Scottish Faiths Action for Refugees’ conference in Edinburgh on 22 June 2016 explored how individuals and groups could grasp policy, advocacy and practical action as they exercised their faith.
Opening the conference, David Bradwell, Co-ordinator for Scottish Faiths Action for Refugees, read a reflection from Rachel Lampard, Vice-President Designate of the Methodist Church in Britain, which made reference to Brendan Cox, husband of the murdered MP Jo Cox, who had said ‘Jo believed in a better world and she fought for it every day of her life’.
‘We have to fight against the poison that isolates us, demonises others and diminishes us all. If we engage in political debate where we denounce those who disagree with us, if we shelter behind semi-truths, if we make decisions on the basis of what is best for me, if we use language that paints others as a threat or as lesser humans, then we are all weaker. We fail to embrace God’s invitation to love and be loved, to celebrate the full potential as human beings…’, Rachel said in her reflection.
Speakers at the conference included Dr Maureen Sier, director of Interfaith Scotland; Alison Phipps professor of languages and intercultural studies at the University of Glasgow and convenor of GLASnet (Glasgow Refugee, Asylum and Migration network); and Rev Kathy Galloway, former head of Christian Aid Scotland.
You can listen to the talks from the Working Together in Faith conference on the Focus on Refugees website.
