God speaks...how do we understand Him? - a meditation on readings from Thora, Bible and Coran

SEKHRI Hafid- Groupe Abraham Lyon-La Duchère

Lyon is a city known for its religious tradition and openness to dialogue. From the beginning of La Duchère, the project takes into account this dimension. Louis Pradel, the mayor of Lyon, wanted for example a church a little high to affirm a spiritual presence. And in the Sauvegarde, the proximity between the synagogue, the catholic church and the mosque gave this neighborhood the nickname of "little Jerusalem"! In this particular atmosphere from the beginning, where everything was new, many good wishes are made known and friendships are born, still strong today. Links are woven "naturally", first between neighbors and then through communities that organize themselves. If the Christians, benefiting from an antecedence, organize themselves quickly from 1963, around the catholic parish and the Protestant Home, it is necessary to wait until 1970 so that the Jewish community of the Duchère is officially created and even 1987 for the Association of Muslims Duchère, the latter mainly composed of foreign believers, authorized only since October 1981 to create associations. In 1978, a cycle of meetings was organized at the social center of the Plateau, with Jewish, Christian and Muslim theologians on the theme: "God with the Duchère" . The group Abraham arose on this ground of reception of the other. Created in 1986 by local residents, Jewish, Christian and Muslim, all citizens engaged in a spirit of mutual respect and a desire to meet. Its sole purpose is to allow everyone to express their convictions, to hear those of others and to learn to re-know each other in difference and respect. The Abraham group is a place of meeting, sharing and activities that brings women and men together for a better "living together" . The Abraham group are: Monthly meetings of sharing around the reading of the founding texts; Conferences to discover religions to the greatest number or groups, such as "The Palaver Tree", to discover the feasts or rites of each religion; Debates on social issues such as secularism, religious education, ...; Walks to discover places of worship with Gadagne museums; Reciprocal invitations to the holidays: Eid, Hanukkah, Easter ...; Messages of sympathy and fraternity when our society or neighborhood experiences episodes of violence; Silent marches to calm tensions when the three places of worship of the Safeguard have been vandalized or after the death of a youth of the district. The Abraham group has also been in solidarity with the inhabitants who have difficulties in experiencing demolitions and relocations; Participation in events organized by other interfaith groups in Lyons such as the Sons of Abraham, Hands open, or international like Sant'Edigio, a movement that has been working in the spirit of Assisi since 1986.