When I was approached by the Journal of Inter-Religious Dialogue (JIRD) and the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions (CPWR) about working with them to create a website intended to lift up emerging ethical voices in dialogue, I jumped at the chance. We immediately entered a period of brainstorming and drafting up initial documents to set the vision for the site, and I relished in collaborating with such thoughtful individuals and organizations.
After some discussion about the intended mission of the site, I suggested we name it State of Formation. As an emerging activist and writer on atheism, Humanism, and interfaith work, I felt I had benefited from the opportunity to develop my voice in the public arena—that going through the process of finding my footing as a writer and as an activist in a public dialogue with others had been of great benefit to me.
This idea that formation is something that is incrementally done in the context of community and in conversation with others—that it is something that should not, and perhaps cannot, occur in a vacuum—has driven my work as an activist who is trying to build bridges of cooperation and respect between atheistic and religious communities.
From the beginning of my activism, I’ve sought out opportunities to respond to others’ writing and ideas, to coauthor pieces with people who bring unique insights to the table, and to share and promote articles written by other thinkers. Working with my colleagues at JIRD and CPWR, I was excited about creating a space where others could do the same—and where anyone could read about the issues and perspectives that arise as people develop into moral and ethical thinkers.
When I helped launch State of Formation, I was still going through my own formation process. The conversations I had with others who were helping to put the site together, and with the Contributing Scholars we selected to join the site, helped facilitate my own development.
As it came together, SoF exceeded every one of my expectations—thanks almost entirely to the contributions of the Contributing Scholars. Though I eventually had to part with SoF due to an increased role as the Assistant Humanist Chaplain at Harvard and Values in Action interfaith and community service coordinator, as well as the impending release of my first book, Faitheist, I’ve continued to watch the development and growth the site and the program. To my delight, it has gone places I never imagined. Today and always, I feel grateful to have been a part of its genesis.
To me, the most striking thing about formation is that is a collaborative process that has no end. I’m excited to see that SoF has continued to grow and flourish, and I will maintain a close eye on it for years to come. Here’s to thousands and thousands of new posts—each distinct, and yet each a new piece of a larger story that we are writing together—and to our collective efforts to build a world in which civil and provocative discourse about religion and values is the norm.
–Chris Stedman
Photo by OiMax, via Flickr Creative Commons.