I wonder how many of you watched ABC’s Good Morning America the week of January 23-25. They had a segment there about Acts of Faith. It is a book written by Eboo Patel. He is a Muslim.
He started an Interfaith Youth Corps for youth from all different faiths. They came together and studied and played together and discovered that even though they have different beliefs they learn to love the others in the group.
One of the questions asked: Do kids identify themselves by religion? Religion is a part of everyone’s life and our cultures are intertwined, so we must begin to find the sameness, the richness as well as the differences. The teenagers said they had head knowledge of what faith was about, but by coming to meet with all the others they have begun to have a personal understanding of their own faith as well as the other religions.
Eboo Patel says that he feels this is creating a solution so all will feel the freedom of religion –their own and others– will truly give them the freedom we all struggle to claim.
Eboo Patel says the Koran as well as the Bible encourages people to get to know and understand people who are different from us. He said the Koran specifically says that God has made people all over the earth different and our job is to learn about them, become friends by understanding one another. This is how we will have peace on this earth. People taking the time to understand and respect one another.
Personally, as I heard the teenagers who were Buddhist, Hindu, Catholic, Southern Baptist, Jews, Muslims, and other Christians speak I believe he has hit the nail on the head. What a wonderful insight, what a wonderful opportunity to begin interfaith groups to learn and gain respect for not only our particular religion, but all the others. How interesting.
God is Good! God is still speaking!
Pastor Murray