Recommended by Ann Carlson

MIP is sponsoring visits to local religious communities this spring. Are you planning to participate? Does the idea excite you, or perhaps make you a bit anxious?

We recommend How to Be a perfect Stranger by Stuart M. Marlins and Arthur J Magida (Eds). This easy to read and thorough guide will help you plan inter-religious visits, answer your questions, and ease your anxieties. It can be daunting to visit a community of a different faith, but in our multi-cultural world the opportunities are increasingly common.

In addition to hosted visits, you might desire to attend a wedding, funeral, bar or bat mitzvah, or some other service or ceremony conducted within an unfamiliar faith tradition. You might wonder if you would be welcome: does one need to be formally invited, should one call ahead, or can one just show up? What can you expect? It’s only human to be nervous about how to dress, how to act, and what to say. And many of us worry that an unconscious act on our part might cause unintended offense. These are all valid concerns.

When we don’t know the answers to our questions It can be tempting to skip the opportunity entirely. But if we let fear dissuade us, we miss out on so much that our diverse communities have to offer.

“This easy-to-read guidebook, with an ‘Everything You Need to Know Before You Go’ checklist, helps the well-meaning guest to feel comfortable, participate to the fullest extent possible and avoid violating anyone’s religious principles while enriching their own spiritual understanding.” (from the publisher)

For people of all faiths, all backgrounds.