{"id":6329,"date":"2017-05-30T07:38:13","date_gmt":"2017-05-30T12:38:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/?p=6329"},"modified":"2017-05-18T10:33:23","modified_gmt":"2017-05-18T15:33:23","slug":"june-4-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/june-4-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"June 4, 2017–Blowing Down Barriers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sylvia Alloway, Granada Hills, CA
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Warm-up Question<\/strong><\/p>\n

Suppose that you were living in shelter after fleeing from a terrible war. You meet a person your own age from the enemy country. What would you say? How would you act?<\/p>\n

Blowing Down Barriers
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They come from around the world to share their sorrow and fear from a dreadful experience: a loved one has been killed in a terror attack.\u00a0 They are the children and siblings of those who died on 9\/11, in the Middle East conflict, in the train bombing in Madrid, from attacks in Norway, Indonesia, Northern Ireland. There are 55 of them.<\/p>\n

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Their destination is a summer camp held at Brynn Mawr College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its purpose is to foster understanding and, by sharing their common experience, keep fear and hatred from crippling the next generation. Here Jews play basketball with Palestinians; Muslims and Christians hike together; a teen from Northern Ireland learns to make a bracelet, taught by a teen from the South. Though their countries are enemies, they share the same devastating loss, a loss only they truly understand. Here is a place where they can belong.<\/p>\n

Groups of campers participate in \u201cDignity Sessions.\u201d Here individuals may talk respectfully about differences and share their fears. An Arab girl asks an American boy if he thinks all Muslims are terrorists and is surprised when he answers, \u201cNo.\u201d Someone shares how disturbed he gets when he sees terror attacks on the news and everyone understands.<\/p>\n

The cooperation and sympathy among these young people results in greater empathy for each and other and, most important, a determination to fight the hatred that inspires acts of terrorism.<\/p>\n

Counselor Monica Meehan McNamara sums up the encounters this way: \u201cGetting to know one another breaks down the cycle of hatred and violence. [These experiences] are powerful antidotes.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Discussion Questions<\/strong><\/p>\n