By Scott Brinton
During the two years since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Phillip believes his religious views have broadened. In church, he has read writings of the Catholic, other Protestant and Jewish faiths, but until this Sept. 10, never those of Islam.
After Sept. 11, 2001, Phillip said, "I could no longer be as parochial as I had been" about religion.
He now seeks to appreciate the "multiplicity" of religious views. He even wants to understand "those societies with no religious traditions" and honor their right to live as they choose.
During a panel discussion at the Merrick Jewish Centre last Thursday -- the second anniversary of Sept. 11 -- Phillip spoke at length about how the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon changed him spiritually. The Bellmore-Merrick Interfaith Clergy Council hosted the forum, which was titled, "Justice, Injustice and the Role of the Individual in Helping to Create a Better World." The Merrick and Bellmore Kiwanis clubs and Bellmore Lions Club provided refreshments.
Four speakers -- Phillip, Rabbi Charles Klein of the Merrick Jewish Centre, Sister Marie Danaher of Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church in North Merrick and Imam Isa Abdul Kareem of the Ta Ha Mosque in Roosevelt -- comprised the panel.
Each speaker offered a five-minute presentation about justice. They then spoke among themselves about their views, before they answered questions from the audience, which numbered 200 to 300 people.
Each panelist spoke of Sept. 11, 2001, as a defining moment for Americans, a time when people of all faiths and ethnic backgrounds united in a common cause to help victims of the terrorist attacks.
Klein said, "On 9/11, it didn't matter what your religious belief ... America was attacked, and we were all targets."
Later, the rabbi said, "There is a reservoir of compassion and kindness that flowed after 9/11 that is beginning to damn up again."
To create a more just world, people must continue to act as they did in the months after the attacks, Klein said. "On the local level, there is a lot more we can do," he noted.
The rabbi spoke about how many wondered where God was on Sept. 11, 2001. Why would God allow such a terrible act of terrorism? Klein looked to the Hebrew scriptures and Abraham, "the father of us all," who himself wondered why God wasn't "doing something" to eliminate the injustices he saw in the world.
Klein said God replied to Abraham, "I am. I created you."
"God did not create a perfect world," the rabbi said, "and he requires us to put out the fires and create a more perfect world ... We can't accept compromise. The Torah says we can't become Switzerland when it comes to the issue of justice."
But that mission is fraught with trouble. Danaher spoke about how America remains a consumer-oriented, profit-motivated society that makes some rich and leaves others poor. "There is something very wrong with our economic system," she said.
Danaher believes the existence of poverty is an injustice. She noted that in the Bible, "The gospel does favor the poor, and we're not poor." Those with much, she believes, are obligated to aid those with little.
The sister also said that after Sept. 11 people should "take advantage of this transformative moment. We were the best at our humanity immediately following 9/11. We need to take that forward."
She went on to say that as a nation, the U.S. must use its "creative imagination" to effect systemic changes in its delivery of services for the poor, in order to bring about equality for all.
Phillip said, "There should be no reason, in this society, for anyone to be hungry."
Kareem, who was raised in the Catholic tradition, said he has thought long and hard about the similarities and differences among the religions. And he said, "I see the same principles. The fundamental message is the same" -- be kind to other people as you would wish them to be to you.
The Sept. 11 attacks showed a "lack of respect for human life" and a misunderstanding of the beliefs that guide Islam, Kareem said.
The imam also noted that 227 years after this country's founders wrote in the Declaration of Independence, "We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal," African-Americans "are continuing to fight for their human rights."
Rabbi Klein repeatedly thanked Bernie Stein, of Merrick, a retired Mepham High School teacher and past president of the Merrick Kiwanis Club, for his central role in organizing the forum.
The Rev. Perry Kirschbaum, spiritual leader of St. John's Lutheran Church in Merrick and the forum's moderator, said the event was a chance for participants to "enhance" themselves through prayer and discussion.
Sister Peggy Tully, of Cur of Ars Roman Catholic Church in Merrick, is coordinator of the Interfaith Clergy Council. She noted in an interview after the forum, "All of us [Catholics, Protestants, Jews and Muslims] are really rooted in the Hebrew scriptures," which in the past was commonly referred to as the Old Testament. "There is so much commonality" among the faiths, Tully said.
