Being a ULC minister means being a person who has gained an understanding of how to deal with all types of people from all types of religious backgrounds, from Mormons to Muslims. As we discover what it means to be a ULC minister, we will examine the upcoming festival in Cairo that has been specifically designed to bring people of different faiths together.

This festival is located in Cairo, Egypt and has been formed to bring practitioners of the three Abrahamic religions together: Christans, Muslims, and Jews. To further this mission, the Egyptian symbol of peace, the donkey, will be used in the festival as a mascot due to the fact that it has appeared in all three of the holy texts for these religions, and people everywhere are hoping that it will prove to be a success. The people who are organizing this festival hope to unify the people of these three religions and spark feelings of understanding, respect, and friendship through methods of art and fellowship that will appear in the festival. It seems that as long as people are willing to participate, this goal of unity will certainly be achieved.

ULC ministers can learn quite a bit from events such as these. First and foremost, this unique interfaith exhibit sets an example for the very core of ULC beliefs: interacting peacefully with people who may have different religious views. Secondly, this festival in Cairo shows that even more interfaith dialogue should be encouraged so we can squelch the common “us versus them” mentality and prevent hassling misunderstandings and misconceptions of other groups. Lastly, festivals such as these can even serve to challenge a person’s own beliefs, either strengthening them or revealing that the belief system may not have been the best fit for the individual in the first place. When ULC ministers first get ordained, they are taught to strive to look beyond the labels, and instead to set their sights on the heart and soul of the individual.

In light of recent catastrophic events, this festival in Egypt has incredibly good timing. Hopefully, it will foster a sense of respect for different religions, and the peace symbol of the donkey will ideally hold strong. ULC ministers can see this event as an example of the good that can be done when unification becomes something to strive for. If you are not yet a ULC minister and hoping to get ordained, tolerance is the first step.