by David Virtue, Virtueonliine
As the Episcopal Church moves further and further away from the gospel over the biblical doctrine of marriage; it should not come as a complete surprise that in the area of interfaithery, TEC should take an equally leftward turn.
Recently an interfaith iftar was hosted by St. Ambrose Episcopal Church in Claremont, California which brought the Rev. Jessie Turnier, the church’s rector, with the sentimental line, calling the iftar, “a beautiful way of loving one another.” The rector said the event grew out of the church’s interfaith partnerships.
Atilla Kahveci, vice president of the Pacifica Institute, an organizer of the gathering, explained that during Ramadan, a holy month of fasting, worship and community, Muslims “don’t eat or drink anything in the daytime. Then we gather to break the fast at an iftar, a community meal. We are here because we believe when the blessings are shared, it doubles, triples and quadruples,” ENS reported. Some 70 persons were invited.
The Rev. Paul Colbert, an Episcopal priest in the Diocese of Los Angeles, said hearing once again the call to prayer, reminded him of his former experiences in Sudan and Yemen, “So thank you for that.”
“We’re all here as those on the path seeking the divine and we all have different ways of approaching that, different disciplines,” Colbert said. “It’s a joy to be with others on the road seeking the divine presence in our midst.”
Marianne Cordova, an associate minister at the Claremont Center for Spiritual Living and a member of the Claremont Interfaith Council, said she drew strength from the gathering. “We’re all one. We’ve got to practice what we believe, I believe that. There is strength in coming together and understanding each other.”
The Rev. Tom Johnson, retired Claremont School of Theology professor and retired pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Covina, California, addressed the gathering and said, “Diversity, equality and inclusiveness is a wonderful thing.”