National Interfaith Week in Birmingham, UK

National Interfaith Week in Birmingham “The Spiritual and Secular - Challenges we face in contemporary society as people of faith.” Sponsored by : Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery; Women’s Federation for World Peace; Community Perspectives; Centre for Science, Knowledge and Belief (Newman University).

Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, UK, 10. November 2016

By Patricia Earle and Anita Shervington The meeting was preceded by of women within the science-religion refreshments (kindly provided by relationship, explaining how social

J ust over 70 women, from a wide variety of religious, racial and Newman University), networking, and roles and identities shape our cultural backgrounds, reflecting then an excellent guided tour of the stereotypes towards science, religion Birmingham’s wonderful diversity, recently-opened ‘Faith in Birmingham’ and gender. She drew on social enjoyed the unique setting, and gallery by Adam Jaffer, Curator of psychological theory, research and data hospitality of the Museum and Art World Cultures who worked to develop to provide a deeper understanding of Gallery for a discussion about the Faith Gallery programme. We then how stereotypes in general are formed, contemporary challenges we face in moved into an adjacent gallery for the how they affect our behavior, and society regarding ‘the secular and the presentations and discussion. contribute to the science-religion sacred’, hearing from four distinguished relationship. women speakers who shared their Next was Dr Dulcie Dixon-McKenzie, religious and scientific perspectives. a Tutor of Black Theology, Ministries Birmingham is one of the most and Leadership at Queen’s Theological culturally diverse cities in Europe. Over College in Birmingham. Dulcie used 70% of the population follow a history as her area of interest to reflect religion, which is a higher percentage on how people of faith might face than most other cities in the UK. They challenges in present day society. She include the Christian, Muslim, Hindu, encouraged us to “embrace great Sikh, Buddhist and Jewish faiths. leaders and activists of the past”, citing The event had been organised by Rosa Parks and Rev Dr Martin Luther Patricia Earle (WFWP) and Anita King as examples of faithful people, Shervington (Community Perspectives) Our first speaker was Dr Carola Leicht, concluding with an extract from Dr with the support of the Museum and Research Associate to the Head of King’s ‘I have a dream’ speech to evoke Art Gallery, and Newman University’s Psychology at the University of Kent. ideas of liberation theology for people Centre for Science and Knowledge. Carola helped us to understand the role of faith in contemporary society.

of matter (itself) out of ‘nothing’. We have reached the utmost limit of our thinking faculties when we have admitted that because matter cannot be eternal and self-existent, it must have been created”. We all face daily challenges within our lives, whether through greed, and the desire for material things, or otherwise. God’s revelations to us throughout history, from the realm of the spiritual, enable us to go beyond the purely material dimension of life, live with honesty and humility, honour our fellow human beings, and be kind to all creatures without any expectation of reward in this world. Following the four speakers, there was time for a few questions and some Our third speaker, Rev Maureen Foxall, discussion and, after the official close a Methodist local preacher and of the meeting, many ladies lingered to Chaplain at the Queen Elizabeth chat informally, network and spend a Hospital in Birmingham, suggested that few more moments enjoying the riches people of faith are not just those who of the Faith Gallery. Quite a number sign up to a religious belief system and, expressed the desire to return to the while Christian church membership has Museum, and Gallery, and to bring declined drastically in recent times, friends along with them. research has shown that interest in We would like to thank Rosie (in spirituality has grown over the same particular), Jess, and all the members of period. Maureen said that the Finally, Dr Amra Bone, who works as a the Museum’s Community Engagement challenges people of faith face in Consultant on Islam, Education and Team for providing us with such a today’s society are not so different to Chaplaincy, spoke about the love of pleasurable evening, and also the those which everyone faces. However, material things seemingly supporting organisations who made the our religious faith traditions have overshadowing the spiritual in our evening possible. enormous depths of wisdom to which modern world. She quoted physicist we can turn to find some solutions. and mathematician Janes Clerk Link to photographs from the evening: Maxwell as having said “Science is https://drive.google.com/open?id=0By incompetent to reason upon the creation Z-BmArsOVYYmdiVFU3cnEyNzg