Reconsidering Our Mission: A Reflection on Dehumanization and Belonging

Reconsidering Our Mission: A Reflection on Dehumanization and Belonging

I’ve been working to counter dehumanization for over ten years now. In that time, I’ve learned a few things—and some things I already knew have come into sharper focus.

I stepped into this work in 2015 after seeing a well-funded network of organizations spreading slander about American Muslims. But it wasn’t just slander. It was part of a broader societal pattern of dehumanization—one that always leads to, and attempts to justify, violence. And that makes everyone less safe.

Left unchecked, dehumanization can tear groups apart, erode democratic norms, and break down the foundations of society itself. And once this dynamic gains traction, it rarely stays confined to one group. It spreads—from one minoritized community to another, and then back again.

I recognized that America was headed down a dangerous path. As a Lutheran, I had also learned how my own wisdom tradition failed to stand with our Jewish neighbors in the years leading up to and during the Nazi regime. That history made this moment feel especially urgent.

But there’s hope. We don’t need to convince everyone to make a difference. The research of Ervin Staub suggests that if about 10% of a population moves from passivity to action, we can interrupt these dangerous dynamics and help society pull back from the brink. These “upstanders” are usually well-intentioned people who, with a bit of encouragement, leadership, and relationship with those being targeted, will take a stand with their neighbors—and in doing so, help create a better future for everyone.

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, it won’t surprise you to hear this: the most powerful way to re-humanize each other is through relationship. We grow at the pace of relationship.

This insight has shaped Paths to Understanding from the beginning. Rabbi Levine, our co-founder, understood it deeply. Alongside William Warren from KOMO TV, he launched the Challenge program, which ran for 14 years. He saw dehumanization increasing—at that time, targeting Catholics—and recognized the danger from his own childhood experiences of antisemitism and the Shoah. He wanted to activate the upstanders.

That TV show became a model of how people with deep convictions could not only talk to each other, but also bring their wisdom together to address the challenges of their time. In an era marked by inequality, they showed up as equals.

Out of that partnership, Rabbi Levine and Father Treacy became dear friends. Until the end of his life, Bill would pause to give thanks for the Rabbi—how he changed his life, deepened his faith, and strengthened his commitment to our shared humanity.

Together, they sought “unity in the human family,” even across profound differences of culture and tradition.

Now, as we enter the 65th year of the work of Paths to Understanding, we’re taking a fresh look at our mission statement:

Bridging bias and building unity through multi-faith peacemaking.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing some of our reflections on how that statement may need to evolve for this current era of our work.

The short version is this: the human family is divided in many more ways than by wisdom traditions. And when people read our current mission statement, some aren’t sure if we’re including them.

That’s especially true for the roughly 80% of folks in Western Washington who don’t currently participate in a faith tradition. They wonder, “Am I part of the human family you’re talking about?”

Of course they are. But if you have to explain your mission statement because the world has changed, then it might be time to change the mission statement.

One thing is clear: we don’t want to grow beyond our interfaith roots—we want to grow from them. We want to take the profound gifts of interfaith work and apply them to the whole human family.

Stay tuned. We’re excited to take this journey with you.