World Pilgrims
Judaism, Christianity, Islam and other world religions hold many values and traditions in common, but those who practice these faiths rarely have meaningful contact with one another. Their interactions are often marked by distrust and hostility, rather than respect for differences and awareness of common values. The World Pilgrims is based on the principle that before people of different religions can constructively discuss their differences they need to develop personal relationships with each other. An atmosphere of friendship and trust must be established, before honest and productive dialogue can take place about areas of disagreement. In the end, the goals are not to “convert” anyone’s religious or political beliefs, but rather to increase empathy and understanding, reduce conflict, and ultimately create opportunities for cooperative action.
Specifically, the goals of the pilgrimage are for the participants to:
- Deepen their personal faith by visiting some of the most sacred sites of their religious tradition
- Gain an appreciation of the shared elements of the three religious traditions, as well as an understanding and respect for the differences
- Establish personal friendships with pilgrims from all three faith traditions, even in the midst of the complexities of the contemporary Middle East.
The concept of pilgrimage is common to all religions, with believers of each faith traveling to a location of sacred importance where spiritual enrichment can take place. Within this context, the following guiding principles of the World Pilgrims program can be understood:
A pilgrimage is a sacred journey, not a travel seminar or a tourist venture. This means taking time for personal and group reflection, devotional time and sharing. Participants are asked to see these times as essential elements of the pilgrimage.
The journey has a formal and very intentional structure. The purpose of this design is to ensure that all the participants achieve the goals of the pilgrimage. Each participant is asked to make a commitment to follow the structure so that the shared goals of the journey can be obtained. This means exercising discipline and a willingness to place the interests of the group above that of the individual. The focus is on understanding and accepting the other pilgrims and their traditions. This means discussing rather than debating; respecting rather than judging; empathizing rather than criticizing. The ultimate goal is to understand the other, not to change the other. This attitude is particularly important in the highly charged environment of the Middle East. As pilgrims traveling on a common and sacred journey, the participants are expected to share their personal experiences and faith journeys with one another, knowing the others will respect them. The participants are expected to make a commitment to continue their common experience after returning home.
