The Interfaith Movement as One Vehicle to Promote Democracy Over Dictatorship and Autocracy

This session recognizes the urgency of the moment that democracy is under threat from right-wing, populist, nationalist, strongman movements—in the US and globally. Seven holistic, evolving aspects of peace are covered—including Western, Eastern, & Indigenous inputs, plus different types of democracy. Over time, “the arc of the universe bends toward justice” (Martin Luther King, Jr.), but current reactionary period seeks to prevent change—to meet needs of ever more people, and planet—to instead keep an old order in power. Democracy is more fragile than people thought, with internal threats, not just external. People must cooperate with intersectionality to help preserve and reform democracies for the 21st century, including with interfaith support. This session ends with participants in pairs responding to 2-3 questions—each sharing while the other listens without comment; then each pair reports back to the whole group on what they learned about ways to strengthen democracy, including through interfaith.