The following is an article I wrote for our seminary newspaper, Kairos.
During the January term, I along with nine other students and Professor Whit Bodman traveled to Trinidad and Tobago to study the religious diversity and interaction between the faiths on this small island nation (1.3 million people, land mass smaller than Delaware). The religious breakdown according to the
CIA World Factbook is Roman Catholic 26%, Hindu 22.5%, Anglican 7.8%, Baptist 7.2%, Pentecostal 6.8%, Muslim 5.8%, Seventh Day Adventist 4%, other Christian 5.8%, other 10.8%, unspecified 1.4%, none 1.9%
What became immediately apparent when we left the airport was how glad we were that none of us were behind the wheel. Driving in T & T was a cultural experience in and of itself. We had a chartered Maxi Taxi (something like a VW microbus) and Collins, our driver, to insure we arrived safely at all of our destinations for the duration of our trip. Thank God for Collins and his Maxi. Many of the streets were extremely narrow, there were open drainage gutters (some of which were more like ditches), the traffic was heavy, and there were lots of bends in the road (especially in the mountains). Not to mention the stray dogs, goats, chickens, pot holes, and many pedestrians to be on the lookout for.
I was amazed with the courtesy of the drivers toward each other. There was an understood etiquette and rhythm to traffic there like I have never experienced before. It seemed to us to be organized chaos. Occasionally we found ourselves in a situation where the road was too narrow for more than one vehicle at a time to pass. Often someone had to stop or even back up the street in order to let oncoming traffic through.
That is not to say that there were not close calls. There were also lots of auto repair shops with salvage yards and signs suggesting that body work was a common need. What was apparent though is that the drivers have a spatial awareness, a boldness to cut across traffic and/or enter an oncoming lane which is balanced by a trust that the other driver is going to act appropriately in response to their actions and visa versa. They have adapted to the driving conditions and recognize that if they do not follow this etiquette that there will either be accidents or gridlock.
The interfaith interactions struck me much the same way. They had etiquette towards each other, their beliefs and their traditions that was admirable. They were spatially aware, had at least a cursory understanding of the other faiths, and most people we met did not seem to think that theirs was the only way to salvation. They seemed to understand, like the traffic situations, that if they did not adopt this mindset there would be "accidents and gridlock."
They have adapted and become accustomed to maneuvering among and around people of other faiths as a result of their proximity. It was not uncommon for us to speak to people who were Presbyterian, but had Hindus and/or Muslims within the family. They were also much more public about their faith than we are here in the states. Many of the schools are parochial (of all faiths), so prayers and devotional time are daily occurrences at school for most children. Part of me recoiled slightly at the thought of mixing church and state in this way, but it did seem to foster a tolerance and appreciation for those that believe differently from a young age.
And just like the roadways, although impressive, this is not a utopia of interfaith harmony. They do not always see eye to eye and a few people mentioned that there is tension that is under the surface or only discussed behind closed doors.
Regardless of one's religion, that is how they view the world and God, and that is their reality. Therefore if we are to get along then we had better understand what those around us believe and why. There are many similarities which are easy to see and can give us insight into our own faith, but what may be more significant, as Whit explained during his radio interview on
Heritage 101.7 while we were there, is what makes us different. We need to not only understand what we have in common, but what makes us different, and in doing so learn more about ourselves and what we believe.
Here in the states I think we can apply this not only to interfaith, but also to intra-faith (interdenominational) topics. We do not have to agree on everything, and I am certain that we will not, but that does not mean we should not attempt to bridge the gaps that can be bridged while also gaining appreciation and respect for those around us. The more that we do this, the closer to living in harmony we will get.
