The Faith Club: A Muslim, A Christian, A Jew-- Three Women Search for Understanding [Paperback]

 

 

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Ive just done something Ive never done before. I emailed a large and varied bunch of my friends, as well as some

professors at my theological college and the director of a religious book store, to strongly and enthusiastically suggest

they get and read this book (The Faith Club) (and

that the profs use it as a resource for their students)

I found it moving, helpful, very pertinent and illuminating, as well as inspirational, educational and a source of hope.

The authors honestly and candidly share their mutual discussions with each other, at first

hesitatingly, re their concerns, stereotypes, doubts and prejudices about their own and each others faiths, as well as how

their own faiths grew as a result of contact, experience and knowledge of the other faiths.

I thought I was fairly liberal and knowledgeable, and I learned a lot from this book,

including having to admit some prejudices and stereotypes that I didnt know I still had or had denied. It also showed me

areas where I hadn't gone before which was very revealing and helpful. The information they shared, the prayers/poetry and

the statements they made were a great help in re-formulating my thoughts and responses.

At the back of the book, and on the site, there are suggestions for starting ones own Faith Club, with a series of

excellent questions. It may not be possible for various reasons for my friends to become involved in or start such a club,

but I strongly urged them to at least read the book and then think about the questions, maybe with a journal, on their own.

I am convinced theyll find it well worth it, and am certain their own faith will be greatly enriched by the effort.

In response, a friend mentioned shed recently been reminded how touchy talking about faith can be. To which I replied -

this is why this book is so VERY good - the authors face all that touchiness, including their personal fears of 'losing'

their own faith, respect one another and work through. It provides a lot of material to think about, and for use in

discussions. Even non-religious people would find it useful to get the three perspectives and, in a sense, 'walk in each of

their shoes' for a bit.

I have no doubts that every person who reads this book will be changed. And each change is one more step in a ripple

effect that just might transform the world into a place where all live respectfully together in peace with justice, doing

unto others as wed have them do unto us.

Beverley Burlock

minister in The United Church of Canada

Port Mouton, Nova Scotia, Canada

I was pleasantly surprised to receive the "used" book in such good shape. The price is so reasonable, before shipping and handling.
It is an excellent book but can't be read quickly as it needs to be digested. Very thought provoking.

As Martin Luther King mentioned, religion is the most socially segregated dimension of our society. And after 9/11, three New York mothers of three different faiths worried that walls of silence between religious communities were a danger to their children's future. Hoping to promote some understanding by writing a book for children, these women introduced themselves and formed a committee. And near as I can tell, they never ended up writing the children's book. It's just that along the way they found something greater -- a live circle of friends where unstintingly open conversation became a process of self-discovery. As the Muslim woman of this trio, Ranya Idliby says,

"We were breaking an unspoken social rule. We were talking about God and religion at a time when the stakes were high ... Our relationship was turning into something sacred, something we called our "Faith Club". We signed no official pact, but we lived by a certain code: honesty was the first rule of the Faith Club, and with that tenet as a foundation, no topic was off limits."

I found this long running conversation surprisingly dramatic and seriously entertaining. I read it aloud with my wife, and it's better than TV. I came away suspecting that such networks of real friends are the most powerful force for security in the world. Not to mention what they can do for personal growth.

--author of Correcting Jesus

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