Are we moving towards religious hybridity?
Hybridity, a term that derives from biology and from mixing two species of plants, is a term that has been used for centuries. The discussions of mixing between peoples, cultures and societies have been going on for even longer. In most parts of the world, there have been influences from other cultures that have amalgamated with the local cultures. While melting pots can be the source of a new culture and a new society, the mixing usually doesn’t go without the fear of losing one’s identity.
What about religions? Many people who are active in today’s interfaith work are blamed by their communities that they were working towards watering down their own religion and moving towards a kind of religious hybridity.

The Auckland Inter-Faith Council (AIFC) is led by an Executive Committee which is made up of 10-11 volunteers who have been sent by their respective religious communities to work together. This work is about fostering harmony in one of the religiously most diverse cities in the world.
The members are not interested in merging faiths but rather in respecting each other, listening to each other and finding common ground. One of their flyers says, “One City – Many Faiths”.

In August 2025, the AIFC organised another successful event in their Dialogue & Learning Series. The title of the series reflects the setting: a keynote speaker sets the scene, and then there is plenty of time for dialogue which certainly leads to learning.

The guest speaker, Elena Villafana Sylvester, grew up in Trinidad, in a family with several faiths and their specific cultural traditions. While it was enriching in some ways, it also had its challenges.

In one of the workshops, these challenges were addressed. The participants were asked if they also had any close friends / relatives / relationships with people of other faiths. All participants agreed. Yes, they had personal relationships with people of other faiths. What about the challenges? Some parents have to face their children bringing home partners of other faiths or their children themselves drifting to other faiths.
What does this mean for the whole family?

Celebrating each other’s religious festivals as cultural celebrations can be enriching and eye-opening, but when it comes to truth and faith, it is more difficult to agree. Here it is important to approach each other with respect and with a genuine interest in finding togetherness.

The participants agreed: having good relationships between members of different faiths is powerful. It often goes unnoticed how much faith influences cultures, politics and our daily lives.

As one participant said at the end of the meeting: it was his first interfaith encounter, but it won’t be his last. We don’t need to be afraid of each other but rather reach out and focus on the many values all people of faith have in common.

BM