"So a Rabbi, Priest and an Imam walk into a Church..." Sounds like the start of a good joke, right? While there was plenty of humor shared at the recent Interfaith Panel event hosted at Holy Family Catholic Church, the meeting had a very serious intent -- to enlighten one another about our three prominent faiths of Judaism, Islam and Christianity. (Lord knows we could use more light than heat these days in this arena!)

The panel featured Rabbi Michael Torop of Temple Beth-El in St. Petersburg, Imam Wilmore Sadiki of the St. Petersburg Islamic Center, and Reverend Alan Weber of the USF Catholic Student Center, and the event was moderated by Fr. John Tapp, the Pastor of Holy Family. Each representative provided a twenty-minute overview of their faith, after which there was a lively question and answer segment with the congregation.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to capture the question and answer portion on video because the batteries were running low on my inexpensive Flip camera. One of the questions fielded by Imam Sadiki inquired about the perceived lack of condemnation on the part of Muslim leaders in response to terrorist attacks worldwide. He explained that there are many Islamic leaders in the Muslim community who are actively speaking out and condemning these acts, but that this is sadly not getting reported by the media.

Well, this blog certainly isn't CNN (please forgive the shaky video - I didn't have a tripod with me...) but I was happy I had my little camera with me so I could help share the views of these three thoughtful religious leaders with those who couldn't attend. This event was a long time coming and we've still got a lot of work to do as people of faith to build bridges and increase understanding, but this was a good start for our community. Please share the link to this blog (www.YourLocalBlog.com/SpiritofTampaBay) with friends!

Interfaith Panel - Judaism Overview 1 from Bill Cote on Vimeo.

Interfaith Panel Judaism Overview 2 from Bill Cote on Vimeo.

InterfaithPanel -- Overview of Islam1 from Bill Cote on Vimeo.

Interfaith Panel -- Overview of Islam Pt. 2 from Bill Cote on Vimeo.

Interfaith Panel -- Catholicism Pt. 1 from Bill Cote on Vimeo.

Interfaith Panel - Catholicism Overview Pt. 2 from Bill Cote on Vimeo.

Follow up questions from Bill Cote on Vimeo.

 
Following the panel, everyone joined in song and proceeded to the front of the church to plant a seed in a planter. These seeds didn't look like much, but in awhile we'll see how the combined small sincere efforts of many can make wonderful things grow.

Considering the healthy turnout for this religious event held on of all days, SuperBowl Sunday, I'm sure I speak for many who attended that I left there feeling much more enlightened and more hopeful about the state of our world than when I arrived.

Please share the link to this blog (www.YourLocalBlog.com/SpiritofTampaBay) with others in your community to help spread understanding about each of our faiths. During this time of religious tensions in the world, it's essential that we all gain some much needed clarity about those who share differing religious beliefs.