| This project grew out of a pervasive concern in my practice of active duty Air Force chaplaincy: the experiences of estrangement and alienation of a growing constituency of Pagans in the Air Force within largely Christian military chapel programs. I've witnessed a growing resentment between Pagans and Christians and endeavored to address this negative dynamic by creating an experiential dialogue between adherents of each faith. The resulting project took place over a period of eight weeks selected for its unusually rich collection of sacred days: two Pagan holidays, two Christian holidays, and two interfaith holidays. The dialogue was very successful in forging relationships and reducing negativity between the participating faith groups, but was not successful in retaining the majority of its Christian participants.;The dialogue took place in an exclusively online format with three weekly components: an essay from me on the week's topic, an asynchronous forum between members, and a synchronous chat. Participants from each tradition generated a compelling collection of original artifacts, rituals, and reflections in addition to their forum posts and chat dialogue. The eight-week experience was brought to an inspiring close with a truly interfaith online worship service on National Day of Prayer 2009.;The group's interaction together yielded some exciting and significant "firsts." During the course of the dialogue Dr. Carrie Doehring's Postmodern Tri-focal Lens methodology of pastoral care was employed formally to the task of interfaith dialogue for the first time known to her. Our group also witnessed the first time a particular Pagan community interacted directly with outsiders regarding its practices of worship and initiation. Our online interfaith worship service was also, to the best of our knowledge, the first of its kind. These "firsts," combined with others such as the first time many participants' stories had been shared with another individual, further indicated the project's success in building relationships and understanding while decreasing alienation between the participating traditions. |
