ronin tactics Flower Mound Walk to Celebrate Diversity

By WENDY HUNDLEY




Staff Writer

whundley@dallasnews.com

Published: 19 January 2014 10:54 PM

Updated: 20 January 2014 11:30 AM




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Tom Hayden




Flower Mound Mayor Tom Hayden's "Year of the Bible" proclamation has pleased some residents, angered others and motivated a few to take action.

One of them is Archana Vasisht, who has organized a "Walk to Celebrate Our Diversity" on Monday in Flower Mound.

"You could look at it as a positive response," she said, referring to Hayden's Dec. 16 pronouncement that invited people to read the Bible each day throughout the year.

Some have praised the mayor for having the courage to act on his convictions, while others have criticized him for ignoring residents who practice other faiths or no religion at all.

"I think there has always been an undertone of underappreciated diversity in this town," said Vasisht, who has lived in Flower Mound for 10 years. "We wanted to do something to bring people together."

She said the walk, which coincides with the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, is designed to recognize religious, cultural, ethnic and political diversity as well as differences in sexual orientation.

"It's pretty much an event to celebrate each of us," said Vasisht, who was raised in India on Hindu principles and describes herself as a secular humanist.

She said she hopes the event will help bring people together and move the community forward.

"We're not trying to put a political spin on it or to protest, but to address the root of the issue," she said.

Another local initiative is using the Internet to foster a dialogue about religion.

The Facebook page, Flower Mound Faith Matters, seeks to celebrate "the diverse faith lives of citizens through interfaith discussion and engagement."

It was created by a consortium of local clergy, according to Rabbi Geoffrey Dennis of the Congregation Kol Ami in Flower Mound.

The page, launched Jan. 5, includes postings about Hinduism, the Baha'i faith, Islam as well as some Christian denominations.

Both grass-roots efforts sprung from a desire to respond to Hayden's proclamation and are intended "to advance a more inclusive, pluralistic vision for Flower Mound," Dennis said in an email.

The proclamation has sparked a flurry of activity on the website thebible2014.com, which guides participants in daily Scripture readings.

The website, created to coincide with Hayden's proclamation, is hosted by Calvary Chapel Flower Mound.

While how many people doing the daily readings can't be determined, the site had 53,377 hits from Jan. 11 to Friday, a church member said.

Meanwhile, the debate over Hayden's action continues.

On Thursday, residents from Dallas, Richardson, McKinney and other communities attended a Flower Mound council meeting to voice their objections.

The turnout may have been prompted by an invitation from Flower Mound resident Daniel Moran, who is running for Texas House District 63.

In his comments to the council, Moran told Hayden that his actions, while well intended, were hurtful and that the proclamation was unconstitutional.

In response to his critics, Hayden said "if the proclamation does not resonate with you, the good news is that your freedoms ... guarantee your right to disregard it, just as my freedoms protect my rights to make this proclamation."

The "Walk to Celebrate Our Diversity" starts at 10 a.m. Monday in Flower Mound. Participants will meet at the Congregation Kol Ami, 1887 Timber Creek Road, and walk for about an hour along Cross Timbers Road (FM1171).

ronin tactics Flower Mound Walk to Celebrate Diversity
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