Faith in Diversity Institute is a non-sectarian, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the spiritual growth of individuals and communities by seeking and celebrating cross-cultural bonds, and combatting the patterns of religious ignorance, intolerance and manipulation that weakens them. With the fundamental premise that what unites us is of greater importance than what separates us, and that a Universal Being or Consciousness (by whatever name it may be called) must, by definition, be apparent and accessible in all traditions, the goals of FID are three-fold:

:: To engage in and support responsible research comparing the foundational texts and practices of the world's religions thematically, seeking to understand the common denominators without ignoring the differences.

:: To educate the general public as to the results of this research by making the content of world scripture and spiritual practice accessible and intelligible on a grass roots and experiential level.

:: To educate leaders and people in policy-making positions in both the public and private sector, so that the prevailing models of cultural and religious domination can be replaced by mutual acknowledgement and cooperation for the common good.

Faith In Diversity (FID) was inspired by the friendship of Robert H. Stucky and Sadig A. Malki, two men of radically different backgrounds who found a bond of common faith and experience in the wake of the September 11 tragedy through studying scriptural texts together.

FID’s founder, Robert Stucky earned B.A. and M.Div. degrees from Yale University and a Masters in Anglican Studies from Berkeley Divinity School at Yale. He lived and studied intensively for eight and a half years with a preeminent Hindu master, Swami Muktananda Paramahamsa of Ganeshpuri (three and a half of which were spent in India). Immersed in the study and practice of Yoga philosophy, with his mentor’s tutelage and blessing, he has lectured and run workshops in the U. S., Australia, Latin America and India on spiritual practices and traditions of both East and West. He was also an Episcopal priest for sixteen years, with a history of integrating congregations and opening Church doors to people of all faiths and cultures. He developed interfaith and multilingual liturgies for couples of mixed backgrounds, and regularly brought members of the Christian, Jewish and Hispanic communities together by officiating in Hebrew, English and Spanish at community Holiday celebrations.

A linguist with a working knowledge of a dozen languages, has also worked as a translator. He has experience as an artist, sculptor, and musician as well. He has designed and taught cross-cultural and interdisciplinary university level seminars on such topics as Paradigms of Belief and their Cultural Manifestations; Jesus- from Man to God; The Master-Disciple Relationship as a Global Model of Learning; and The Theology of Sound and the Power of Chant. In addition, he has taught Ancient World History, Spanish, and Studio Art at the private secondary school level. While serving as an Episcopal priest, in 1993 he was one of five recipients nationwide of an award for preaching excellence. Having lived and traveled in five continents, he brings broad experience to the bridge-building and spiritually unifying work of FID. Convinced that our Universal Source is bigger than any religion and is everyone's birthright, he has recently left the priesthood and dedicated himself full time to the broader agenda of promoting spiritual growth and mutual understanding, regardless of anyone's institutional religious affiliation or lack thereof.

FID's co-founder, Sadig Malki, a devout Muslim scholar, is a Ph.D. graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, a professor of Political Science and Economics at King Abdullah Aziz University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Consultant to the Executive Council of the Islamic Education Foundation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. As a result of his scriptural dialogue with Robert Stucky, he was inspired to suggest a collaboration on an article that would address the widespread problem of what he termed "reductionism" the human tendency to reduce the Divine to the biases and perspectives of a single culture. Passionate about the universality of the Divine, he was eager to find ways to break down barriers of misunderstanding created in the name of religion. In their collaboration, both men recognized the prevalent pattern of religious people all claiming faith in a Universal God, but then insisting that their God was superior to everyone else's God. They saw this as a logical inconsistency that only fuels discord and violence, and moreover, as a pattern in conflicts throughout history that has frustrated international and interfaith cooperation repeatedly. They felt committed to work to change this pattern. During this collaboration FID was conceived.

September 11 made more obvious than ever that humanity currently faces some of the greatest challenges in our history. Crisis inspires both a deeper spiritual longing for wholeness and peace, and an increase in attempts by some to rigidly impose a single solution on everyone. Confusing the merits of unity with the dangers of uniformity, orthodoxy (whether religious, political and/or economic) easily slips into fanaticism and the results are stifling for anyone outside of the closed system in which that orthodoxy exists. The rise in hate crimes and terrorism makes it clear we can no longer afford the luxury of closed societies. The world is shrinking, and our children and grandchildren deserve to inherit a world that thrives on diversity and interaction between peoples and systems. It is clear that there are unifying patterns of practice and belief that show up in all cultures around the world. Their longevity suggests that they serve and fulfill a genuine and ongoing need effectively. Yet many are unaware of these patterns and practices, and feel cut off. FID wants to change that.

FID Institute offers educational programs, courses, workshops and study materials to individuals and groups of all ages and faiths who are interested in exploring the many dimensions of spiritual belief and practice. We encourage an integral approach that is not restricted to the gender-biased terminology and rational constructs of Western religious dialogue, and recognize the Divine as something both permeating and transcending all specific cultures and preferences. We can tailor our presentations to the needs of your particular interests. Drawing on a wealth of literary, historical, artistic and musical resources to encourage a deeper experience of the underlying purpose of spirituality, and its integral and beneficial relationship to daily living, FID's purpose is to make such understanding and experience accessible to people of all backgrounds through multiple media- Internet, lectures, classes, publications, film and video, recordings and special events.

FID strives to be a rich resource for scholars, writers, artists, musicians, and film makers seeking to understand and express humanity's deepest aspirations and concerns. It is no less a resource for scientists, doctors, business people and public servants concerned with improving the quality of life for their respective constituents. FID exists for everyone. Informed, awakened individuals create healthier communities and a safer, more balanced world.

If you would like to arrange for a presentation to be made to a school, faith community or other organization, attend events being offered by FID, or learn about ways you can help contribute to the work of the Institute, please write our headquarters:

FID Institute
PO Box 318
Owings Mills, MD 21117

or contact the Executive Director by E-mail at:

robstucky@fidinstitute.org