Religion & Disappointment – An Exploration

At the 2018 Parliament of the World’s Religions, one of the most powerful moments as a newcomer was participating in the Women’s Dignity Assembly where one speaker called out: “Stand up if you have had a case of sexual misconduct in your faith community.” Five years later, after much deep and sometimes painful learning, it is time to ask: “How do we face our disappointment in religion or in religious leaders in our faith communities and in our society?” So many people have been, and continue to be, deeply disappointed by religion. How open are we to this disappointment? The session is an opportunity to explore for ourselves the sensitive topic of disappointment and religion. As an educator and facilitator from a Buddhist organization, the facilitator aims to create a non-judgmental, compassionate space of exploration. Rather than coming to a particular conclusion, we begin to investigate and elucidate our direct lived experience.