Name:  Donald E. Knebel

Organization: Of Counsel, Barnes & Thornburg LLP

Religious Affiliation:  Presbyterian

Why Interfaith?:   As people with different religious traditions have interacted with each other, those differences have led to misunderstandings and violence.  As a consequence, it is important that people with different traditions understand and appreciate those differences in order to see each other as all God’s children.

Background:  I have been interested in the world’s religions for many years.  My interests were intensified when I visited Israel, Egypt, Turkey and India, where I learned first hand about other religions and the people who practice them.  Out of those visits came my interested in being the first Board Chair of CIC.

Favorite quote (Sacred text, story, poem, other):  When I was in Egypt, my Muslim guide correctly noted that if I had been born in Egypt I would probably be a Muslim and if she had been born in the United States she would probably be a Christian,  By and large, we don’t pick our religions any more than we pick  our languages and our religions don’t define us any more than our languages.