There are at least two ways to welcome diversity. One is to personally get to know people of other religions, spending time with them and working together to help build local communities that are just, sustainable, and peaceful. . . . The second way to welcome diversity is to undertake critical, yet friendly, readings of the other religions — even if we do not know people who belong to them — with an interest in appreciating the wisdom those religions might offer us. . . . To get to know people of other religions and to undertake friendly readings of their traditions is akin to lighting a candle that helps brighten our small corner of the world, helping to dispel the blindness that permeates the region. When the small candle is combined with other candles in other parts of the world, it can provide hope for a world too often torn apart by fear, hatred, and confusion. There is a great need in our world for this kind of candle lighting.
— Jay McDaniel, Gandhi's Hope