Interfaith Initiatives Increased Significantly After 9/11, According to Hartford Seminary Study

May 16, 2006

Source: Religion News Service/Belief Net

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/191/story_19133_1.html

On May 16, 2006 Religion News Service reported, "Differing faith communities are coming together with more frequency to pray together and serve together than before the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, a new survey reports. The survey, sponsored by the Cooperative Congregational Studies Partnership, shows that approximately 22 percent of polled congregations reported participating in an interfaith religious service within the last year. About 37 percent of congregations polled said they had conducted community service with congregations of different faiths. It's a sharp rise from the organization's last survey, conducted in 2000, when 7 percent of congregations reported interfaith worship and 8 percent reported interfaith community service. David A. Roozen, director of the 20-plus member coalition for interfaith cooperation, credits a post-9/11 world for the change. 'The increased attention being given by communities of faith to interfaith engagements continues to be dramatic,' Roozen said in a statement. 'The Sept. 11 upturn in interfaith awareness has been accompanied by a fundamental change in the United States' perception of the American religious mosaic.' The partnership represents primarily Christian congregations, but also includes representatives of the Muslim, Jewish and Baha'i faiths. Interfaith participation has been particularly public in the last few months, as leaders of diverse religious bodies have rallied together on issues such as gay marriage, immigration and the genocide in Sudan."