that aims to foster greater interfaith relations in that Midwestern city, is kicking off a multimillion-dollar effort to bring the three Abrahamic religions onto a single 35-acre campus.

"We thought, let's intentionally choose our neighbors," says Vic Gutman, a spokesman for the Tri-Faith Initiative, which launched five years ago as a grassroots interfaith effort and quickly gained funding and community support among the city's religious leaders. "We want to form a relationship between all Jews, all Muslims and all Christians."

Gutman says the project is one of the first in the nation to intently build houses of worship of the three Abrahamic faiths next to each other. Temple Israel, an 800-family strong Reform tradition synagogue that's the oldest and biggest Jewish house of worship in the state, has plans to open by the High Holy Days in 2013.

When I shared this great news on my facebook page someone wrote other than Israel and the US, where else could this happen.  I felt that the writer was not happy about this approach.  Maybe I was wrong.  So I took that question and ran with it.

 I didn't know the answer or could even guess at that answer.  So after some research, I found 26 countries that offer freedom of religion in both real life and in their countries laws.  I was a bit surprised.  There are many countries that do not, Greece surprised me as being an intolerant country.

I also found that about 51% of Americans identify as Protestant Christians, 25% as Catholics, 6% claim other religions, and 20% claim no religion, don’t know what religion they are, or are not saying.

In a 2008 poll that was conducted 9% of Americans said religion was the most important thing in their life, compared with 45% who said family was paramount in their life and 17% who said money and their career was paramount.  Which may explain the statistic that up to 60% of the population does not attend worship on a regular basis.

I think “church” as we know it is VERY different today than when we were kids and certainly very different from when our grandparents attended church. 

It is my thought, my prayer and my hope for this world that each person, one day, can truly worship from the pew of their choice without intolerance, indifference or injustice from another human being.  And that one day, there will be no longer be bloodshed in the name of any religion.

We can be the change we seek in this world. and in ourselves.  One day.  One journey.  One person.  One human beings choice at life and religion at a time.

Royal D. Bush serves as Interfaith Chaplain.  He has studied at Andersonville Theological Seminary. and the International Institute of Faith Based Counseling.  He also holds a Bachelor Degree in business administration. He is available for premarital coaching. couples coaching. life coaching. and pastoral care in the Nebraska and Iowa area.

Inclusive Life offers both nondenominational and nonreligious care-serving all. without exception!  Inclusive Life offers Wedding Ministers, Premarital Coaching, Couples Coaching, Funeral Ministers, End of Life Planning, Pastoral Care, and Pathways Worship.

To reach Chaplain Royal or Chaplain Beth please email info@inclusivelife.org OR phone

402-575-7006.  105 S. 49^th Street Omaha, NE and 500 Willow Ave Council Bluffs, IA. 

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