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Children often tend to follow parents and the parents’ socio-cultural group into whatever religious beliefs that the parents have. In other words, they will become a Catholic if their parents were … or a Hindu or a “whatever else.”
My parents raised my sister and me as kind of like nothings or everything. They were Quakers (Religious Society of Friends), who dedicated their lives to social and environmental service. They weren’t sure about who or what God was, but decided to have high moral. ethical and compassionate standards to bring all life helpfully forward in the best ways possible. They also were pacifists.
They exposed us children to all religions and told us that we should honor the beliefs of everyone who is trying to improve the world given their particular faith beliefs by which they were raised. So I had great fun as a child exploring a comparative religious background and learning about the commonality of humanity exploring God(s) through their own particular lens. So I had a great time at Jewish and Hindu temples, mosques, various Christian churches, Buddhist sites and more as a child.
My own grandfather used to state that the fingers on the hand are like the different religions all emanating from the hand — the palm that was god. He was nondiscriminatory, too.
Probably lots of people would find Quakers to be a weirdo-bunch. The Quakers include die-hard Christian fundamentalists, agnostics, atheists, Buddhist-Jewish leaning sorts and other combinations. Yet, they all feel united. So I guess that some of the uniting for the group comes from wanting to serve, largely being pacifists (although not all) and coming together to create a spiritual union across the world.
Accordingly, my sister and I raised our children to be of the same ilk — nonjudgmental and dedicated to trying to help bring life forward in positive, piously undefined ways. They, accordingly, help humanity and the natural world go forward in many diverse ways.
Our attitudes include that we support our friends, who think that Jesus is their savior and who think that they will wind up in a place called Heaven sitting at the feet of some elderly male God with a beard while angels with harps and flutes having wings like swans will fly around them making sweet music. Who am I to take away such a fanciful view?
Indeed, we think always that If you can’t provide something good, at least do no harm. So we keep our mouths shut, act supportive and just smile when they go onward in describing their Jesus rapture. How mean of us were we to destroy possibly their main delight in life whether involving Jesus or any other idea that they hold as true as a mainstay of their imaginative belief-system.
Do female suicide bombers get 72 virgins too? – Slate Magazine
Golden calf – Wikipedia
According to the Bible, the golden calf (עֵגֶּל הַזָהָב ‘ēggel hazāhāv) was an idol (a cult image) made by the Israelites during Moses’ absence, when he went up to Mount Sinai. In Hebrew, the incident is known as ḥēṭ’ ha’ēggel (חֵטְא הַעֵגֶּל) or “The Sin of the Calf“.
Not In My Name: Indians protest attacks on Muslims | India News | Al …
Jun 28, 2017 – Many Hindus worship the cow as sacred to their religion. … Twenty-eight Indians – 24 of them Muslims – have been killed and 124 injured since 2010 … against mob violence at Jantar Mantar, Delhi. pic.twitter.com/4hRkbIAvK8.
The killing in the name of religion (regardless of which religion) has got to disappear. It’s sheer madness. … This is just like the Crusades:
Instead, let’s just try to be supportive of each other regardless of religious proclivity. Yes, let’s be like this:
Sing’n Swing’n Sista’s – Give Me That Old Time Religion – YouTube
Give Me That Old Time Religion Sing’n Swing’n Sista’s Harriet Lewis (USA), Joan Faulkner (USA …
Sally Dugman is a writer from MA, USA.