…if the other person were drowning, I wouldn't ask about his faith or politics before I'd throw him a line. Who would?
~ Richard M Landau, What the world needs to know about Interfaith Dialogue
Loving Beyond Difference
Rev. Berry Behr, Interfaith Minister
What if Earth was a giant puzzle, and you and I, along with all the other people and different parts of life, were the pieces that make up the whole beautiful, chaotic, unfathomable design of Creation?
I grew up attending a local Methodist Church and went to school at a Catholic Convent. I had a sense of the separation between these two worlds: I loved the Catholic choruses we sang each morning at assembly; the words still echo in my heart. I loved my Methodist context too—holiday camps, children's choir, and a certain sense of righteous community. That ended when a youth leader insisted only Christians could attain heaven—sorry to all the Muslims, Buddhists, Baha'is, Hindus, and Jews. It was a claim that set me wondering and wandering. What kind of a God would do that to His own Creation? Who is this God anyway? And… where do humans find true belonging beyond difference? I left the church.
There were times I glimpsed sanctuary and envied those who had found their place. It felt as if I belonged nowhere until, through my interfaith studies, I discovered I belonged everywhere. Where I am right now is where I must serve. I also learned that how people treat others is the mark of their religious and spiritual truth far more than the label of their belief system.
During the first week of January, we marked 7 Days of Rest, a global, online, deep dive into thinking together about the essence we want to bring into the year ahead. The 2024 theme was Reweaving Wholeness, which made me think of our individual contributions to the greater good. As we share heart-to-heart, we recognise that each piece of the puzzle has a place and a purpose exactly where we are, here, now. Separation destroys the emerging picture; unity helps to complete it. May the essence you bring to your part of now offer safety and care for yourself and all those around you. May we all love beyond difference.
About Open Windows
We, the authors of this blog, dedicate it to the transparent exploration of the world’s sacred scripture and enlightened spiritual thought. We believe that the original inspiration of all faiths comes from a common source, named and revered in a myriad of ways. With that understanding, the innumerable symbols, beliefs, and practices of faith cease to divide. They become open windows to a common reality that inspires and unifies us. We find deeper insight and nourishment in our own faith and from the expression of faith from others.
We hope these weekly quotations and meditations speak to your heart and soul.
Yes. May we all love beyond difference. Thinking about the fine quote the other way around. What is I was the person sinking in the ocean and the other person throwing me a line was a stranger. Would I ask “what is his religion or race?” Why should it be any different the other way around. Unconditional love also means all inclusive love. WITH YOU in THAT Love, Tom
Your experience with the Christian religion, Berry, reminds me of my own. I was already to become a Presbyterian minister after receiving a Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary. But I was told that I couldn’t be ordained because I was “psychologically unfit for the ministry.” Shortly thereafter I left the church, concluding that it was spiritually unfit for what I had to offer.
4 Responses
Yes. May we all love beyond difference. Thinking about the fine quote the other way around. What is I was the person sinking in the ocean and the other person throwing me a line was a stranger. Would I ask “what is his religion or race?” Why should it be any different the other way around. Unconditional love also means all inclusive love. WITH YOU in THAT Love, Tom
Your experience with the Christian religion, Berry, reminds me of my own. I was already to become a Presbyterian minister after receiving a Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary. But I was told that I couldn’t be ordained because I was “psychologically unfit for the ministry.” Shortly thereafter I left the church, concluding that it was spiritually unfit for what I had to offer.
Fabulous conclusion, Jerry!
Amen