The Faith Club: A Muslim, A Christian, A Jew-- Three Women Search for… (edição 2007)

Reading again for our bookclub ( )

I was frankly amazed at the preconceptions and misinformation that the co-authors had about one another's religions at the start of the book. The depth of ignorance -- and the accidental insults caused by that ignorance -- took me aback. But the decision they made to overcome that ignorance and to communicate openly with one another plus their willingness to give each other (repeated) lessons in Respecting Others' Religions 101 were what makes the book worth reading.

If you are already fairly knowledgeable about religions-not-your-own and aware of the way (Protestant) Christianity permeates/dominates culture in the US, you may find this book a bit remedial, like I did. But for those who haven't been exposed to multiple religious points of view or who have never been in a position to comfortably and non-intrusively ask questions of practitioners of other faiths, I think this book may provide a decent starting point. ( )

From the publisher:

A groundbreaking book about Americans searching for faith and mutual respect, The Faith Club weaves the story of three women, their three religions, and their urgent quest to understand one another.

When an American Muslim woman befriends two other mothers, one Jewish and one Christian, they decide to educate their children about their respective religions. None of them guessed their regular meetings would provide life-changing answers and form bonds that would forever alter their struggles with prejudice, fear, and anger. Personal, powerful, and compelling, The Faith Club forces readers to face the tough questions about their own religions.

Pioneering, timely, deeply thoughtful, and full of hope, The Faith Club’s caring message will resonate with people of all faiths.

This nonfiction work is a compilation of three women who take a journey in their faiths as they gain understanding through the sharing of their beliefs and lives. ( )

A dear friend loaned me her copy of The Faith Club, as I was reading The Red Tent for my book club, and pondering over how Islam, Christianity, and Judaism all came from similar historical roots and might fit together in harmony. In this nonfiction book, three women, a Muslim, a Christian, and a Jew, meet over a series of years to chronicle some of their thoughts and discussions regarding their beliefs in their religions and their ideas about faith. What seems to have resulted as an outcome of their frank conversations, is an understanding and harmonious respect for the diversity and similarities of each religion. Having such interfaith conversations helped the three women to realize, that although they might worship God in different ways, through their own cultural and religious practices, they could participate in some of the ritualistic events and appreciate the other women’s faith in God. I especially loved the poem which Priscilla, the Jewish woman, heard at a funeral she attended, and it totally addressed the way that I feel wanting to pass on a spirit of love, long after I am gone. The poem reads:

Epitaph
By Merritt Malloy

When I die
Give what’s left of me away
To children
And old men that want to die.
And if you need to cry,
Cry for your brother
Walking the street beside you.
And when you need me,
Put your arms
Around anyone
And give them
What you need to give to me.

I want to leave you something,
Something better
Than words
Or sounds.

Look for me
In the people I’ve known
Or loved,
And if you cannot give me away,
At least let me live on in your eyes
And not on your mind.

You can love me most
By letting
Hands touch hands,
By letting
Bodies touch bodies
And by letting go
Of children
That need to be free.

Love doesn’t die,
People do.
So, when all that’s left of me
Is love,
Give me away.

I was so fortunate to have been invited to participate in Ramadan dinners recently, and I have come to respect Muslim teachings about love, kindness, and respect toward others, as well as Islamic discipline and fortitude in fasting (meaning no eating and drinking of fluids until after dusk for the whole month of Ramadan). God’s outpouring of love for others is truly manifested in a pluralistic attitude, embracing diversity in religions and realizing that we are all God’s children. The three women of The Faith Club sought to promote such an open-minded approach through their insightful discussions about their faith, and the last chapter of the book even provides detailed advice of how to start a faith club. ( )