Members of 34 faith traditions, representing 13 different religions, will be at the Cintas Center this weekend to learn from one another. The Festival of Faiths is organized by the multi-faith, non-partisan EquaSion (pronounced "equation"). Secretary James Buchanan says many people today are firmly entrenched in their own silos.
“We have very few opportunities where we really come together and experience each other; get to know each other; get to see each other; look at the different ways we dress; look at the different kind of practices we have,” he says.
Buchanan says that interaction humanizes "other people."
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“And the fact that we’re sharing a space emphasizes the fact that we live in a community together,” he says. “And the question is, how do we all work together to make that community a better community for all of us?”
EquaSion Vice President Sandy Kaltman says the event reveals the similarities of people with different beliefs.
“We really feel like that’s what we need to focus on,” she says. “Because otherwise there are too many factions in our society trying to pull people apart. But we can move forward together if we combine our efforts. And first we have to get to know each other.”
The Festival of Faiths is in its seventh year. It features the music and culture, food, and traditions from the different religions.
Buchanan acknowledges there is religion-based strife and war all over the world.
“What happens nationally, globally, we can look at and worry about, but what we can do is local,” he says. “If we could capture the energy that exists in the Cintas Center during the festival and somehow activate that in the community, what an amazing force of change it could be.”
Buchanan says other cities, like Louisville and Indianapolis, have their own versions of the festival as well.
The in-person events at the Cintas Center start at noon, Sunday. Online, virtual activities begin Monday.
