PaulPallazola
I was born and raised Roman Catholic, growing up in the Vatican Council II era of progress and activism in a church that embraced diversity and called for a “Preferential Option For The Poor”. As a kid I loved looking at the issues of Maryknoll Magazine the nuns would distribute from time to time at Saint Ann School, eager to read about the progress being made in fighting hunger and social justice in the Third World. When I was attending Bishop Fenwick High School my favorite class was “Witness To Social Justice”.
When I was a junior in high school I read the “Baghivad Gita”, and Kahlil Gibran’s “The Prophet”. I learned Transcendental Meditation and studied a variety of spiritual teachings. I remember reading a quote from the Vedanta Society: “Every faith is a window looking at the same truth”. I remember that when my older brother Peter served in the US Army, my mom was upset that he had written “no preference” instead of “Catholic” on his Dog Tag. I saw it as a sign of maturity.
When I saw this quote from Mahatma Gandhi I felt it was an adequate description of how I see the world. Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Vedanta are windows looking at the same truth. Demonizing any individual or group for being adherents to one of these faiths is anathema to the spirit of all of them. If you read a post in Virily or elsewhere using words like “Satanic Zionist ” that type of hate speech is not what a true follower of Jesus (who was Jewish) would use.
I think, humbly, and I think without much pretension, that we can live together, in peace and harmony, and without radical fanaticism, whatever our religious beliefs, our faith, our social and economic position, and our level of education.
I hope and pray that you’re right arelis.
Grew up as Church of England. Was into christian fundamentalism but now Im convinced that the one God is far bigger than anyone’s “Label”.
Dont like hate of any kind towards any other religion
I only hate cruelty.
People are not all the same, but we all have different gifts and if we learn to get on with each other in this world, we can all do very well for ourselves.
We are all people of this world. Poor and rich, black, white or yellow. I believe, as all believers, that we are one whole whatever religion we devour.
In this case, we have something in common; born of a Catholic parent but maturing our spiritually with the same point of view, “that window”.
Changing his name from Yeshua ben Yosef to Jesus Christ was the beginning of the whitewashing of that religion. But he taught us to love your neighbor as you love yourself so anyone preaching hate is no follower of that man, whatever name you call him by…
And by the most reliable accounts the whitewashing is quite literal, since it is more than likely that the historical figure called Jesus Christ bore more resemblance to Kahlil Gibran or Desmond Tutu than any of the Aryan Blond Blue Eyed Princes that dominate most Christian imagery.
Oh don’t even get me started on that
Correctly. The previous head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Pavle, spoke a sentence that I find to be a great truth.
He said “Let’s Be People”
No burden on the faith or color of the skin.
Exactly. Robin . Thank you for including the quote from Patriarch Pavle on your comment.