InterFaith21

I’m not sure whether I prefer the online  title above or the print headline in the Aug. 7 editions of the St. Petersburg Times: “What do you believe? He wants to know.” Credit The Times for an outstanding report on John Hummel, “A former Mormon (who) blogs about his yearlong project to explore religions.”

I’m a Muslim who loves visiting various houses of worship, connecting with and learning from people of  other faith traditions, and seeking common ground, spiritual and otherwise.

So I appreciated the photo caption that said Mr. Hummel “is seeking to disprove misconceptions of religions by visiting a different religious facility every week for a year.”

Even better, he’s blogging about it all at www.blogthereligions.com. He also can be followed on Twitter at twitter.com/johnhummel or twitter.com/blogthereligion.

All in all, John Hummel’s is an extremely enlightening project. It’s exactly what I’m talking about here at InterFaith21 (for “Uniting people of faith or no particular faith in the 21st century”). These are the stories we need to help break down walls built on ignorance (as in lack of knowledge).

Again, credit staff writer Ileana Morales, photographer Atoyia Deans and the SPTimes’ editors for their beautifully crafted presentation. I found the piece among complimentary editions while in Tampa for the National Association of Black Journalists convention.

It’s encouraging to see that The Times remains an outstanding newspaper, contrary to our generally disappointing industry trend. As a former longtime news ombudsman and editorial columnist for The Palm Beach Post, I know the difference.

May I suggest reading the article and leaving a note at The Times’ and/or Mr. Hummel’s websites to help inform their work?

In the meantime, G-d willing I’ll be following John’s journey on the blog and on Twitter. Kudos all around, and keep it coming.