[SP EXCLUSIVE]

And 5 other things NOT to say at an interfaith gathering.

5. “So does that make you kind of like a Jedi?”
4. “I thought you were supposed to cover your ankles?”
3. “So, do you follow any rules, or do you just freestyle it?”
2. “Let’s rank the religions! You in the turban, go first!”
1. “Excuse me, but I thought you weren’t allowed to eat that.”

Here’s the awful truth: While most of these statements aren’t made at interfaith gatherings, people think things like this all the time—or variations of it, at least.

How do I know this? I’m a confessed religion junkie, an addict who spends his time exploring the collision of religions and how religion affects daily life. From my time studying comparative religion at Harvard University (no, Harvard is not just for studying law, medicine, and Reese Witherspoon) to helping organize local interfaith groups in the New York and D.C. metro areas, I’ve watched the interfaith movement unfold. I have developed a growing interest in trying to understand conflict and resolution amongst religions, understanding unfamiliar faiths, how different religions bring about different perspectives, and why the word “interfaith” has become so taboo. And those are exactly the kinds of discussions I’ll be exploring with this column.