Visit to the Mosque
Last night, 51 of us from the church's confirmation program visited a local mosque. I want to capture a few thoughts from the visit:
1. Imam Ahmed Kobeisy of the Islamic Cultural Center of the Capital District was a wonderful host, fielding questions and prompting discussion in a most respectful and helpful manner. There were about as many kids as parents and adults, which we had not expected but which he rolled with very well.
2. I was SO proud of our kids for their respect and demeanor during the visit. I'm new to this church and these kids so I was a bit nervous about how they would behave; I'm pleased to say they were fantastic and I feel comfortable taking them on other trips this year.
3. What an honor for Imam Kobeisy to invite us to watch one of their prayer services. I have participated in such prayers before, in a mosque in Tucson, and find the ritual powerful. Indeed, as the Imam said, if we come before God five times daily with the right spirit, we will certainly be reminded of God's consistent presense in our lives (much more, I might add, than if we only pray to God on Sundays!).
4. I am again struck by the significance of Jesus Christ in our lives. Christ's offer of grace marks Christianity as unique among world religions and is a stark contrast to Islam. So many of the facts about Islam that we were presented with last night were related to what we should DO in our lives (help the poor, pray daily, fast regularly, honor God). The divinity and grace of Jesus Christ allow Christians to spend more energy around who we ARE -- loved and accepted by God, warts and all!
5. In high school, once when we had free tickets to Disneyland, JJ and I rode the "It's a Small World" ride and got out of our boats to "dance" with the little dolls and figures singing that song over and over and over... Imam Kobeisy reminded us again how small this world really is: many people paint him with the same brush as
bin Laden.
6. On a relatively unrelated (and irreverent) note, click here for a Daily Show poke at interreligious dialogue. I'm glad last night didn't turn into this.
1. Imam Ahmed Kobeisy of the Islamic Cultural Center of the Capital District was a wonderful host, fielding questions and prompting discussion in a most respectful and helpful manner. There were about as many kids as parents and adults, which we had not expected but which he rolled with very well.
2. I was SO proud of our kids for their respect and demeanor during the visit. I'm new to this church and these kids so I was a bit nervous about how they would behave; I'm pleased to say they were fantastic and I feel comfortable taking them on other trips this year.
3. What an honor for Imam Kobeisy to invite us to watch one of their prayer services. I have participated in such prayers before, in a mosque in Tucson, and find the ritual powerful. Indeed, as the Imam said, if we come before God five times daily with the right spirit, we will certainly be reminded of God's consistent presense in our lives (much more, I might add, than if we only pray to God on Sundays!).
4. I am again struck by the significance of Jesus Christ in our lives. Christ's offer of grace marks Christianity as unique among world religions and is a stark contrast to Islam. So many of the facts about Islam that we were presented with last night were related to what we should DO in our lives (help the poor, pray daily, fast regularly, honor God). The divinity and grace of Jesus Christ allow Christians to spend more energy around who we ARE -- loved and accepted by God, warts and all!
5. In high school, once when we had free tickets to Disneyland, JJ and I rode the "It's a Small World" ride and got out of our boats to "dance" with the little dolls and figures singing that song over and over and over... Imam Kobeisy reminded us again how small this world really is: many people paint him with the same brush as
bin Laden.
6. On a relatively unrelated (and irreverent) note, click here for a Daily Show poke at interreligious dialogue. I'm glad last night didn't turn into this.
posted by Jake at 3:35 PM
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