In Defense of Interfaith Kumbaya

A few days before Thanksgiving The New York Times carried a brief report about a pre-holiday interfaith breakfast in Westchester County, the affluent suburban area just north of New York City. It was convened by Rabbi Mark Sameth, known as “the country-and-western rabbi”, and the Reverend Steven Phillips, a Methodist described as “a sort of bluegrass minister”. As their nicknames indicate, both men have a background in country music. They were joined in the sponsorship of the event by representatives of the Upper Westchester Muslim Society and the Many Branches Sangha, a Buddhist organization. (I would guess that the phrase “many branches” refers to different schools of Buddhism being represented in the organization, something made necessary by the great religious diversity of American Buddhists.)