Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — Speed dating has come and gone and the latest trend creating a buzz across the country is "speed-faithing". Incorporating the basic ideas of speed dating for religion, you have 10 minutes to explain and answer questions about your faith.
Speed faithing was started in Chicago by Interfaith Youth Core, a nonprofit group that strives to create discussion and friendships between members of different faiths to build what they call "religious pluralism." Speed faithing has spread around the country, mainly hosted at universities and college campuses.
Organizers encourage participants to listen and ask thoughtful questions rather than debate or argue, and to also keep it short. The point isn't to convert someone in 10 minutes — it's to explain basic tenets of a faith and answer any questions the other speed faithers might have.
"The stereotype of speed-dating is you have two minutes to judge someone," Cassie Meyer, director of content for the Interfaith Youth Core, told the Chicago Tribune in Nov. 2011. "There's something to be said for speaking really quickly off the cuff about something. You'll have a chance to be thoughtful, but you don't have a chance to obsess about it."
In Orange County we have tremendous diversity. We have members of almost every major religious faith you can think of. This is an opportunity to create a safe environment for people to come together and ask questions.
–Raid Faraj, diversity educator for UC Irvine
A speed faithing event held at UC Irvine at the end of October included a Catholic, an atheist, a Buddhist and a Mormon. Organizers at UC Irvine said they wanted to hold a speed faithing event because of the huge diversity of religions found in their area.
"In Orange County we have tremendous diversity," Raid Faraj, diversity educator for the school's Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity, told the LA Times. "We have members of almost every major religious faith you can think of. This is an opportunity to create a safe environment for people to come together and ask questions."
Chase Davis, a fourth-year biology student at UC Irvine and Mormon, was on hand to explain what he could about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He said he talked about the Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, and a little about his own conversion story, which happened two years ago.
"I didn't have a perfect family. I was a second-year biology major at UCI and I was just stressed beyond belief," Davis said. "(Religion) really has brought me an amazing amount of peace."
Davis was also asked about consuming tea, alcohol and even energy drinks.
Another student at the event, Albert, discussed his conversion from Catholicism to atheism. He told the LA Times he was raised as a Catholic but became atheist over a period of time.
"If I can't really logically deduce that there's a God, it's going to be really hard for me to believe," Albert told one group. He asked to be identified by his first name only since he hasn't told his close family members he is no longer Catholic.
#poll
Organizers like to remind participants that the idea is not to convert, but to educate others and encourage a safe dialogue between different faiths.
"You may have some curiosity about a certain religion, but you're not comfortable learning about it in the institutional setting," Lisa Ryan, a staff assistant at University of Tampa's Wellness Center, told the Tampa Tribune. "So we're making this forum more open and informal. And, hopefully, lots of high energy."
Participants are also encouraged to tell personal stories about their religion to make it more accessible to others and to also debunk any myths others might believe about a certain faith to help build friendships across the religion spectrum.
"Accurate knowledge leads to improved relationships," Interfaith Youth Core spokesman Pete De Kock said. "Misunderstanding and misinformation can cause such division. Ultimately, the hope is that you can create groundwork to do great things together in the community."
Interfaith Youth Core has put on dozens of speed faithing events across the country since launching their program. For more information on speed faithing events near you, please visit InterfaithYouthCore.org.
Contributing: Linda Williams
