A diversity of divinities
Do all rivers lead to the same ocean?
February 20, 2007
Joshua Duvauchelle
It is 2 a.m. and you are battling your way up the mountain. The snow is merciless and you fear that the animal noises emanating from the stalking shadows aren’t exactly amicable. Your shivering hands are holding a hanging lantern that barely gives off enough light to show the way. Electricity and warmth are a distant memory. And, for that matter, so is a good night’s sleep.
Going to bed at 9 p.m. and waking five hours later is not the usual university schedule. Then again, Min-Seung Song isn’t your usual university student. While his peers were studying in classrooms, this South Korean business student found himself living with several Buddhist monks in their secluded Asian monastery.
“It was a fresh, new experience,” Song says of his time sequestered away from the reaches of modern civilization. At the summit of a mountain, he found a place to pray, study, and reflect on life. And while he is a Christian, he found his interactions with the Buddhist monks “very cool,” he says.
Unfortunately, we can’t all be like Song and live in monasteries. However, thanks to Canada’s growing religious diversity, a plethora of beliefs surround us that enable us to respectfully learn new ideas that we can use within our own lives.
According to the 2001 Census, the number of Canadian Muslims has jumped by almost 130 per cent. Buddhists, Sikhs, and Hindus have experienced similar growth in numbers. Here in Langley, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recently announced the construction of Canada’s seventh temple. Situated on 11 acres just off 200th Street, this temple highlights a huge diversity of beliefs, even at a local level.
There are two possible reactions to this influx of religions. In fear of the unknown, we can withdraw from those who don’t hold to what we believe. However, this leads to a narrow perspective on life, and is in direct disobedience to Christ’s command to be a light to the world.
Instead, the Christian community should not be afraid of talking with other faiths, and maybe even plagiarizing some of their values. All religions contain particles of truth (except, perhaps, the ones who try to catch UFOs in heaven). Muhammad Ali once said, “Rivers, ponds, lakes and streams - they all have different names, but they all contain water, just as religions do - they all contain truths.”
We know we alone hold the truth of Christ, but that doesn’t immediately discount a non-Christian’s ideas. But we can find inspiration in a Hindu’s compassion, a Mormon’s strive for perfection, and a Sikh’s vision for peace. Dialoguing with another faith doesn’t mean we have to believe what they believe. We can appreciate another religion without losing who we are.
When asked what he learned while living with the monks, Song smiles. It was a time to learn about life. He learned about differences between Christianity and Buddhism. But he also learned truths that he could incorporate into his own faith without feeling like he was less of a Christian.
The monks taught him that “having nothing is better than having more than others,” Song says. “People think that satisfaction is from having a little bit more, a little bit more,” he continues, “but they’ll never be satisfied.”
And while those thoughts may have come from a Buddhist’s mind, it’s true for the Christian too.
Now you go...
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