That was a nice nap...

As unintentional as that nap was, it is now over. Life will always be busy, a concept I didn't quite understand in high school, but one that has been becoming clearer with each passing year. I don't know exactly where all my time went, but summer is coming to a close, and I find myself at the start of another semester.

Today marked the commencement of my long awaited series of exploratory religious outings. The start time of my personal religious services recently changed, so I have become more available to visit other churches on Sunday mornings. My work schedule also changed (actually, it disappeared completely...), so I will be able to attend services that occur on Saturday as well. I will be posting about my experience this morning shortly, but this message is to signal my rise from figurative "slumber".

"Field trips" with the Interfaith Student Association will be starting soon as well, so stay tuned!

-Paul

ISA Meeting - Jan Saeed and the Baha'i Faith

Last night, Jan Saeed of Westminster College and one of her colleagues taught us about the Baha'i faith -some of its history, teachings, and current events. While it was my first time hearing about this religion, and I only have a basic knowledge, I thought I would share some of my thoughts and feelings about the presentation.

From what I gathered, Baha'i teachings are centered on unity and oneness: unity of science and religion, oneness of God, oneness of religion, and oneness of humankind. They believe that religious figures like Moses, Jesus, and Mohammad were all inspired individuals, sent to share God's teachings one piece at a time. Jan shared an analogy dealing with education. You don't start first grade students off with tenth grade material - you start at the first grade, and build upon knowledge one level at a time. Baha'i followers are taught to accept all religions, and all the unique teachings they bring to the table.

She pointed out, interestingly enough, that just about all religions feature some form of the famous golden rule, "do unto others as you would have done unto you." Oneness of faith. . .

She also shared an experience that occurred when one of her daughters was in elementary school. Her daughter came home and asked if they had a bad religion. Why? Because someone at school had told her that she had a bad religion. While I am sure that I wouldn't have said anything like that as a child, I remember being very ignorant when it came to the abundance of religions and teachings that existed in the world around me.

It is good to be devout in one's faith, wonderful even, but I hope and pray that the bigotry between religions will become less of a common occurrence as the days roll by. I respect the oneness of religion professed by members of the Baha'i faith - they seem to be accepting of all. I think this concept is needed in our world today, an attitude of understanding and acceptance. While we may not all agree on certain tenets or teachings, we can learn to respect and love each other.

For more information, visit www.bahai.org or www.bahai.us.

The New Year . . . and January's almost OVER!?

Well, I don't want to call this a New Year's resolution, because those all seem to have a funny way of fizzing out and losing steam. . . so here's a goal for the new year: I said I was going to study into the other religions around the Valley, and that's what I'll do.

Sure, life is incredibly busy - an unexpected job opportunity presented itself near the end of summer last year, leaving me to deal with the stresses of full-time work, and almost full-time school. . . But I will make time for this. January is just about gone, and it seems like time is flying by faster and faster, so my personal religious studies will commence with the new month - a fresh start. Stay tuned!

The Beginning

I am Christian, a member of the LDS Church, and although I feel very strongly about the religion I profess, I have a deep desire to learn about the beliefs and cultures of other faiths.  I do not wish to make fun of them, debate over doctrine, or try to prove with words who's right and who's in error. My intent in creating this blog is to help increase understanding, even if only in a small way.

I cannot stand religious intolerance. I do not want to hear that "all members of this faith are terrorists," "all of the leaders in that faith are pedophiles," "those people are cultists," and other such bigoted statements.  Sure, terrorists, pedophiles, and cultists exist, but that doesn't mean that everyone in any given faith acts the same way.

I'm determined to do some serious research. I plan on attending services for the other religions here in Utah Valley, to gain a better idea of what others believe.

 "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things." - 1 Corinthians 13:11

 When I was a child, I was pretty close-minded when it came to spirituality. Not having my own conviction, I borrowed from my parents. I didn't seek to understand other religions, and was a little nervous when I interacted with those who believed differently than I did.  Things are different now.  I know what I believe, and stand strong in my own personal testimony - and yet, I feel stronger than ever that I need to understand my brothers and sisters more.

With that said, this is the start of my journey, the beginning of a serious look into the beliefs and traditions of believers from all walks of life. Here goes!