Forum on Faith in Santa Maria brings religions together

During a time when the country is increasingly divided over political, social, and economic issues, one group in Santa Maria is doing what they can to bring different religions together.

The Interfaith Community Outreach Network (ICON) held a “Faith Forum” Saturday afternoon at the public library in Santa Maria. Religious leaders from eight faiths gathered to give anyone curious or with a simple question the chance to ask it.

“In the world we live in right now there is a lot of divisiveness, and what we try and do is get these different groups together,” said Cliff Solomon, a leading member of ICON. “The idea is to get people to talk about the commonalities, and see that we are all much more similar than we are different.”

Jamie Blanc has practiced the Baha’i faith for 40 years, and was a part of the panel. Blanc says the more that people understand how many of the worlds religions are based on the same practices, the less conflict religion will cause across the globe.

“As we know more about the teachings of other faiths, the more we’ll see what we have in common, and we’ll understand that we all love god,” Blanc said.

The Interfaith Community Outreach Network meets on the third Tuesday of every month.