Letters to the editor: Benefits of interfaith activities; no to Measures A and B
Celebrating interfaith activities
Re: The Associated Press’ April 18 story, “Concurring holy days spark interfaith festivities”:
I’m writing to thank The Star for publishing The Associated Press’ excellent article. As a founding member of the Ventura County Interfaith Community (VCIC), I celebrate the variety of interfaith activities that commemorate this rare moment in religious history.
I am also in strong agreement with Stephen Avino’s comment as quoted in the article that interfaith activities provide an opportunity to compare other faith traditions to one’s own and “see the similarities and differences” and in doing so see other faiths “as worthy of reverence, while still maintaining your own faith.”
Other readers of The Star who were intrigued by the article may be interested to learn that Ventura County residents will have an opportunity to participate in their own interfaith activity on May 15. At 4 p.m. on that date, thanks to a generous grant by Lisle International, thirteen Ventura County congregations will gather to inaugurate a countywide interfaith friendship project. The project, which will be jointly led by VCIC, Peace Catalyst International (PCI), and Two Faiths One Friendship (2F1F), will host an interfaith mixer at Padre Serra Parish in Camarillo. During the mixer, diners from a variety of faith traditions will be invited to join one of several small groups that will meet weekly to build and nurture interfaith friendships. The project will culminate on June 26 with a dinner at the Islamic Center of Conejo Valley to celebrate those friendships. Both the mixer and the celebration dinner are offered free of charge to people of all faiths.
VCIC, PCI, and 2F1F invite like-minded readers who share Eboo Patel’s excitement over the opportunity that such events provide for “building understanding and bridging divides” to participate in the mixer. Interested readers can find further details and reserve their tickets at interfaithfriendshipproject.org.
Tim Helton, Camarillo
A & B aren’t good for community
I am writing as a Ventura Westside resident and youth activist who is voting no on Measures A and B. I am exactly the kind of person that energy shutdown proponents seek to convince to vote yes. However, I know that Measures A and B will shut down our local oil and gas industry, and that would cause widespread harm to our community.
Our local gas and oil producers already operate under very strict environmental regulations. If passed, A and B would force us to import even more oil from countries that don’t share our strong environmental regulations. That is not environmental progress. The sustainable choice is to vote no on Measures A and B, and put Ventura County’s natural resources, economy, and people first.
Alyona Brody, Ventura
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Letters: Benefits of interfaith activities; no to Measures A and B
