The people of Lafayette are an ever-evolving diversity of religious traditions. We are Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Christians of all varieties, and so many others.
We are varied in belief, spiritual practice, worship style, social opinion and politics, a variety often found even within individual congregations. And while some of us are connected with organized faith communities, most spiritual people in Lafayette today are not actively affiliated with any religious institution. Religion in our community includes a rich diversity of expressions, both traditional and non-traditional. We are not a one-ingredient dish. We are a spiritual gumbo.
Some may find this blend uncomfortably eclectic, but I wonder if perhaps there’s a unifying ingredient that can form the spiritual character of our community as we move toward the future. In this world where so much seems intent to divide us, I wonder if a deeper connection might bind us together in a more meaningful experience of community. I wonder if the flavor of our religious future might start with the sage advice, “First, you make a roux.”
Here’s what I mean. Gandhi famously said, “Religion without compassion is a fraud,” and that phrase echoes equally compelling words from my own tradition: “If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.”
At the heart of my religious perspective is this understanding that compassionate love forms the heart of the Divine and the goal of human living, and in my conversations with people from other spiritual expressions, I’ve heard similar words. Could that be the roux that flavors this wonderful mix of ingredients?
If this commitment to loving-kindness is truly a value we hold in common, then it must also infuse and inspire our actions as a community. The founder of my own Methodist tradition wrote: “Though we don’t think alike, can we love alike? Though we aren’t of one opinion, can we be of one heart? Of course, we can! This can unite us despite our differences and move us forward in love and in good works” (my paraphrase).
My greatest hope for the spiritual future of Lafayette is that we allow compassion to bind us together, move our hearts, and guide real action. I can imagine a future where we celebrate the beautiful diversity among us, listen deeply to one another, honestly acknowledge our shortcomings, courageously remedy injustices, give every child real opportunity to thrive, and protect the well-being of vulnerable people. Some may feel these are naïve dreams, but my faith teaches that we have agency to make them happen if we truly want to.
The spiritual giant Thomas Merton wrote, “To say I am made in the image of God is to say that love is the reason for my existence, for God is love. Love is my true identity. Selflessness is my true self. Love is my name.” We are a spiritually diverse community, and that can be our strength if we let real-life love, lived together as compassion in action, become the roux that flavors our Lafayette gumbo of faith.
The Rev. John Cannon is senior pastor at Asbury United Methodist Church in Lafayette.