Participants say it is a great way to learn about other faiths
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- Dozens gathered Sunday afternoon for a special, inter-faith Thanksgiving service.
An annual event, participants gathered at Temple Shalom to discuss "unity" while celebrating the many religious traditions the City of Colorado Springs offers.
The service was organized and sponsored by the Pikes Peak Inter-religious Clergy Alliance, a network of religious leaders who work together to promote and publicly witness for justice, peace, equality and inter-religious dialogue in Colorado Springs.
The group has been in existence for six years.
"Religion has to find a way to come together, all religion teaches peace and love in some way, and so I think different religions have to come together to dialogue if there is going to be any kind of peace in the world," Timothy Corbley said. Corbley is a priest with the Roman Catholic Church.
"We come together as clergy so in a microcosm sort of way, we can maybe learn something about each other in our own little community, and take that out into the greater community," Ahriana Platten said. Platten is a minister with the Colorado Ecospiritual Center.
Both the Rev. Platten and the Rev. Corbley attended Sunday's service in the hopes of making a difference.
"That particular theme (Unity), came from the opportunity to perhaps address the polarization that came from and surrounded the recent election," Platten said.
Sitting with leaders from a handful of other faiths, the clergy members share readings about "Unity" from their own spiritual sources.
They said it is not always easy.
"It can be difficult, we have to watch the language we use and the symbols we use so as not to hurt one another, but at the same time appreciate one anothers unique traditions," Corbley said.
"We have a lot of different religions in Colorado Springs, and we have an opportunity to celebrate that," Platten said.
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