Browse content similar to 15/11/2015. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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OK, so here's a question. | 0:00:05 | 0:00:07 | |
If you were cooking up a plan to help people live together in harmony, | 0:00:07 | 0:00:11 | |
what ingredients would you need? | 0:00:11 | 0:00:13 | |
A large packet of patience, perhaps a dollop or two of tolerance, | 0:00:14 | 0:00:19 | |
and certainly a good few spoonfuls of understanding. | 0:00:19 | 0:00:24 | |
Well, it's the beginning of Inter Faith Week and, | 0:00:24 | 0:00:26 | |
on this week's Songs Of Praise, I'm in London to discover how | 0:00:26 | 0:00:30 | |
cooking together is helping to build bridges between different religions. | 0:00:30 | 0:00:34 | |
We also hear from actor and activist Adam Pearson on bullying, | 0:00:35 | 0:00:39 | |
becoming a champion for people with disabilities | 0:00:39 | 0:00:42 | |
and finding acceptance in church. | 0:00:42 | 0:00:45 | |
I started to realise | 0:00:45 | 0:00:46 | |
that it was the one place where everyone was nice to me. | 0:00:46 | 0:00:49 | |
And I'm in St Albans to find out why the cathedral has a catwalk | 0:00:51 | 0:00:55 | |
installed in the centre of the nave, complete with models. | 0:00:55 | 0:00:59 | |
And, of course, we have some great hymns and songs from across the UK, | 0:01:11 | 0:01:15 | |
including one led by Stuart Townsend and Lou Fellingham in the | 0:01:15 | 0:01:18 | |
Keswick Convention, | 0:01:18 | 0:01:19 | |
and a very special performance from the newly crowned Radio 2 | 0:01:19 | 0:01:23 | |
Choristers Of The Year. | 0:01:23 | 0:01:25 | |
But we begin, right here in London, with a modern worship song | 0:01:25 | 0:01:30 | |
that's quickly becoming a classic. | 0:01:30 | 0:01:32 | |
APPLAUSE | 0:03:26 | 0:03:29 | |
There are hundreds of churches all over London. | 0:03:34 | 0:03:37 | |
Many have stood for centuries and, over that time, | 0:03:37 | 0:03:40 | |
have witnessed great change in the society around them. | 0:03:40 | 0:03:43 | |
Take here for example. | 0:03:43 | 0:03:44 | |
Magnificent Christchurch, Spitalfields was built 200 years ago | 0:03:44 | 0:03:49 | |
and today has a thriving international congregation. | 0:03:49 | 0:03:52 | |
But, just around the corner... | 0:03:54 | 0:03:57 | |
this Victorian building was originally a church. | 0:03:57 | 0:04:00 | |
It then became a Jewish synagogue in the 19th century | 0:04:00 | 0:04:03 | |
and is now a busy mosque. | 0:04:03 | 0:04:05 | |
Modern Britain is not only multicultural | 0:04:08 | 0:04:11 | |
but also multi faith, which of course raises questions for Christianity. | 0:04:11 | 0:04:15 | |
How do you love your neighbour | 0:04:15 | 0:04:16 | |
if your neighbour follows a different faith? | 0:04:16 | 0:04:20 | |
Today marks the beginning of Inter Faith Week, the time to | 0:04:20 | 0:04:23 | |
promote understanding and cooperation between different faith communities. | 0:04:23 | 0:04:28 | |
And if there's one thing that is common across almost all religions, | 0:04:28 | 0:04:33 | |
it's the importance of food. | 0:04:33 | 0:04:35 | |
So what better way to bring people together than through cooking? | 0:04:35 | 0:04:38 | |
Trouble is, I'm no Nigella in the kitchen. | 0:04:38 | 0:04:41 | |
But, thankfully, I've got a few friends who can help me out. | 0:04:41 | 0:04:44 | |
-Ready, guys? ALL: -Yes! | 0:04:44 | 0:04:46 | |
Well, I'm drawn here because you've got some Welsh leeks, so I'm happy. | 0:04:50 | 0:04:54 | |
-I'm at home now. -Great. -Daniela, what's going on here today? | 0:04:54 | 0:04:57 | |
OK, well, we've all come here together. | 0:04:57 | 0:04:59 | |
Everyone is coming from different faiths - | 0:04:59 | 0:05:01 | |
Christians and Jews together - to cook for the homeless shelter. | 0:05:01 | 0:05:05 | |
This early morning cooking session is organised by Jewish charity | 0:05:05 | 0:05:09 | |
Mitzvah Day 365. | 0:05:09 | 0:05:11 | |
So a mitzvah literally means a commandment, | 0:05:11 | 0:05:14 | |
but its colloquial sense means a good deed, something | 0:05:14 | 0:05:17 | |
you do to be nice to somebody. | 0:05:17 | 0:05:19 | |
And quite rapidly we realised, of course, that these | 0:05:19 | 0:05:22 | |
values are shared by other faith groups. | 0:05:22 | 0:05:24 | |
The charity engages in inter faith social action projects | 0:05:24 | 0:05:28 | |
throughout the year, building up to Mitzvah Day itself on November 22. | 0:05:28 | 0:05:32 | |
-Reverend James, you're from the London School of Economics. -That's right. I'm the chaplain. | 0:05:33 | 0:05:37 | |
I've brought some students along to help out today. | 0:05:37 | 0:05:40 | |
But not home economics. | 0:05:40 | 0:05:41 | |
No, indeed. For one day only. | 0:05:41 | 0:05:44 | |
We do a lot of interfaith dialogue at the LSE and, quite often, | 0:05:44 | 0:05:47 | |
that involves conversations about intractable | 0:05:47 | 0:05:50 | |
disagreements that we have. | 0:05:50 | 0:05:51 | |
And those conversations are most fruitful when friendship | 0:05:51 | 0:05:54 | |
and trust has built up, so what better way to build those friendships | 0:05:54 | 0:05:57 | |
than by collaborating together on a really worthwhile social project? | 0:05:57 | 0:06:02 | |
What's the Jewish dish today? | 0:06:02 | 0:06:03 | |
The Jewish dish is the apple strudel. | 0:06:03 | 0:06:06 | |
Strudel, right. And what's the Christian dish? | 0:06:06 | 0:06:08 | |
And the Christian dish is the mince pies. | 0:06:08 | 0:06:11 | |
They look a little bit thin to me. | 0:06:11 | 0:06:13 | |
Oh, I know! | 0:06:13 | 0:06:14 | |
So what brings you here at seven in the morning, as a student? | 0:06:14 | 0:06:17 | |
-I know. It's the earliest I've been up in like six months! -I bet! | 0:06:17 | 0:06:21 | |
I just think, personally, as a Christian, I think...it's | 0:06:21 | 0:06:24 | |
just sad how much, nowadays, there's so much conflict and so much idea | 0:06:24 | 0:06:29 | |
that you can't talk about things, or things are, you know, taboo issues. | 0:06:29 | 0:06:32 | |
I think I've just got a lot of friends, | 0:06:32 | 0:06:34 | |
actually, from different faiths. | 0:06:34 | 0:06:36 | |
I just see them as people, you know, first and foremost, | 0:06:36 | 0:06:39 | |
and not their religion. | 0:06:39 | 0:06:40 | |
I'm slightly afraid of your cooking, I've got to be honest. | 0:06:40 | 0:06:43 | |
I know, it's a bit... I know! I'm not going to make Bake Off, am I? | 0:06:43 | 0:06:46 | |
-In the oven. -Ah, strudel! | 0:06:50 | 0:06:53 | |
Does interfaith cooking really work, or is it a bit of a mash-up menu? | 0:06:53 | 0:06:56 | |
No, it isn't a mash-up menu. | 0:06:56 | 0:06:58 | |
Whether the cooking works is another thing, | 0:06:58 | 0:07:01 | |
but the reality of meeting and cooking with people | 0:07:01 | 0:07:05 | |
is a very good thing. | 0:07:05 | 0:07:07 | |
All right, here's a big dollopy question for you. | 0:07:07 | 0:07:09 | |
Just going to throw that in the bowl. | 0:07:09 | 0:07:11 | |
What if you don't get on? | 0:07:11 | 0:07:12 | |
So as a rabbi for students, I work a lot with people | 0:07:12 | 0:07:15 | |
who are in conflict at university about various different things. | 0:07:15 | 0:07:18 | |
You shouldn't ignore differences. | 0:07:18 | 0:07:20 | |
They are real and they're actually part of what makes a diverse | 0:07:20 | 0:07:23 | |
and exciting world, | 0:07:23 | 0:07:24 | |
but it can also be where the rubber hits the road, as it were. | 0:07:24 | 0:07:27 | |
And when that happens, | 0:07:27 | 0:07:28 | |
find the things that you do agree on and then you will find, | 0:07:28 | 0:07:31 | |
people always do, around family and community | 0:07:31 | 0:07:34 | |
and creating meaning in life. | 0:07:34 | 0:07:36 | |
And for your personal faith, what impact does this have on you? | 0:07:39 | 0:07:43 | |
It broadens my horizon. | 0:07:43 | 0:07:45 | |
I think, for me, God is bigger than my perception. | 0:07:45 | 0:07:50 | |
And when I experience other people who know God | 0:07:50 | 0:07:53 | |
and who love God in a similar way, but in a slightly different way, | 0:07:53 | 0:07:56 | |
it just educates me. | 0:07:56 | 0:07:57 | |
Smells good to me! | 0:08:00 | 0:08:02 | |
As a baby, Adam Pearson was a happy, lively child, | 0:09:55 | 0:09:58 | |
a twin with hardly a care in the world. | 0:09:58 | 0:10:01 | |
But at the age of five, his life changed forever. | 0:10:01 | 0:10:04 | |
Adam was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis, | 0:10:06 | 0:10:09 | |
a condition that has led to growths on his nerve tissue. | 0:10:09 | 0:10:12 | |
It's a condition he hasn't been able to hide. | 0:10:12 | 0:10:16 | |
My condition first started manifesting when I was five, | 0:10:16 | 0:10:21 | |
so I started, kind of, changing. | 0:10:21 | 0:10:24 | |
When you're quite young, your life is literally swings and roundabouts. | 0:10:26 | 0:10:30 | |
You kind of cotton on eventually that you spend a lot more | 0:10:30 | 0:10:33 | |
time in hospital waiting rooms than you do at school | 0:10:33 | 0:10:36 | |
and you haven't had a maths lesson for a month. | 0:10:36 | 0:10:38 | |
You put your head down and you get on with it, | 0:10:38 | 0:10:41 | |
and you've got to live the life you have. | 0:10:41 | 0:10:44 | |
Just getting on with it became virtually impossible | 0:10:44 | 0:10:47 | |
when Adam began secondary school. | 0:10:47 | 0:10:49 | |
It was the most difficult time of his life. | 0:10:49 | 0:10:52 | |
I got singled out really early on | 0:10:52 | 0:10:55 | |
and kind of bullied a great deal, | 0:10:55 | 0:10:58 | |
and I didn't handle it very well, either. | 0:10:58 | 0:11:00 | |
I got very angry and started saying things back. | 0:11:00 | 0:11:05 | |
It was a really tough five years. | 0:11:05 | 0:11:09 | |
But there was a place where Adam was accepted and welcomed - | 0:11:09 | 0:11:12 | |
his local church. | 0:11:12 | 0:11:14 | |
I was first introduced to church when I was eight years old. | 0:11:14 | 0:11:18 | |
Myself and my brother had heard that there was a club going on over | 0:11:18 | 0:11:21 | |
the Easter holidays at a local church. | 0:11:21 | 0:11:25 | |
At no point did I think, "Hang on, club, Easter, church. | 0:11:25 | 0:11:30 | |
"They might mention Jesus at some point or other." | 0:11:30 | 0:11:33 | |
And then the inevitable happened. | 0:11:33 | 0:11:35 | |
# We ask them for preaching... # | 0:11:35 | 0:11:39 | |
And kind of the more I heard, the more it kind of piqued my interest. | 0:11:39 | 0:11:43 | |
I started going to the Sunday school they had there. | 0:11:43 | 0:11:46 | |
The more questions I asked, | 0:11:46 | 0:11:47 | |
the more answers they had. | 0:11:47 | 0:11:50 | |
I was very accepted in church. | 0:11:50 | 0:11:53 | |
I slowly realised that it was the one place that everyone was | 0:11:53 | 0:11:57 | |
nice to me...kind of irrespective. | 0:11:57 | 0:12:01 | |
Having a disfigurement in wider society | 0:12:03 | 0:12:06 | |
really makes you public property. | 0:12:06 | 0:12:09 | |
People think nothing of staring, pointing, hurling abuse, | 0:12:09 | 0:12:14 | |
whipping out their camera phones and taking photos. | 0:12:14 | 0:12:17 | |
In July, Adam presented a BBC Three documentary confronting | 0:12:17 | 0:12:21 | |
disability hate crime. | 0:12:21 | 0:12:23 | |
I don't know how seriously the police are or aren't going to take this. | 0:12:23 | 0:12:26 | |
In a perfect world, | 0:12:26 | 0:12:27 | |
they'd deal with it like they would any other form of hate crime. | 0:12:27 | 0:12:31 | |
Though my big concern is that I'm not quite sure | 0:12:31 | 0:12:33 | |
they know what they're dealing with. | 0:12:33 | 0:12:36 | |
Adam has also started a career in acting, most notably | 0:12:36 | 0:12:39 | |
in the BAFTA-nominated film Under The Skin, with Scarlett Johansson. | 0:12:39 | 0:12:43 | |
So having been on TV and done films with Scarlett Johansson, | 0:12:43 | 0:12:47 | |
I've kind of become a spokesperson and the unofficial poster boy | 0:12:47 | 0:12:50 | |
for disability and neurofibromatosis. | 0:12:50 | 0:12:54 | |
With notoriety comes a certain amount of responsibility. | 0:12:54 | 0:12:58 | |
My Facebook's always coming up with messages, Twitter blows up from | 0:12:58 | 0:13:02 | |
people with disabilities and with the same condition I have, | 0:13:02 | 0:13:07 | |
some wanting advice, just some saying, "Well done, keep going." | 0:13:07 | 0:13:12 | |
I think we live in a very appearance-focused culture, | 0:13:12 | 0:13:15 | |
where we're all surrounded by images of quote-unquote perfection | 0:13:15 | 0:13:21 | |
that tell us how we should look, | 0:13:21 | 0:13:24 | |
and I think church and Christianity is an escape from that. | 0:13:24 | 0:13:29 | |
I think it's one of the very few things in my life | 0:13:29 | 0:13:32 | |
that's kind of constant | 0:13:32 | 0:13:35 | |
and that keeps me grounded. | 0:13:35 | 0:13:37 | |
Can you believe it's only six weeks until 2016? | 0:15:38 | 0:15:42 | |
Time to get my New Year's resolution sorted. | 0:15:42 | 0:15:45 | |
But are you planning a big life change in the New Year, | 0:15:45 | 0:15:48 | |
or do you know someone who is? | 0:15:48 | 0:15:50 | |
If you think it will inspire others, we want to hear about it. | 0:15:50 | 0:15:53 | |
E-mail us at... | 0:15:53 | 0:15:57 | |
But whilst I find shelter from the autumn weather, | 0:15:58 | 0:16:02 | |
let's remember the festival days of summer. | 0:16:02 | 0:16:04 | |
Here's Stuart Townsend and Lou Fellingham leading | 0:16:04 | 0:16:07 | |
the congregation at the Keswick Convention. | 0:16:07 | 0:16:10 | |
Churches and cathedrals have always opened the doors to events | 0:18:39 | 0:18:42 | |
other than worship, from plays to fetes and, more recently, | 0:18:42 | 0:18:46 | |
bands and film screenings. | 0:18:46 | 0:18:47 | |
But one cathedral had an altogether more stylish occasion | 0:18:47 | 0:18:52 | |
and we sent the always on-trend Diane-Louise Jordan | 0:18:52 | 0:18:55 | |
along to find out more. | 0:18:55 | 0:18:57 | |
Now, if I was to say to you, "St Albans Cathedral in Hertfordshire", | 0:19:05 | 0:19:08 | |
you might think iconic architecture, | 0:19:08 | 0:19:11 | |
stained-glass windows, | 0:19:11 | 0:19:12 | |
or even a famous religious martyr. | 0:19:12 | 0:19:15 | |
But what doesn't immediately spring to mind is fashion and one | 0:19:18 | 0:19:22 | |
thing you perhaps wouldn't expect to see in a cathedral is a catwalk. | 0:19:22 | 0:19:25 | |
For the third year running, this amazing cathedral has become home | 0:19:29 | 0:19:32 | |
to the centrepiece of St Albans Fashion Week. | 0:19:32 | 0:19:34 | |
Local stores and designers get to display | 0:19:34 | 0:19:37 | |
the latest styles to hit the high street. | 0:19:37 | 0:19:39 | |
This is cathedral chic and, wow, is it popular. | 0:19:39 | 0:19:44 | |
I've met up with the cathedral's sub-dean | 0:19:44 | 0:19:46 | |
to find out how this all came about. | 0:19:46 | 0:19:48 | |
The thing that struck us immediately was that this was | 0:19:48 | 0:19:51 | |
a brilliant way to bring other people into the cathedral | 0:19:51 | 0:19:53 | |
and extend our welcome in a way that we couldn't do on our own. | 0:19:53 | 0:19:57 | |
Um, obviously, all churches want the community to be involved | 0:19:57 | 0:19:59 | |
but, actually, being involved on their terms and doing what | 0:19:59 | 0:20:02 | |
they want to do is a way of extending welcome, rather than just saying, | 0:20:02 | 0:20:05 | |
"Come and see what we do and do it the way we like to do it." | 0:20:05 | 0:20:08 | |
And actually, that's not a welcome at all. | 0:20:08 | 0:20:10 | |
But I just wonder, you know, how all your parishioners respond. | 0:20:10 | 0:20:14 | |
We've not actually had any negative comments. | 0:20:14 | 0:20:16 | |
I mean, I think some people are surprised at the size of the event, | 0:20:16 | 0:20:19 | |
but I think the cathedrals, like any parish church, | 0:20:19 | 0:20:21 | |
have really got a responsibility to belong to the community. | 0:20:21 | 0:20:24 | |
That's what they're for. | 0:20:24 | 0:20:26 | |
You are looking so cool. | 0:20:26 | 0:20:28 | |
I have to say, that's not a normal vicar outfit. | 0:20:28 | 0:20:30 | |
I can see the little bit of bling going on. | 0:20:30 | 0:20:32 | |
So what are your style tips? | 0:20:32 | 0:20:33 | |
Well, you can't really go wrong with a pocket square. | 0:20:33 | 0:20:36 | |
People think they're old-fashioned but they are really coming back, | 0:20:36 | 0:20:39 | |
and I think a fob watch just makes all the difference. | 0:20:39 | 0:20:41 | |
Charity shop, 20 quid. | 0:20:41 | 0:20:43 | |
You are the style kid, there's no doubt about that. | 0:20:43 | 0:20:46 | |
It's almost time for the show to start but, before it does, | 0:20:46 | 0:20:49 | |
I get to have a quick chat with the creator of the event. | 0:20:49 | 0:20:53 | |
-I'm so excited... -On the catwalk. -..that I'm actually on the catwalk. | 0:20:53 | 0:20:57 | |
But it does feel as if it's like the walk to eternity. | 0:20:57 | 0:20:59 | |
I can't imagine what the models must be feeling. | 0:20:59 | 0:21:01 | |
It's really intense. | 0:21:01 | 0:21:02 | |
-We have the longest indoor catwalk in the country... -That's insane! | 0:21:02 | 0:21:05 | |
..which I tell them, but I think perhaps | 0:21:05 | 0:21:07 | |
I shouldn't tell them that cos it freaks them out a bit. | 0:21:07 | 0:21:10 | |
It's a whopping 30 metres long. | 0:21:10 | 0:21:12 | |
Now, what inspired you to do this, Ellie? | 0:21:12 | 0:21:15 | |
I really wanted to put on a show and then I thought, | 0:21:15 | 0:21:17 | |
"If I'm going to do it, let's just go for it," | 0:21:17 | 0:21:20 | |
and I've always loved the space. | 0:21:20 | 0:21:22 | |
It's so special. I went to school here | 0:21:22 | 0:21:24 | |
and we used to come to Eucharists here every month or so, | 0:21:24 | 0:21:27 | |
so when I thought about the ultimate venue, this was it. | 0:21:27 | 0:21:31 | |
Obviously, there'll be some people | 0:21:31 | 0:21:33 | |
who think this is a very sacred space and what are you doing here. | 0:21:33 | 0:21:37 | |
I think you're right and I think we take that really seriously. | 0:21:37 | 0:21:40 | |
There's no swimwear or lingerie, or anything like that, | 0:21:40 | 0:21:43 | |
and we pick tunes that are all clean and appropriate, | 0:21:43 | 0:21:46 | |
and we are so respectful of the space. | 0:21:46 | 0:21:48 | |
# Let my love in, let my love in | 0:21:48 | 0:21:52 | |
# Lay your heart on me... # | 0:21:52 | 0:21:55 | |
But before I take my seat, | 0:21:56 | 0:21:58 | |
there's one thing I can't resist having a go at. | 0:21:58 | 0:22:02 | |
So just really, really bright, beautiful smile, | 0:22:02 | 0:22:05 | |
hands out, relax arms and then just kind of sashay forwards. | 0:22:05 | 0:22:09 | |
-OK, watch this. -Yeah? Let's do it. | 0:22:09 | 0:22:10 | |
I literally think this is me, this is all me. Here we go. | 0:22:10 | 0:22:14 | |
-Oh, look at that. -Right at the camera. | 0:22:14 | 0:22:15 | |
-Look at that. -That is perfect. -Yeah, look. | 0:22:15 | 0:22:17 | |
-What are you doing tonight? -I'm on the catwalk tonight. | 0:22:17 | 0:22:20 | |
# Lay it all on me, lay it all on me | 0:22:20 | 0:22:25 | |
# Lay it all on me... # | 0:22:25 | 0:22:27 | |
Now from something you wouldn't expect to find in a place | 0:22:27 | 0:22:30 | |
of worship to something you would. | 0:22:30 | 0:22:33 | |
Here's a special performance | 0:22:33 | 0:22:35 | |
from the newly-crowned Radio 2 Choristers of the Year. | 0:22:35 | 0:22:38 | |
# Make me a channel of your peace, | 0:22:40 | 0:22:45 | |
# Where there is hatred | 0:22:45 | 0:22:48 | |
# Let me bring your love | 0:22:48 | 0:22:52 | |
# Where there is injury | 0:22:52 | 0:22:54 | |
# Your pardon, Lord | 0:22:54 | 0:22:57 | |
# And where there's doubt | 0:22:57 | 0:22:59 | |
# True faith in you | 0:22:59 | 0:23:03 | |
# Oh, Master, grant that I may never seek | 0:23:03 | 0:23:09 | |
# So much to be consoled as to console | 0:23:09 | 0:23:15 | |
-# To be understood as to understand -To be understood | 0:23:15 | 0:23:21 | |
# To be loved as to love with all my soul | 0:23:21 | 0:23:28 | |
-# Make me a channel of your peace -A channel | 0:23:29 | 0:23:34 | |
# Where there's despair in life | 0:23:34 | 0:23:37 | |
# Let me bring hope | 0:23:37 | 0:23:40 | |
# Where there is darkness, only light | 0:23:40 | 0:23:44 | |
# Let me bring light | 0:23:44 | 0:23:46 | |
# And where there's sadness, ever joy | 0:23:46 | 0:23:52 | |
# Oh, Master grant that I may never seek | 0:23:52 | 0:23:56 | |
# So much to be consoled as to console | 0:23:58 | 0:24:03 | |
# To be understood as to understand | 0:24:03 | 0:24:09 | |
# To be loved as to love with all my soul | 0:24:09 | 0:24:17 | |
# Make me a channel of your peace | 0:24:17 | 0:24:21 | |
# Make me a channel of your peace | 0:24:21 | 0:24:24 | |
# It is in pardoning that we are pardoned | 0:24:24 | 0:24:27 | |
# That we are pardoned | 0:24:27 | 0:24:29 | |
# In giving to all men | 0:24:29 | 0:24:32 | |
# That we receive | 0:24:32 | 0:24:34 | |
# And in dying that we're born to eternal life | 0:24:34 | 0:24:41 | |
# And in dying that we're born to eternal life. # | 0:24:41 | 0:24:49 | |
# Brothers and sisters, sisters and brothers... # | 0:24:54 | 0:24:57 | |
Thousands of people all over the UK enjoy being part of a choir, | 0:24:57 | 0:25:01 | |
but there's something just a little bit different about this one. | 0:25:01 | 0:25:05 | |
I'm a practising Christian. | 0:25:05 | 0:25:07 | |
I identify as Jewish. | 0:25:10 | 0:25:12 | |
I'm a Catholic. | 0:25:13 | 0:25:15 | |
I was brought up a Catholic, I'm now an atheist. | 0:25:16 | 0:25:20 | |
The choir is run by the Three Faiths Forum, | 0:25:22 | 0:25:24 | |
a charity that began building bridges | 0:25:24 | 0:25:27 | |
between leaders of Judaism, Islam and Christianity | 0:25:27 | 0:25:30 | |
and now works with people of all faiths and none. | 0:25:30 | 0:25:34 | |
As a result, their choir is wonderfully named the Mixed Up Chorus. | 0:25:34 | 0:25:38 | |
What is at the core of people's humanity? | 0:25:38 | 0:25:40 | |
What is it that we all have in common? | 0:25:40 | 0:25:42 | |
Well, music is one thing for me. | 0:25:42 | 0:25:44 | |
It's my passion, it's my profession | 0:25:44 | 0:25:46 | |
and, in particular, singing is a way to bring people together | 0:25:46 | 0:25:50 | |
because a choir is a great leveller. | 0:25:50 | 0:25:52 | |
# Alleluia! # | 0:25:52 | 0:25:57 | |
I'm originally from Milan, Italy, but my parents are Sri Lankan, | 0:25:57 | 0:26:02 | |
and I'm a Catholic, but I'm questioning my faith. | 0:26:02 | 0:26:08 | |
# Alleluia! # | 0:26:08 | 0:26:10 | |
I love singing and I love the environment here. | 0:26:10 | 0:26:14 | |
I feel that it's such a safe space, you know, and it's not only music, | 0:26:14 | 0:26:21 | |
it's not only my passion, but it's something deeper. | 0:26:21 | 0:26:24 | |
# Alleluia! # | 0:26:24 | 0:26:27 | |
We live in such a multicultural society | 0:26:27 | 0:26:30 | |
where all different communities exist here, | 0:26:30 | 0:26:32 | |
but we don't always have spaces | 0:26:32 | 0:26:34 | |
to know how to talk to each other | 0:26:34 | 0:26:36 | |
about some of those questions. | 0:26:36 | 0:26:38 | |
If someone next to you, God forbid, is singing out of tune, | 0:26:38 | 0:26:41 | |
use that as a call to help you sing even more in tune, yeah? | 0:26:41 | 0:26:46 | |
Can't we hit them? | 0:26:46 | 0:26:47 | |
Don't hit them. | 0:26:47 | 0:26:49 | |
I think very quickly they pick up on the ethos | 0:26:50 | 0:26:53 | |
and the message of the choir, which is really this idea that, | 0:26:53 | 0:26:57 | |
if we sing well together, | 0:26:57 | 0:26:59 | |
we can live well together. | 0:26:59 | 0:27:01 | |
And that message is being sung loud and clear | 0:27:01 | 0:27:04 | |
as the choir is increasingly in demand. | 0:27:04 | 0:27:07 | |
We sing music from different cultures around the world | 0:27:07 | 0:27:10 | |
and so often that brings up conversations which leads to hearing | 0:27:10 | 0:27:13 | |
about other people's faiths and backgrounds and languages as well. | 0:27:13 | 0:27:16 | |
THEY SING IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE | 0:27:16 | 0:27:18 | |
Can anyone remember what the words mean? | 0:27:21 | 0:27:23 | |
I'm actually in two choirs at the moment. | 0:27:23 | 0:27:26 | |
We're currently rehearsing | 0:27:26 | 0:27:27 | |
for a Christmas carol service at my church, | 0:27:27 | 0:27:29 | |
so that's quite different cos obviously that's worship, | 0:27:29 | 0:27:32 | |
whereas this choir, | 0:27:32 | 0:27:34 | |
even if we're not working towards an event or a concert, | 0:27:34 | 0:27:36 | |
the fact that we're just singing together is important anyway. | 0:27:36 | 0:27:40 | |
I think this choir demonstrates on a quite small scale | 0:27:43 | 0:27:46 | |
what could be achieved on a larger scale if more people were willing | 0:27:46 | 0:27:51 | |
to get out there, get out of their comfort zone, maybe. | 0:27:51 | 0:27:54 | |
There is really the opportunity to create bonds that previously | 0:27:59 | 0:28:04 | |
would have been unimaginable between people | 0:28:04 | 0:28:06 | |
and I've seen it happen countless times | 0:28:06 | 0:28:08 | |
within the simple context of just a choir. | 0:28:08 | 0:28:10 | |
Well, that's just about it from London. | 0:29:59 | 0:30:02 | |
It's been brilliant for me to see how people from different faiths | 0:30:02 | 0:30:05 | |
can come together so creatively. | 0:30:05 | 0:30:07 | |
We end with another rousing number. | 0:30:07 | 0:30:09 | |
But from me, for now, goodbye. | 0:30:09 | 0:30:12 | |
CHEERING | 0:33:32 | 0:33:33 |