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A Handbook of Faiths Contemporary society is increasingly
diverse and there is now public recognition of the presence of many faiths
within our country. Each of these faiths has its own diversity and
individuals within each faith relate to their traditions and interpret their
sacred texts in different ways. They will also have cultural variations. It may be convenient to group people
together under a faith label and it is sometimes appropriate to do so, but
this can also be distorting and can lead to stereotyping and
misunderstandings. We need to treat people as individuals, while recognising
their religious and cultural contexts. We also need to understand the
significance of diverse traditions and to explore how faiths and cultures
impact on our lives and affect our society as a whole. Within most faiths and
cultures there are special rituals to mark the various stages of life. We may
be invited to participate in these. Some people have set times and places for
prayer, others do not. The workplace may need to make provision for this.
Particular attention must always be paid to dietary requirements and to all
aspects of food preparation. If we make the effort to understand the
meaning of different religious and cultural practices, we may find our own
lives enriched when we discover the principles and values that lie behind the
differences. This book is a handbook for everyone.
It is meant to raise awareness of the diversity of our faiths and cultures,
and to remind us to engage with each other as human beings not merely as
patients, students, clients or customers. A Handbook of Faiths was prepared and
published by Suffolk Inter-Faith Resource in association with The Festival
Shop Suffolk Inter-Faith Resource, The Festival Shop Ltd, ISBN 1 902360 10
9 Price £5.95 |
