I have always struggled with what interfaith work means, in part because I feel as if much of my young adulthood has been focused on intrafaith work: connecting with the Hindu-identified people around me. I grew up in a largely white community in Minnesota, and a lot of what defined my Hindu identity was being not white and/or Lutheran. 

However, this concept is challenged when it faces other, differing definitions of Hinduism. I was forced to examine why I believed what I did and what to do if those beliefs conflicted with my larger social justice-oriented way of looking at life. Intrafaith work meant battling the generation gap, the culture gap, the diaspora gap. The development of my spiritual self took me everywhere from Buddhism to Vedanta. Now, I’d say, like me, my spiritual ideology is a mishmash of things, a patchwork that I am proud to embody. 

Such an identity formation is tricky when engaging with interfaith work. First of all, what does interfaith even mean? I struggled because I have often felt like my spiritual identity cannot be captured by a single faith or tradition. And yet, I wanted to engage with the types of activities and people within interfaith circles, too. That is to say: while the label did not fit me exactly the way I wanted, I still wanted to explore what fell under that umbrella. It seemed as if people like me might be there, too. 

A survey we discussed at my job at Marsh Chapel revealed that fewer and fewer people identify as religious within our community. Why is that? Is it because, like me, some of them tried to fit themselves into a neat identity box so they can fulfill their spiritual needs just as neatly? And then, upon experiencing the disillusionment, despair, and disassociation that this experience inevitably brings, they did not see another option? It’s possible. At least, I think so. 

Here’s why: Most of us Gen Z’ers are raised to question institutions. We are raised to build our own paths, unique to what our souls crave. Of course, in some way or another, this will come head to head with our religious lives. What happens when we question those institutions and sometimes they simply fall short in their answers? My time in the Boston Interfaith Leadership Initiative (BILI) showed me that in times where disillusionment and despair truly do crowd our everyday lives in one form or another, it takes deep critical thinking to develop a spirituality that feels true—whether it’s a faith practice or tradition that makes you feel whole, a philosophy that you’ve pieced together yourself, or a worldview you’ve built through your experiences. 

Interreligious. Interspiritual. Spiritual philosophy. Worldview. Spiritual worldview. I now know that this umbrella holds many names, and it might take me as long to learn all of them as it takes to learn the thousand names of Vishnu. BILI pushed me to understand the ways that people of different beliefs interact. To recognize that the word interfaith is inadequate, and that there are people like me out there who want to be recognized as moving fluidly between spaces. I have met many people at BILI and at the Interfaith Leadership Institute (ILI) who, like me, hold many spiritual identities and are proud of the wholeness of them together. 

BILI not only taught me about what interfaith means but what the nature of interfaith is. Like any other faith practice, tradition, philosophy, or worldview, I have found that what coming together as this community means is embracing the identities we have fostered and the ways that these identities interact. As our spiritual practices inform our lives, we are able to contribute to others’ and be contributed to. This community, whatever its name is, seeks growth just like any other. And it’s a big community. So there are lots of aspects in which people like me seek growth: Our understanding of the world. Our understanding of justice. Our compassion. Our service. 

I’m still learning. I hope I will continue to learn forever. Put at its simplest, my experiences with BILI have given me the understanding that interfaith/religious/spiritual/… is a lens of togetherness with which I can view the world. Personally, I find that what I seek through interfaith is justice. I look forward to seeking it with the people around me in this community that continues to grow, look inward, thrive, and bring light to others every day.