What a beautiful thing. "We are all the same," as a the man said who delivers the sermon in this church. This is obvious and true, but it's great that these congregants are engaging in this act that lives that truth.
The question is this: in what other acts can we engage that live this same truth?
That's a good question. I would say it can be applied to our everyday life by having our hearts and minds open to acceptance of people and situations that are different from us and what we're used to. Catching ourselves as judgment enters our mind and do an about-face to openness. If we change one by one, that can grow into a movement, and we can watch our "congregation" grow.
I think the power of music brings people into unity by capturing a group's heart and soul. The act of listening to something joyful and beautiful seems to magically silence the fear of "otherness"and the judgments that go with it.
The church opened its doors to the Muslim congregants because it focused not on what makes them different but on what they have in common. Giving them a place to worship was an act of love and kindness which God would give a big thumbs up to.
To echo Slipstream's point, choosing to view ourselves and others with loving-kindness, as opposed to fear and ego-based judgment and defensiveness, is a path toward emulating what the church did.
June in December
What a beautiful thing. "We are all the same," as a the man said who delivers the sermon in this church. This is obvious and true, but it's great that these congregants are engaging in this act that lives that truth.
The question is this: in what other acts can we engage that live this same truth?
Slipstream
That's a good question. I would say it can be applied to our everyday life by having our hearts and minds open to acceptance of people and situations that are different from us and what we're used to. Catching ourselves as judgment enters our mind and do an about-face to openness. If we change one by one, that can grow into a movement, and we can watch our "congregation" grow.
June in December
Yep. A good point.
Anyone else?
Ninniburough
I think the power of music brings people into unity by capturing a group's heart and soul. The act of listening to something joyful and beautiful seems to magically silence the fear of "otherness"and the judgments that go with it.
Well Street
The church opened its doors to the Muslim congregants because it focused not on what makes them different but on what they have in common. Giving them a place to worship was an act of love and kindness which God would give a big thumbs up to.
To echo Slipstream's point, choosing to view ourselves and others with loving-kindness, as opposed to fear and ego-based judgment and defensiveness, is a path toward emulating what the church did.