Mayor of St Albans hosts faith representatives
Professing themselves to be sure in their faith but ready to meet to deepen friendship, representatives of the Christian, Muslim and Jewish communities in St Albans District attended a social gathering together in the Council Chamber as guests of the Mayor of St Albans, Councillor Kate Morris on Saturday, 26 th January.
Speaking at the event were Dr Khalid of the Jamie Mosque and Islamic Centre, Rabbi Jeremy Gordon and The Revd Mark Slater of St Luke’s Church St Albans.
From their own distinct and different perspectives they offered surprisingly similar thoughts.
Quoting from the Koran, Dr Khalid spoke of the kinship of all people as made in the image of God and sharing a common ancestry according to Muslim and Judaeo-Christian traditions.
Rabbi Gordon referred to the creation story. “The Rabbis say that the Bible’s story of Creation tells us we all share one Father so that no-one can claim that their daddy is bigger than anyone else’s.”
The Revd Mark Slater drew attention to the common desire of people of faith to acknowledge God and their experience that this was sometimes an uncomfortable thing to do as they all faced a world of increasingly vocal secularism.
He said afterwards:
“The warm tone of the meeting displayed humility and a readiness to learn more deeply about the lives and beliefs of others. We are all grateful to the Mayor for her kindness.”
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