Adding Faith Quotes
Participants identify, share, and discuss faith or belief quotes that relate to Commitment VII. They may choose to share their quotes with family and friends or on social media as a way to promote respectful speech and to combat hatred within their local communities.
Competencies
- Each participant adopts a faith quote that encompasses the aims of Commitment VII.
- Participants share their selected faith quotes and discuss their significance.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Discussion Questions
Resources
Facilitator Tips
Faith Quotes
Step-by-Step Instructions
INTRODUCTION
- Explain that the aim of this exercise is to enable faith actors to become on-the-ground defenders of respectful and inclusive speech. Sharing belief quotes is a way to inspire others to do the same.
- Share some examples of faith quotes from Commitment VII with participants. (See the Faith Quotes tab.)
- The Faith Quote Slides (under Resources tab) may be used to guide the activity.
ACTIVITY & DISCUSSION
- Participants select at least one quote that has personal meaning to them. If time allows, they may also locate other quotes that carry significance within their faith community.
- Encourage each participant to share their religious or belief-based quotes. They can choose to recite from memory.
- Encourage participants to discuss the significance of their quotes in relation to Commitment VII. The questions under the Discussion Questions tab may be used to guide discussion.
CONCLUSION
- Participants could be encouraged to share their faith quotes or the faith quotes contributed by other participants with family or friends, within their faith communities, or on social media.
Discussion Questions
These questions may guide participants’ sharing:
- Why did you choose this faith quote?
- What is the significance of this faith quote in avoiding incitement to hatred within your faith community?
- How does the faith quote model respectful and inclusive speech?
Resources
- Editable PowerPoint file: Incitement to Hatred Faith Quotes
- PDF: Incitement to Hatred Faith Quotes
Facilitator Tips
- Facilitator may contact participants in advance about bringing a faith quote related to Commitment VII that has particular meaning for them.
Additional Tips for All Peer-to-Peer Activities
- The #Faith4Rights modules are flexible and require adaptation by the facilitators before their use. Case studies related to peer-to-peer exercises in the 18 modules need to be selected by the facilitators from within the environment where the learning takes place. The #Faith4Rights toolkit is a prototype methodology that requires contextualization, based on the text of the 18 commitments, context, and additional supporting documents.
- Not all issues raised need to be resolved. This would be an impossible and even a counterproductive target. The aim is rather to enhance critical thinking and communication skills, admitting that some questions could receive many answers, depending on numerous factors.
- Tensions may occur during discussions related to “faith” and “rights.” Most of these tensions are due to human interpretations. Learning sessions are spaces for constructive dialogue in a dynamic process where tensions can be reduced with the help of clear methodologies, including pre-emptive situation analysis and evidence of positive results in areas of intersectionality between faith and rights.
- When preparing the sessions, facilitators need to factor in the profile, age, and backgrounds of participants. Focused attention on the learning objectives can transform tensions into constructive exploration of new ideas.
- Meaningful engagement requires democratically pre-established rules. Facilitators should dedicate time with participants to elaborate these rules together at the outset and act all along the training as their custodians.
- The time frames suggested in this #Faith4Rights toolkit are merely indicative. Facilitators may adapt them freely to suit the needs of their group of participants. The key balance is between respecting the overall time frame while not cutting short a positive exchange momentum.
- To ensure optimal and sustainable benefit, facilitators may create a “training notebook” for participants during their peer-to-peer learning sessions. It would contain a compilation of templates to help participants keep track of what they have learned throughout the program and eventually use this notebook as their personalized follow-up tool.
- When technically feasible, facilitators are also advised to project the module under discussion on screen in order to alternate between discussions thereon and showing the audio-visual materials listed in each module or any other items selected by the facilitator.
Faith Quotes
- “Now this is the command: Do to the doer to make him do.” (Ancient Egyptian Middle Kingdom)
- “Repay injury with justice and kindness with kindness.” (Confucius)
- “What is hateful to you, don’t do to your friend.” (Talmud, Shabat, 31,a)
- “Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill.” (Buddha)
- “By self-control and by making dharma (right conduct) your main focus, treat others as you treat yourself.” (Mahābhārata)
- “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against your kinsfolk. Love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18)
- “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 7:12)
- “Ascribe not to any soul that which thou wouldst not have ascribed to thee, and say not that which thou doest not.” (Baha’u’llah)