Faith festival to seek unity
It’s about God, not religion.
Organizers of an upcoming spiritual event in the area want to bring people of all faiths together – regardless of what they believe or don’t believe.
“Our message isn’t about church,” said Bob Devine, a Spokane native and one of the organizers of “Common Ground,” a festival featuring music, workshops and dialogue. “It’s more about brotherhood and sisterhood and recognizing a creator. We won’t tell people what they need to believe about God. Each person has an idea about what God is to them. We’re about finding ways to deepen that for each person.”
In light of the tensions brought about by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and recent arguments over gay marriage, the public display of the Ten Commandments and other issues that people fight about in the name of religion, Devine and others wanted to emphasize the things that bring people of faith together – a belief in a creator, the need for community, a desire to make the world a better place.
Hence the name “Common Ground.”
Beginning Thursday in Coeur d’Alene and this weekend in Spokane, musicians, public speakers, poets and others involved in spiritual pursuits will come together to “explore personal experience with God and awareness of our common heritage,” according to Common Ground’s mission. Participants will discuss a variety of topics, including peace, meditation and service to others.
“It’s about overlooking our differences and celebrating what we share in common,” said Rick Giles, a cabinet maker from Hayden, Idaho, who also has a degree in world religions from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Giles, who has made presentations on spirituality at workshops throughout the country, will lead a conversation during the festival called “Practicing the Presence of God.”
Other local people involved in Common Ground include members of the Interfaith Council, a Spokane-based organization that promotes interfaith education and dialogue among all congregations and faith traditions in the Inland Northwest.
“We name the divine in many ways,” said Kateri Caron, executive director of the Interfaith Council. “Isn’t it wonderful that we have all these expressions of a mystery that’s too great to name? Each person has a legitimate path to the divine.”
During the festival, creativity will play a huge role in the experience, said Devine.
“One cannot truly explore the universe, God, or even relationships to one another without being creative,” he said. “The workshops, the performances and the sharing are geared toward reflecting and nurturing this creativity so that people might experience both a deeper connection with God and each other.”