What We Believe

Before you press play

Good for a mixed group. Nobody has to agree; the goal is to understand what each belief means to the person who holds it.

Play it on a laptop or TV with the screen on, since most voices are short videos. Each neighbor is introduced by a short card. You can pause after any voice to talk.

Who you'll hear

1. A Japanese American taiko drummer. Playing taiko as one family · Discover Nikkei (Japanese American National Museum) · 2 min
2. A Muslim imam. Duplicate my joy · Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly (PBS) · 3 min
3. A Havasupai woman, former tribal council member. People of the blue-green waters · Grand Canyon Trust · 1 min
4. A Sikh man on his turban. My turban is a crown · John Templeton Foundation · 4 min
5. A Black church pastor. Rosa Parks was my Sunday school teacher · StoryCorps · 4 min
6. A Hindu American on Diwali. Choose light over darkness · Hindu American Foundation · 3 min
7. A Jewish woman remembering her parents' Sabbath songs. Singing Shabbat songs at home · Yiddish Book Center, Wexler Oral History Project · 1 min
8. A Hopi carver and sculptor. A prayer for everyone · Grand Canyon National Park · 3 min

The order rotates between plays, so no tradition always goes first.

Talk about it

1. Which voice described something you'd never heard of? What surprised you?
2. Several neighbors talk about practices (a turban, a fast, a song) more than ideas. Why might practices matter so much?
3. What's one belief or practice from your own life you'd want a neighbor to understand?
4. How could you ask a neighbor about their faith without it feeling like a test?

Let anyone pass. Listening is the point.

Try it this week

Before you argue, say back what the other person believes until they agree you've got it right.

Read more: Why do good, smart people believe different things about God? · neighborradio.com/ask/why-do-good-people-believe-different-things/