Book Review: The Faith Club

"The Faith Club: A Muslim, A Christian, A Jew -Three Women Search for Understanding" is what the title says, a search for understanding, and not an attempt by one to convert the other two. I was drawn to read "The Faith Club" by a review on National Public Radio and I was not disappointed.

In an effort to respond to their children's post-9/11 questions about world religion and faith, the three co-authors began meeting together for regular discussion. Their initial goal was to write a children's book, emphasizing what their faiths had in common. But the path that carried them to discovering the roots and rituals of each other's faiths had a few twists and turns, leading each of them to question and explore her own faith more deeply than ever before.

Their questions are our questions: What is it I believe, and why? How much of my faith is really just cultural or habit? What stereotypes and prejudices do I carry? What stereotypes are applied to me and how do I feel about that? Does acknowledging or even participating in the rituals of another faith run counter to my stated beliefs? Can we all peacefully coexist on this planet? What WAS God thinking in putting us here?

These questions and more are wrestled through, talked through and worked through, not just among the three authors, but, in this book, with the whole reading world as audience.

This book is the most honest and forthright interfaith dialogue I've seen. The tone is just right - passionate without being combative. Don't get me wrong. There are disputes, but they are fully aired, and as the fresh winds blow through them, clarity ensues.

The three authors' voices blend in an articulate mix that is learned without being academic. I was thoroughly engaged. I felt I was right there, in the kitchens and living rooms of these three women, having tea and sharing in their expressed needs for community with like-minded believers, a greater sense of God's guiding hand and a feeling of safety in each other's presence.

This interfaith dialogue taught me as much about my own faith as it did about the faiths of others because it challenged me to think through how I would respond at different points. In this, I felt I "grew up" as a person of faith.

It is a good thing to have one's own thoughts sharpened and strengthened. It is also good to strive to understand others, to know that understanding does not require agreement on all points. Just respect, and a desire live peacefully with one's fellow man, which is at the root of all true faith.

In a diverse society where the rhetoric is increasingly intense and meant to divide, this book offers a glimmer of hope.

The Faith Club; a Muslim, A Christian, A Jew - Three Women Search for Understanding was written by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver, and Priscilla Warner. Free Press, a division of Simon & Schuster, published it in 2006. Retails new for $25 USD and $32 CDN.