‘A city with a soul’: Local faith leaders tout Atlanta’s spiritual diversity

Atlanta’s religious and cultural diversity is one of the things that makes this city special, a group of local faith leaders said Sunday.

In a half-hour special aired on WSB’s website, preachers, rabbis, imams and other spiritual leaders from across Atlanta commended Mayor Andre Dickens’ inclusivity efforts and wished him well during his second term in office, which officially begins this week.

The broadcast, dubbed “The Spirit of Atlanta,” was part of three days of events hosted by the Dickens campaign ahead of the mayor’s swearing-in ceremony Monday.

It included remarks from U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, the senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church, as well as the leaders of other Atlanta churches, mosques, synagogues and temples. Warnock called Dickens “a son of this city” who residents have “entrusted once again with the work of stewarding Atlanta’s future.”

“The future of this city is not written by one person alone, but by all of us,” the Democrat said, calling Atlanta “a city with a soul” largely shaped by the civil rights movement.

Richard Brown, who said he was introduced to Buddhism five decades ago while working as an Atlanta police officer, said the city has a rich history of mayors willing to stand up for people during “challenging, chaotic” times.