Relations with people of other faiths

1.  INTRODUCTION

The Church exists to offer worship; to make known, by deed as well as word, the love of God in His Son Jesus Christ and, through the Holy Spirit, to draw people into a loving and ever deepening relationship with God and one another. The Church strengthens us to work for a world in which all human beings flourish physically, emotionally and spiritually, and in which the environment is cared for.

Relations with people of other faiths are relevant both to the Church’s concern for a society and a world in which all human beings flourish and for its calling to draw people into a loving relationship with God.

Since the Second World War, Britain has become an increasingly multi-racial and multi-faith society. Those with whom we work, who look after us in hospital or who live nearby may belong to a religion other than Christianity. If ours is to be harmonious society, we need to get to know and to respect the beliefs and practices of our fellow citizens who belong to other faiths and ways of life. This is likely to be an exciting and worthwhile experience, although it may also be demanding and disturbing.

Equally, if religion is not to be misused and become a cause of division in our world society, we need to overcome past prejudices and misunderstandings. Increasingly members of many faiths are working together for peace, the defence of human rights, the relief of poverty and the protection of the environment. Indeed there are those who believe that the shared witness of people of all faiths to ethical and spiritual values is so vital to the future of our world, that they have coined the phrase ‘dialogue or die’.

Often our knowledge of people of other faiths is based on ignorance and prejudice and their knowledge of Christianity may be as distorted. This is one reason why the relationship between religions has often been marked by hostility and persecution, as it still is in some parts of the world today, where religious differences embitter existing enmity. Further, many people believe passionately in the truth of their own religion and find rival claims to truth to be threatening.

Indeed some Christians have found the claims and practices of some other religions disturbing, but many Christians have found that making friends with people of other faiths and learning about their beliefs and practices has brought great enrichment to their lives and both deepened and broadened their own Christian commitment.

In this Document we give a brief overview of the main theological considerations and indicate some practical matters of particular importance, as well as providing a list of useful addresses and books for those who wish to pursue these concerns.

It is difficult to estimate exactly how many people belong to other faith communities in Britain. The community figures given in Religions in the UK are:

Baha’is 6,000

Buddhists 30,000-130,000

Christians 40,000,000

Hindus 400,000-550,000

2.GUIDELINES ON DIALOGUE

As we get to know people of another faith, we may find helpful four guidelines suggested in 1981 by the British Council of Churches.

i. Dialogue begins when people meet each other

Jesus reaffirmed the command to love one's neighbour as oneself. In many parts of Britain, it is now quite likely that one's neighbour will belong to another religion. In this Diocese there are Muslim, Sikh, Hindu and Jewish communities, as well as a number of Buddhists, Baha'is and members of newer religious movements.

Loving our neighbours of another faith means first of all talking to or getting to know them as people. Such a meeting may be at work or school or college or at a neighbourhood event. It may be as part of the programme of a local interfaith group.

ii. Dialogue depends upon mutual understanding and mutual trust

As we talk to a person of another religion, some of our prejudices, fears and misconceptions may be faced, challenged or dispelled. Many Christians in Britain are still ignorant about the beliefs and practices of adherents of the world's religions.

Ignorance has often been a cause of prejudice and persecution. It is clear that anti-Jewish teaching by the Churches has been one of the causes of Jewish sufferings through the centuries. Muslims still recall the cruelty of the crusades. Even today, religious differences embitter the conflicts in the Holy Land, Former Yugoslavia, Northern Ireland and Sri Lanka. In our society, discrimination exists and members of other faiths are not always encouraged to feel at home in `Christian England'. It is tempting to compare the best practice in our own religion with the worst in another religion.

There are now many books available about the religions of the world. Various courses of study are also provided. Even so, we urge local churches, perhaps at a Deanery level, to arrange for Christians to learn about other religions and, where possible, to meet with members of other faiths.

iii. Dialogue makes it possible to share in service to the community

As members of different faiths get to know each other, there are projects on which they can work together - perhaps to protect the environment, or to support a hospice or to pray for peace. Common concern for social issues is also one of the reasons to bring together people of different religions at a national and international level.

iv. Dialogue becomes the medium of authentic witness

At some point, as trust and friendship grows, it is likely that the conversation will turn to questions of religious belief. There will be some matters on which there may be agreement and some on which there is difference of opinion. Conversation or dialogue can be a chance really to listen and perhaps to resolve misunderstanding and to see things from another point of view. Listening is a witness to authentic Christian love and belief.

Although there is a place for debate, argument about religious matters is nearly always counter-productive. A personal sharing of our experience of God's love in Christ, however, will usually be listened to attentively.

Just as most Christians dislike high pressure doorstep attempts to get them to change their beliefs, so most members of other faiths resent attempts to convert them, especially if they feel pressurized. It is God who leads men and women to the truth.

3. THEOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS

Lord of Life

As monotheists, Christians believe there is One God who is the Creator of all that exists and recognise that God loves all people. Many Christians believe that in other religions people seek and find God. The Bible also suggests that God is the Lord of History and that, therefore other religions have a place in God’s purposes. Our understanding of God is, however, different in important ways.

For Christians, God is most fully revealed in Jesus Christ – in his life and ministry, death and resurrection. Christians believe that the Word, God’s only Son, has made the Father known and that Jesus is the Saviour of the world. Christians will evaluate the claims of other faiths in the light of Christ.

The Holy Spirit, as the ‘Lord and giver of life’ is always ahead of the church working in the world to bring love, truth and understanding to every part of the world, so that wherever love, truth and understanding are to be found in other faith communities, we can see this as evidence of the activity of the Holy Spirit.

Reflection

Those Christians who have entered into dialogue with members of another faith nearly always say that this has both deepened and broadened their faith in Christ. Such dialogue emphasises the importance of Christians having a clear understanding of their own faith, a trust in Christ and the confidence to witness to him. Christians also need some understanding of the beliefs and practices of members of other faiths.

At times in dialogue, people may find they have much on which they agree, at other times there may be sharp disagreements – even when there is real love between the partners in dialogue. This reflects the ambiguity of the relation of one religion to another and the various attempts, none wholly satisfactory, which scholars have made to explain these relationships. Within the Church there will be those who emphasise the calling to proclaim Christ as Saviour and others who see their vocation, as ‘good neighbours’, slowly to build up trust and understanding. The situations in which Christians meet and talk with people of other faith are very varied – whether it be informal conversation in every day life or the more formal setting of a meeting for inter-religious dialogue. The character of the dialogue will also depend upon who is taking part and to which religion and branch of that religion they belong.

Attempts have been made to label different approaches – for example as ‘exclusive’, ‘inclusive’ and ‘pluralist’ – but these often seem artificial and few people feel they quite fit the labels. It is perhaps too early to attempt a definitive statement of the relationship of Christianity to the world religions and we need first to listen more carefully to the varied experiences in this field of our fellow Christians.

Mission

Christians have sometimes thought of mission in too narrow a sense. The primary mission is God’s initiative to offer fullness of life to a divided and suffering world.

At the start of his ministry, Luke says that Jesus read from the prophet Isaiah the words:

‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
And recovery of sight for the blind,
To release the oppressed,
To proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’ (Luke 4, 18-19)

In reply to John the Baptist’s disciples’ enquiry whether he was ‘the one who was to come’, Jesus said, ‘Go back and report to John what you hear and see: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor’ (Luke 7,22).

Luke ends his gospel with the Risen Christ saying to his disciples ‘repentance and forgiveness will be preached in my name to all nations’ (Luke 24:47, cp Matthew 28, 16-20). Christians are called to share this mission.

The Church should try to hold together the preaching of the Gospel, the service of the needy and the transformation of society. The Anglican communion has identified Five marks or Strands of Mission, which have been widely discussed in the diocese. They are:

To proclaim the good news of the Kingdom.

To teach, baptise and nurture new believers;

To respond to human need by loving service.

To seek to transform unjust structure of society.

To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and to renew the life of the earth.

In seeking to fulfil the last three strands of mission, many Christians are happy to work with people of good will of another faith or no faith. Many Christians witness by their actions and their care for others.

Proclamation of the Good News remains the central strand of the Church’s mission, but Christians are not alone in wishing to share their faith with other people. Many of the world’s major religious traditions have within them a missionary impetus. This ‘derives from a conviction of their universal relevance and a consequent desire to share them with the opportunity for "enlightenment" or "salvation" or to invite others to adopt the same values and to follow a similar pattern of life’, as is recognised in a statement agreed by the Inter Faith Network of the United Kingdom on Mission, Dialogue and Inter Religious Encounter.

Sadly, some forms of mission in several religions – often labelled ‘proselytism’ – have been insensitive and even aggressive. The statement of the Inter Faith Network itself recognises that ‘certain practices are objectionable in any missionary context … These are practices which involve unethical, emotional or intellectual manipulation of people who are vulnerable because of age, illness, isolation or social situation.’

Some members of other faiths, especially Jewish people, complain that they have been the targets of such missionary activity by Christians. In some parts of the world there are memories too of ‘Christian imperialism’. Christians have also to be aware that to a person of another faith recently settled in this country, the Christian religion can seem very dominant – much more so than it appears to faithful Christians who are aware of the widespread secularism in British society.

Christians, while witnessing to Christ among people of other faiths, need to do so in a manner consistent with the love of Christ with full respect for the sensitivities and conscience of the other. Many of those who have been most involved in dialogue and community action are very aware of these sensitivities and of the slow and patient work required to build real trust between people of different ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds. They may, therefore, appear to have muted the proclamation of the Gospel. Others who have been more intensely evangelistic need to be more aware of these sensitivities. There is room for more dialogue between Christians who adopt different approaches and a recognition of the need to seek the Spirit’s guidance on the pattern of mission appropriate to particular situations.

4. PRACTICAL MATTERS

The increasingly multi-faith character of our society affects many people in their daily life. Community workers, youth workers, members of the police and other public services will meet members of several different faith communities. Christians involved in many areas of work will perform a useful service if they are able to encourage greater sensitivity to multi-faith issues amongst their colleagues.

a.  Faith and Work

The work place in this country is multi-faith and economic activity affects us all whatever our faith tradition. Justice demands that we take this seriously and ensure that people of all faith traditions are enabled to make their full contribution to the life of our society. Respect for different cultural and religious practices is very important. Key issues are:

Holidays and Festivals

People of other faiths are usually obliged to take Christmas and Easter as holidays but when they want time off for festivals such as Eid or Divali, if they are granted leave, it has to be taken from their annual leave.

Dress

The Hijab or head scarf required for devout Muslim women can cause problems in some places. Likewise the turban of Sikh men.

Muslim Prayers

Muslims are required to pray five times daily with the time varying over the year according to the time of sunrise and sunset. There is some flexibility over the timing which can allow for the prayers to be said during rest breaks but a suitable room needs to be provided where smoking or consumption of alcohol does not take place. Separate facilities for men and women to perform the ablutions before prayer are needed.

Education & Skills

Members of other faith communities are often among the most disadvantaged in education and training. This is a source of great resentment. If young people are to grow up as responsible citizens they must feel that they are valued and their skills wanted.

Discrimination

This is still occurring in the workplace. Religious discrimination is not a criminal offence in this country, although it is in Northern Ireland. Principles to promote Race Equality in Employment, known, after the Bishops of Croydon and Liverpool, as the Wood Sheppard Principles, are available from the Board of Social Responsibility and Industrial Mission.

Changing Patterns of Work : Contract or Covenant?

Judaism has a wealth of teaching on economic activity. It is a means to an end, not an end in itself. The purpose of economic activity is to provide for the family and the study of Torah. There is much in the concept of Covenant which challenges our present day contract culture. Covenant cannot be understood outside the care of both the community, the land and the wellbeing of future generations. This is a crucial area of dialogue as we consider the health of our society and our future together.

b. Interfaith Marriages

As our society becomes more multi-faith, it is natural that there will be a growing number of marriages in which husband and wife belong to different religions.

Clergy, if they have not thought about this, may be unprepared to respond to a request from a member of the parish who wishes to marry a member of another Faith, in the local church. There are legal, theological and pastoral considerations.

Legally, anyone resident in the parish who does not have a partner of a previous marriage alive is entitled to be married in their parish church, but only according `to the rites and ceremonies of the Church of England'. This would mean, for example, that a Muslim or a Jew taking part would be expected to promise in the name of the Trinity. Some clergy have not insisted on this, but the legality of such an omission is questionable. The couple also need to be aware that if one party is a foreign national it is necessary to ensure that the marriage will be accepted as a valid marriage in the country of origin of the foreign national.

Even if a `mixed' marriage is legal, members of the family of the partner who is not a Christian may have hesitations about a church service. Each case has to be dealt with individually. Special prayers after a civil ceremony may be more appropriate and should be considered during marriage preparation.

Theologically, some would argue that the Christian understanding of marriage is rooted in creation. Marriage is therefore available to all men and women, regardless of faith, and it may be appropriate to celebrate in church that which God offers us all. Others would question whether all people share the Christian understanding that marriage is intended to be a life-long, loving partnership, which is prefigured by Christ's relationship with the Church.

Pastoral concerns are not limited to what happens on the wedding day. Relatives and faith communities may be unsympathetic to a `mixed' marriage and the couple need to be helped to consider these pressures. They should also be encouraged to think about how they would bring up children. To which faith would the child belong - to both or to neither? In a Christian-Jewish marriage, for example, would a boy be baptized or circumcised or would a special service of thanksgiving and naming be arranged?

Whilst `mixed' marriages may encounter particular tensions, many are successful and fulfilled. Too often couples feel they meet with little sympathy or understanding from religious officials.

There are two Occasional Papers from the Board of Mission:

(i) The Marriage of Adherents of Other Faiths in Anglican Churches. £2.50, by post £2.90.

c. Interfaith Prayer

There is a growing number of occasions when people of different faiths may wish to pray together. Some occasions may be informal, perhaps with a friend who is ill; other occasions will be personal at a wedding or funeral; other times will be more public, perhaps at a service for United Nations Day or Remembrance Day. At a Parade Service, it needs to be remembered that some of the Scouts and Guides may belong to religions other than Christianity.

(i) Inviting guests of another faith to a Christian service. Care needs to be taken to ensure that the guests can follow the service. Sometimes a member of another faith may be asked to read or speak.

(ii) Visiting another place of worship as a guest. Sensitivity should be shown to the customs of the worshippers, for example removing shoes or covering the head where required.

(iii) Occasions when members of different faiths each in turn read from their scriptures or offer prayers. These occasions are sometime described as `multi-religious serial worship' or as `being together to pray'.

(iv) Services planned as a unity in which all the participants are invited to join in some prayers or affirmations. These services are sometimes described as `united interfaith services' or as `praying together'.

Both iii and iv require careful preparation, especially to ensure that all participants are happy with what has been arranged. Buddhists may be uneasy with theistic references. A social time afterwards is valuable. There are differences of opinion about whether a place of worship or a secular building is the most appropriate venue. There are also differences in the best way to describe such occasions. Some people avoid the term `worship' or `service' and speak about `celebration' or `act of witness'.

Some Christians believe that occasional carefully prepared times, when people of different faiths join together in prayer, witness to the reality of the Divine in a secular culture and are an affirmation of our God-given common humanity. Others fear that such occasions may blur the distinctive Christian witness to Jesus Christ as Saviour of the world.

Many of these issues are discussed in: Multi-Faith Worship? £3.50 plus postage from Church House Bookshop.

d. The Use of Church Buildings

It is a practice of most faith communities to worship together regularly. With the growth of other faith communities in this country, it is only to be expected that their need for places of worship will grow. While some, especially in cities with large concentrations of the minority communities, were able to build their own temples, gurdwaras, mosques and so forth, others often looked to the local churches to help them with their worship and related needs such as weddings, perhaps by the hire of church halls.

The response of the churches has been varied; in the early days it generally tended to be negative. Indeed, it was hurtful and incomprehensible to the minority communities why they were denied the use of a hall for a wedding reception while dog training and bingo were considered perfectly acceptable uses of the building. Nowadays the other faith communities are more able to build their own worship centres, and the response of churches on the whole has become less negative. Nevertheless, the question is still important to many churches and there is a genuine feeling amongst many that allowing other faiths to worship in any Christian building is a denial of Christianity and the unique revelation of God in Jesus. This feeling is often particularly strong if it is suggested that a redundant church might be sold to a community of another faith. Yet, if Christians fail to recognise and respond to the spiritual needs of members of other faiths, this will produce alienation and be a deterrent to interfaith dialogue. Their perception of Christians' generosity might, however, well be their first step towards an understanding of the Christian faith and be seen as an example of our respect for religious freedom.

The General Synod Board of Mission has produced a very helpful booklet, Communities and Buildings, Church of England Premises and Other Faiths, Church House Publishing, 1996, which can be of great value to all those who have to make decisions of this nature.

e. Religious Education in LEA Schools in England and Wales

Our Education System is unusual in Europe in that, unlike most other systems which are wholly secular in approach, the British system includes two significant religious demands. The first is that each child should attend a daily act of collective worship, and the second is that religious education (RE) should be part of the taught syllabus. The terms on which all of this is done are laid down in the 1988 Education Act, and, for Church Schools, in the Trust Deeds which date from their foundation.

It is important that collective worship and RE are not confused - though there may be some links between the two. Religious Education is a curriculum subject, which like any other, can be examined at GCSE and A level. It is learned through question and inquiry, and through a properly planned programme which makes sure that pupils gain appropriate knowledge for their ages and abilities. Schools need to give RE about 5% of curriculum time, which is about an hour a week, though when RE is an examination subject more time is given. The content of RE is laid down by law for County and Church Controlled Schools, through the local Agreed Syllabus. Pupils are to study Christianity as the historic faith of this country, and those world faiths that are present in Great Britain. In practice this means the five historic faiths of Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism. These are not necessarily taught all at once, and often pupils will learn about Christianity alongside two other faiths. RE asks `What can we learn about and from each faith and its community?' It is not part of an RE teacher's job to teach the faith itself. Respecting each pupil and helping them to develop their own view of life is an underlying aim. In 1970 a Church of England Report on RE said, `If the teacher (of RE) is to press for any conversion, it is conversion from a shallow and unreflective attitude to life. If he is to press for commitment, it is commitment to the religious quest, to that search for meaning, purpose and value which is open to all'.

The position for Church Aided Schools, both Anglican and Roman Catholic is different, as the law does not require them to follow the Agreed Syllabus. For Anglicans, the Bishop of Oxford has advised schools that they must be clear in their commitment to teach Christianity, and the Diocese has defined those areas of knowledge that need to be covered in the Christian Faith. But church schools are also advised to teach pupils about other world faiths as well. Roman Catholic schools have a similar position. If this was not done, pupils in church schools would grow up without a real knowledge of the multifaith world we live in, nor would they be able to understand their neighbours of a different faith.

f. ‘Collective Worship’ in LEA Schools

Worship in county schools is required by law to be `of a broadly Christian character', though there are arrangements for this to be different in areas where there are numbers of pupils from other faiths. Most schools make this worship or assembly time a period for quiet reflection, with a thought for the day, perhaps drawn from Christianity or one of the other faiths. At its best (and many schools do this well) this is a space for quiet where teachers and pupils look beyond themselves, in a school day that is often too rushed and busy. In practice many county schools find the requirement for daily worship very hard, partly because there are not enough staff-members with skill to lead worship, and partly because of constraints of time and space.

In addition the requirements of ‘worship’ as such can pose difficulties, particularly for schools with pupils drawn from a diversity of backgrounds.

Church schools often have less difficulty, mostly because worship is understood to be an important part of daily life, and because the central values that underpin the life of a church school have their source in worship. The Diocese encourages its schools to respect the faith commitment of each child, whatever their faith background. Interestingly, in many areas where there are numbers of pupils from other faiths, church schools are often popular with these families. It is not unusual to find church schools with large numbers (sometimes a majority) of pupils from other faiths. The fact that very few parents take up their option to withdraw children from worship is a tribute to the careful handling of this by teachers. These multi-faith church schools are good examples of the way children can learn to live and worship side-by-side, in full recognition of each other's religious difference.

See Further: Sensitivity and Awareness CEM for CCIFR 1996.

g. Health Concerns

Those involved in health care and social work may have a particular need to appreciate the beliefs and practices of members of other faiths. The Patient's Charter says that `all health services should make provision so that proper personal consideration is shown to you, for example by ensuring that your privacy, dignity and religious and cultural beliefs are respected'.

Sensitivity will include awareness that some people's familiarity with English is limited and that they may need the help of an interpreter. Some women may be reluctant to discuss personal matters with a man or be seen by a male doctor unless a close relative is present. Dietary requirements need careful consideration, as well as, in some religions, rules for fasting. Patients may want opportunities to observe religious rituals and festivals.

Particular attention should be given to customs of faith communities in the care of dying patients and their relatives. In many traditions, there are also special last rites after death. The question of a post-mortem or the donation of organs needs to be handled with care. Undertakers also need to be aware of these concerns.

There are a number of helpful publications and those with management responsibilities in health work and social care should ensure that their colleagues have easy access to relevant information.

World Faiths in Hospital is a useful quick guide. Chaplaincy Dept., The St. Helier NHS Trust, Wrythe Lane, Carshalton, Surrey. SM5 1AA (0181 296 2306).

Our Ministry and Other Faiths: A Booklet for Hospital Chaplains - Hospital Chaplains Council, Church House, Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3NZ.

h. Prisons

The Prison Service is committed to giving prisoners the freedom to exercise their religion, whatever it may be, during a custodial sentence. Under the Prison Act the chaplain of any prison must be an ordained minister of the Established Church but there has always been, under the Act, the facility to appoint ministers to serve minority groups. All prisons nowadays have to appoint a range of Visiting Ministers to meet the needs of all religious groups, and such people visit the prison either regularly, or as need arises, depending on the number of men or women registered in that particular religion.

Matters of diet are important, and prison kitchens have to be able to provide for those whose faith proscribes certain kinds of food.

Religious festivals are observed, and prisons are informed of the major festivals each year on which those registered in each of the major religions should not be required to work.

Prisoners of other faiths may meet together for worship if they wish to do so. Finding space in the older prisons is often a problem, and it may be that a class room or group room is the best that can be provided. It is not usually appropriate to use the Christian chapel (unless it can be in some way divided up) as the presence of Christian artefacts makes this difficult. In all modern prisons a good room of appropriate size is provided within a chaplaincy centre for the members of other faiths to gather together for worship and instruction.

All requirements for the observance of other faiths - dress, diet, worship needs and religious festivals - are found in the Directory and Guide on Religious Practices in H.M. Prison Service. Further information is available from the Assistant Chaplain General, Room 717, Abel House, John Islip Street, London. SW1P 4LH.

9. Other Issues

Many other topics could be discussed. Sensitivity to our multi-ethnic society can be shown in the choice of menus for school dinners. Libraries should ensure a selection of books, relevant to our varied multi-lingual society, especially in the section for children. In a northern town, the public swimming-baths have special sessions for Muslim women. Some university chaplaincy centres provide facilities for students of all religions. Some local radio stations ensure that members of all faiths contribute to the religious programmes.

Christians, both by challenging false stereotypes and by their sensitivity to the concerns of people of other faiths, can do much to encourage understanding and co-operation in our wider society.

5. USEFUL INFORMATION

Faith Communities in the Oxford Diocese

There are Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Jewish, Buddhist and other faith communities in the Oxford Diocese. There are, for example, Hindu temples in Slough and at Middleton Stoney. There are synagogues in Oxford, Reading, Maidenhead and Milton Keynes. There are mosques in Oxford, Milton Keynes, Maidenhead, High Wycombe, Reading and Slough. There are Sikh Gurdwaras in Slough, Maidenhead, High Wycombe and Reading. There is a Buddhist Peace Pagoda in Milton Keynes and a Temple at Donnington, near Newbury. The Brahma Kumaris Global Retreat Centre is at Nuneham Park, near Oxford.

This is not a complete list. Besides Christian churches and chapels, there are many other places of worship and religious societies in the area. The best source of information about faith communities in Britain is Religions in the UK: A Multi-Faith Directory, published by the University of Derby and the Interfaith Network for the UK. This should be available in public libraries, which may also have a list of places of worship in their locality. It is always difficult to keep any directory up to date. A second edition was published in May 1998. Current information should be available from the national office of the faith community concerned or from one of the interfaith organisations.

National Offices of Faith Communities

Baha'i Information Office, 27 Rutland Gate, London, SW7 1PD

Tel: 0171 584-2566

The Buddhist Society, 58 Eccleston Square, London, SW1V 1PH

Tel: 0171 834-5858

The National Council of Hindu Temples, c/o Shree Sanatan Mandir, Weymouth Street, off Catherine Street, Leicester LE4 6FP. Tel: 01533 661 402

Jain Samaj Europe, Chair of Jain Centre, 32 Oxford Street, Leicester, LE1 5XU.

Tel: 0116-254-3091

Board of Deputies of British Jews, Commonwealth House, 1-19 New Oxford Street, London WC1A 1NF. Tel: 0171 543 5400

Muslim Council of Britain, P.O. Box 52, Wembley, Middlesex. HA9 0XW

Tel: 0181 903 9024

Network of Sikh Organisations (UK), 43 Dorset Road, Merton Park, London SW19 3EZ

Tel: 0181 540 4148

Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe, Zoroastrian House, 88 Compayne Gardens, London, NW6 3RU. Tel: 0171 328-6018

Information is also available from:

Alliance of Asian Christians, Carrs Lane Church Centre, Carrs Lane, Birmingham, B4 7SX

Tel: 0121 633 4533

CMS (Church Mission Society), 157 Waterloo Road, London, SE1 8UU.

Tel: 0171 928-8681

Christians Aware, 10 Springfield Road, Leicester, LE2 3BD.

Tel: 0116 270-8831

Churches Commission for Inter-Faith Relations, Church House, Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3NZ Tel: 0171 222 9011

Council of Christians and Jews, Drayton House, 30 Gordon Street, London WC1H 0AN

Churches Commission on Mission, Middle East Forum, at C.C.B.I. Partnership House, 157 Waterloo Road, London SE1 8UU. 0171-928-8681

CPAS (Church Pastoral Aid Society), Athens Drive, Tachbrook Park, Warwick, CV34 6NG

Tel: 01962 334242

Faith to Faith: A Christian Consultancy, Reverend Colin Chapman, Trinity College, Stoke Hill, Bristol. BS9 1JP Tel: 0117 968 2803

Crosslinks, 251 Lewisham Way, London SE4 1XF. Tel: 0181 691 6111

Inform (for information about new religious movements), Houghton Street, London, WC2A 2AE

The Inter Faith Network for the UK, 5-7 Tavistock Place, London WC1H 9SS.

Tel: 0171 388-0008

International Interfaith Centre, 2 Market Street, Oxford OX1 3EF.

Tel: 01865 202745

Interserve, 325 Kennington Road, London. S11 4QH.

Tel: 0171 735 8227

National Society's Religious Education Centre, 36 Causton Street, London. SW1P 4AU

Tel: 0171 932-1190

The Religious Education Centre, Westhill College, Selly Oak, Birmingham B29 6LL

The Barnabas Trust, The Old Rectory, River Street, Pewsey, Wiltshire. SN9 5DB

Tel: 01672 564938

The World Congress of Faiths, 2 Market Street, Oxford OX1 3EF

Tel: 01865 202751

Religions in the UK lists further organisations and multi-religious study and resource centres.

Local Interfaith Groups

There are several interfaith groups in the area of the Diocese. These will welcome support from local congregations and may be able to supply speakers and information.

Banbury Area Religious Education Centre, The Methodist Church, Marlborough Road, Banbury, Oxon OX16 8BZ

High Wycombe Sharing of Faiths, 35 Trees Road, Hughenden Valley, High Wycombe, Bucks.

Maidenhead Community Consultative Council, 14 Delmont Park Road, Maidenhead, SL6 6HT

Milton Keynes Inter Faith Group, 84 Ramsons Avenue, Conniburrow, Milton Keynes, MK14 7BJ

Oxford Round Table of Religions, Guru Kripa, The Old Rectory, Middleton Stoney, Oxon, OX6 8RZ

Reading Inter-Faith Group, Lukars, 47 High Street, Theale, Reading, Berkshire RG7 5AH

Information about local interfaith activity changes quickly. Please let the Diocesan Interfaith Council, c/o Diocesan Church House, know about developments in your area.

Learning about other faith communities

There are many sources of information about faith communities in Britain. The organisations listed above may be able to help. There are also many useful introductory books, some of which are listed in the bibliography.

There are also opportunities for study, especially through the Distance Learning courses provided by Westminster College, Oxford OX2 9AT and through evening classes.

6 BIBLIOGRAPHY

There is now an enormous literature on the religions of the world as well as on Christian attitudes to other faiths. Here we list a few books which give an introduction to the religions of the world, which introduce the theological debate or which deal with specific issues mentioned above.

Introductions to the Religions of the World

Handbook of Living Religions, Ed J Hinnells, Penguin.

The Concise Encyclopaedia of Living Faiths, Ed. R.C. Zaehner, Hutchinson

Living Religions, Mary Pat Fisher and Robert Luyster, I.B. Tauris and Co.

The World's Religions, Ed. P.B. Clarke, Reader's Digest

A Source Book for Earth's Community of Religions, Ed Joel Beversluis, CoNexus Press.

Ethical Issues in Six Religious Traditions, Ed. Peggy Morgan and Clive Lawton, Edinburgh University Press

Oxford Dictionary of World Religions, John Bowker, O.U.P. 1997.

World Religions, The Great Faiths Explored and Explained, John Bowker, Dorling Kindersley 1997.

The World’s Religions, A Lion Handbook, Lion Publishing.

Christian Attitudes to Other Faiths

Christians and Religious Pluralism by Alan Race, SCM Press 2nd Edtn 1993

Towards A New Relationship by Kenneth Cracknell, Epworth

Time to Meet by Marcus Braybrooke, SCM Press 1990

In Good Faith: The Four Principles of Interfaith Dialogue, CCBI

Belonging to Britain, Ed. Roger Hooker and John Sargant, CCBI

Towards a Theology for Inter-Faith Dialogue CHP 1988

The Mystery of Salvation CHP 1995

`Jews, Christians and Muslims: The Way of Dialogue', in The Truth shall make you free, The Lambeth Conference 1988. Anglican Consultative Council

Thinking Clearly about the Uniqueness of Jesus, Chris Wright, Monarch, 1997

Theology and Religious Pluralism, Gavin D’Costa, Blackwell, 1986

The Gospel in a Pluralist World, Leslie Newbigin, SPCK, 1989

Thinking Clearly about the Uniqueness of Jesus, Chris Wright, Monarch, 1997

Theology and Religious Pluralism, Gavin D’Costa, Blackwell, 1986

The Gospel in a Pluralist World, Lesslie Newbigin, SPCK, 1989

Specific Issues

A New Way of Thinking, Guidelines for the Churches, The Churches' Commission for Interfaith Relations, Council of Churches for Britain and Ireland

The Marriage of Adherents of Other Faiths in Anglican Churches, £2.50, by post, £2.90, Church House Bookshop, Great Smith Street, London, SW1P 3BN

Guidelines for the Celebration of Mixed-Faith Marriages in Church, £1.00 by post, £1.30, Church House Bookshop, Great Smith Street, London, SW10 3BN

Till Faith Us Do Part, by Rabbi Jonathan Romain. Fount, HarperCollins, 1996

Multi-Faith Worship? £3.50, plus postage, Church House Bookshop, Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BN

Communities and Buildings, Church of England Premises and Other Faiths, Church House Publishing, 1996.

World Faiths in Hospital, A Useful Quick Guide, Chaplaincy Department, The St. Helier NHS Trust, Wrythe Lane, Carshalton, Surrey. SM5 1AA (0181 296 2306)

Our Ministry and Other Faiths: A Booklet for Hospital Chaplains, Hospital Chaplains Council, Church House, Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3NZ (Plus other books)

Building Good Relations with People of Different Faith and Beliefs Inter Faith Network for UK

Mission, Dialogue and Inter-religious encounter. Interfaith Network for UK.

Festivals in World Religions: Ed. Peter Woodward with Riadh El. Dronbu and Cherry Gould, Religions and Moral Education Plan (SHAP) 1998 Edt.

All in Good Faith: A Resource book for Multi-faith prayer. Ed. Jean Potter and Marcus Braybrooke, World Congress of Faith, 2 Market Street, Oxford.

SHAP Religious Calendar

Places of Worship in Oxford, Oxfordshire County Council

Calendar

Shap Calendar and Handbook for Videos, Books, Festivals.

The Shap Working Party c/o The National Society's R.E. Centre,
36 Causton Street, London. SW1P 4AU.
Tel: 0171 932 1194. Fax: 0171 932 1199

The Festival Year
The Festival Shop, 56 Poplar Road, Kings Heath, Birmingham B14 7AG

The Religious Resource and Research Centre, The University of Derby, Mickleover, Derby DE3 5GX (A Second Edition has been published on 8th February, 1997). Acknowledgements

The Council for Interfaith Concerns is grateful for the interest shown by many deaneries, chapters and P.C.C.s in the first draft of our document on interfaith relations entitled "At Home with Other Faiths".

Members of the Council who have been invited to introduce discussion of the importance of the subject have listened carefully to comments that suggested how the document could be improved, and have relayed them back to the Council for help in its revision of the document.

We have also written to consultants involved at a National Level for their advice on how "At Home with Other Faiths" might be improved, especially in consideration of the relation of dialogue to mission. In each case we acknowledge the detailed care with which they examined our document and suggested alterations which might allay criticism, or clarify a point made. Above all, it has been a great encouragement to have received positive appreciation from people of such eminence and experience in the field of interfaith relations.

We are particularly grateful to:

Brian Pearce Esq. And Dr. Harriet Crabtree of Interfaith Network UK

The Revd. Canon Dr. Christopher Lamb, of The Churches’ Commission for InterfaithRelations, and

The Revd. Colin Chapman, of Faith to Faith, A Christian Consultancy, Trinity College, Bristol.

Finally, we would like to express the sincere thanks of the Council for Interfaith Concerns to Mrs. Caroline Gordon, of Cookham Dean, who has offered her skills in desktop editing free of charge and has unfailingly made sense of our notes and alterations with willing cheerfulness.