But then, something magical happened. We came together as one nation – as patriots and proud citizens of a country that will not be downtrodden by tragedy. I for one miss that America and hope that one day we can return to that unity.
What can Christians learn from other religions?
World religions scholar Huston Smith offers an image for the various world faith traditions. He pictures them as a complex and beautiful stained glass window, refracting and revealing the pure divine light of God. Each reveals truth, goodness and beauty, and each has its own unique opaqueness as well.
Here are some of the things other religions have given me:
From Buddhism I have learned a sense of the interdependence of all life and the non-dual oneness of the contemplative experience.
From Hinduism I have learned the richness of a mythology that is embracing and inclusive of the complexity of human experience, while honoring the divine in the midst of it all.
From Jainism I have learned the ideal of Aahisma– nonharming– that challenges my violent and power-based cultural norms.
From Islam I have learned the power of disciplined prayer and surrender to God through faithful daily acts of devotion.
From Judaism I have learned to delight in vital and living conversations with ancient holy texts interpreted through the centuries.
From Native religions I have learned the holiness of nature and the revelatory wonder that is the living breath of our mother earth.
From Zen I have learned the limitations of the rational.
From Catholicism I have learned the power of the sacramental presence of the divine within the created. From Protestantism I have learned the passion of a personal relationship with God.
From Science and Humanism I have learned of the exquisite order and relationship of all creation and the responsibility of human beings for the welfare of this fragile earth.
From Christianity I have learned that every creature is blessed by the incarnation of God in Jesus Christ and that wherever there is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, [or] self-control,” there is God’s Spirit. “There is no law against such things.” (Galatians 5:22-23)
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