1 - Who are you linked to?

The Reading Interfaith Group works in partnership with many people and organisations with common goals to stage and promote events. We are however entirely independent, relying on membership subscriptions and individual donations to fund our work. This allows us to work on the basis of friendship rather than a financial obligation.

 

2 - Do you have to be religious to get involved in the Reading Interfaith Group?

No, certainly not!

Although many of our members and supporters belong to a faith group it is recognised that all are starting points are different. Many people are not religious or have genuine doubts about religion. Everyone is welcome.

The Reading Interfaith Group is based on toleration and mutual respect. Whatever our faith background or belief, whatever path we walk, it is assumed we all have a great deal to learn from each other.

 

3 - Will I compromise my own belief by getting involved with Interfaith?

It would not be fair to provide a definitive guarantee since every individual is different. If you have a strong belief, then understanding others with a different perspective will not shake that. Reading Interfaith is not a vehicle for conversion, it is a vehicle to help us understand other faiths, find our commonality, dispel fears and grow friendships.

It would seem most people gain a greater sense of their own religious background and identity through communication with other faiths. Reading Interfaith Group committee members tend for example to be acutely aware of their own faith backgrounds. We enjoy our differences and it is unusual in a meeting for everyone to agree on everything. This characteristic is to be expected since Reading Interfaith Group merely works to promote friendship.

Sometimes meeting other faiths can be like a window to extend our understanding. At other times it is a mirror showing what we have already believe from a slightly different perspective.

4 - What is the difference between the Reading Interfaith Group and the Reading Faith Leaders Forum? Are you in competition with each other?

Although our names sound similar we are quite different.

The Reading Interfaith Group is independent and deals with issues relating to faith and how this faith is expressed. We are a practical organisation building bridges between our faith communities and have little relevance to external organisations.

The Faith Leaders Forum is a consultative group originally set up by through government funding to involve the wider community as part of the Local Strategic Partnership. It is funded through grants and provides an informed opinion about wide-ranging matters related to the community.

Whilst our roles are different we can and do work in partnership with regular communications and visiting each others meetings.

 

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