On January 4th, SEF invited Muslims, Jews, and Christians to come together to celebrate their mutual Abrahamic roots at the Lincoln Theater in downtown Columbus. This event attracted more than 100 community members from all three traditions who enjoyed a night of excellent Turkish cuisine and inspiration from the event's three speakers. Rev. Dr. Rodney R. Hutton of Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Bexley represented Christianity, Rabbi Harold Berman of Tifereth Israel represented Judaism, and Dr. Omar Alomari of Franklin University represented Islam.
The speakers all began by introducing the importance of Abraham (peace be upon him) in their faiths. In both the Islamic and Judaic perspectives, Abraham is a symbol of monotheism. In the Islamic tradition, Abraham is considered to be the first Muslim (one who submits to the one God) and Muhammad (peace be upon him) came to confirm the message that Abraham brought and others after him. In the Judaic tradition, Abraham's commitment to God's command to sacrifice his son proves his faith in the oneness of God. In the Christian tradition, as found in Luke, he is a "symbol of continuity and fulfillment of the 'Promise to Abraham' (1:55, 73).
Then, each speaker addressed the importance of dialogue and ways to make it more effective. As a general theme, all of the speakers agreed that we must go farther than just tolerance, that we must not simply be patient with those different than us, but actually build mutual respect of our differences.
Finally, the event closed with the hope of peace in the holy land to all three faiths, Jerusalem. The first public presentation of the Forest of Religious Co-Existence: A Monument for peace in Jerusalem was presented by the daughter of the monument's founder Jan Sawka. The monument will be a collection of crystal-like poles, capped with each of the three tradition's symbols, rising out of a wound. This will symbolize hope, coexistence, and peace coming out of a wounded area. You can find more information about the monument at http://www.jansawka.com/architecture/peace.html.