Faiths Act

The Multi-Faith Centre for Spiritual Study and practice at the University of Toronto highlights two main objectives in order to enhance the student life experience: to provide meaningful engagement opportunities and appropriate accommodation for students of all faiths and different philosophical backgrounds.

The Multi-Faith Centre recognizes that providing a space for spiritual practice and interfaith dialogue within a university setting is essential for student success and personal development. The centre recognizes that faith communities play an important role on campus and help shape a student’s experience at the University.

In addition to the importance of faith communities on campus, Richard Chambers, director of the Multi-Faith Centre, shared his insights on how faith communities have an integral role locally and internationally.

An interesting insight that Richard shared, is that involvement in religious groups are often individual’s first experience of a democratic process (ie. Councils of Gudwara’s, Church governing boards, Synagogue executives etc.)

In participating in the governing structures of faith communities, individuals gain respect and experience for voting on critical issues, public speaking and taking care of a community at large by respecting all members. As such, faith communities function as a training ground for participatory democracy. Faith communities at a local level, also provide a healthy balance to the emphasis on monetary values that are prevalent in our modern societies; countering the profit-oriented society with values of justice, love, cooperation and peace.

Faith communities are also of critical importance with regards to international development and international affairs.

International development is often between governments and governments. When faith communities get involved, development happens from community to community. This level is extremely important as governments are often unaware of the lived experience on the ground outside of the main cities, that faith communities are often rooted in. As such, faith communities and faith based development organizations can make more strategic financial donations and distributions.

It is often the case that representatives of these faith communities or development organizations are called on by governments to provide direction for funding, in order to share the knowledge and insight they gain from on the ground experience expanding outside the main city centres.

This conversation really opened my eyes to how important faith communities are, in shaping our cities, our countries and our world.

Davina Finn is a Faiths Act Fellow at the Multi-Faith Centre for Spiritual Study and Practice.