Former President Barack Obama at a Dec. 5 forum on democracy pointed to the partnership of houses of worship and the success of megachurches as examples of ways to build bridges and foster pluralism.

“The pluralist ideal is what allows a Christian church and Muslim mosque to sit side by side on the same city block — and then maybe agree to share a parking lot,” Obama said at the Obama Foundation’s Democracy Forum in Chicago.

He acknowledged that the work of pluralism — or finding ways to “live alongside individuals and groups who are different than us” — is not easy and takes time.

“Pluralism is not about holding hands and singing ‘Kumbaya,’” he said in his remarks. “And building bridges may require you to deal with people who not only disagree with you, but do not respect you.”

He said he experienced that as president, “where I was negotiating with people who made it pretty clear they didn’t think I should be president, legally, morally,” but he and they strove nevertheless to listen, foster relationships and find compromise.

Obama also said pluralism does not mandate a denial of people’s unique circumstances but does call for understanding “the possibility of a win/win situation, rather than a zero- sum situation.” He cited the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as an example of working toward justice with an emphasis on “we” rather than “them” or “us.”

“That’s what King under- stood in framing the issue, not simply as an African American issue, but as an American issue,” Obama said. “And we have to acknowledge that we all have multiple identities. I’m a 63-year-old African American man, for example, but I’m also a husband, I am a father, and a Christian who is constantly wrestling with doubts about organized religion.”

The 44th U.S. president added that pluralism is successful when it reflects action and not just words.