Fri 9 Apr 2010

Sikh Prayers

Posted by Michael under Sikhism
[3] Comments

Today was a good day.  Work was slow so I managed to get a lot of writing done.  Not much that will end up on the blog, but I’m making progress.

When I came home I managed to find a great resource for Sikh topics- the Raj Karega Khalsa Network, which I found while looking for info on Sikh prayers.  If you’re at all curious about Sikhism, do give that link a click.  Don’t let the very dated look of the website scare you, they update regularly and the databse of knowledge hidden in there is nothing short of dizzying.  It will become a constant resource for me over the next month, and I’m very glad that I found it.

Praying is very different now than it was last month.  During Baha’i the prayers were short, I could do them in a few minutes at most and so long as I could wash my hands and find east I was set.  Now, I don’t have to do much but meditate and pay attention to the words, as you do in most prayers, but they are frickin’ huge.  Instead of a few minutes a day I’m spending around twenty minutes three times a day.  I don’t want to sound like I’m complaining, because I’m not, I’m just shocked.  I was not expecting this.  I’m used to prayers being little things that give you a moment of pause during the day, not these comparatively large investments of time.  I can see why these are usually performed in groups in gurdwaras.  They are events in-and-of themselves.

So there is no way I am going to be able to memorize these, and I haven’t found a convenient way to cart them around with me yet.  Luckily the format of the prayers means I won’t have to.  Much like other faiths, Sikh prayers are scheduled around certain times of the day, though in Sikhism they are more practical than sunrise and sunset.  The first Sikh prayer, the Japji, takes place in the morning, before one heads out to work.  The second, Rahiras, is performed in the evening, when one returns from work.  The final prayer, called Kirtan Sohila, is done before you go to bed.

You see, they are broken up around the workday, as a method to prepare yourself for the events of the day, for recovering and re-energizing at the end of the day, and finally for resting.  I really like that, it stresses the utility of prayer, it’s role in not only the spiritual life, but as something that can prepare us mentally and physically.  As someone who has some trouble getting in touch with his spiritual side at prearranged times (especially in the mornings) this is really valuable.

But back to my original point, the Raj Karega Khalsa Network has a series of videos (their youtube channel could be described as ‘terrifying’ in its depth) of the three basic prayers, performed in the original Punjbai with English translation.  Now, I have a lot of trouble getting up early enough in the morning to stare bleary-eyed at my laptop for twenty minutes, prayer or no prayer.  Heck, some mornings I barely make it to work on time, that’s how well I deal with the wee early hours.  But dragging my sorry ass out of bed to listen to someone speak and sing beautifully in an enchanting foreign language, whilst I try to follow along, is something that I think I can manage.  I’m equal parts geek and religious student right now, so I’ll let youtube be my temple for a while until I contact a gurdwara.  Hmm, ‘religion nerd’, I like that.

Seriously though, check them out.  Try leaving one on in the background for a while.  They can be quite beautiful.

-Japji Sahib

-Rahiras Sahib

-Kirtan Sohila

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Thu 8 Apr 2010

Taqwacore Preview

Posted by Michael under Islam
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Over Easter weekend I dug into the pile of new books I bought in March, starting with The Taqwacores by Michael Muhammad Knight.  Now, I won’t be encountering Islam proper until August, so I don’t want to get too into this, but I really need to say something about the book now, because it really blew me away and I wasn’t expecting that.

The Taqwacores is a fictional account of a group of young punk Muslims living in Boston and their particular take on life and Islam.  The main character, Yusef, is written as a perfect everyman whose struggle was easy to identify with despite the cultural disparity.  You don’t need to know much about Islam to see yourself in his shoes, as he mostly just reacts to the mix of punk rock chaos and various shades of Islam that surround him.  Taqwacore itself is a mixture of the words ‘hardcore’, a genre of punk music, and ‘taqwa’, an Arabic word meaning piety, or to be God-fearing.

It is a gripping yarn, effortlessly stringing together Islam with punk culture which creates a believable portrait of a movement that, for the most part, didn’t actually exist before this book was written, at least not in North America.  Michael Muhammad Knight inspired young Islamic punks to coalesce into a real Taqwacore scene.  This in turn spawned an excellent documentary film called Taqwacore: The Birth of Punk Islam which I had the privilege of watching at last year’s Vancouver International Film Festival, as well as a film adaptation of the novel, which I dearly hope will be making its way here in the near future.

Part of the reason why I enjoyed this book so much is also the reason behind why I like talking about religion in video games, and incidentally why I have a soft spot for modern imaginings of Shakespeare plays.  It’s  the synthesis of the old and the new, the ancient, medieval, and the modern.  I don’t know what it is about this combination, perhaps it’s the impression that the old ways are still practical, perhaps it’s the juxtaposition.  I can’t say that I’m quite certain, but it tickles my fancy, as they say.

I really want to just gush about this book and everything that happens in it, but I want to save that for my month of Islam where I think it would be much more insightful and relevant.  Suffice it to say that I will be actively pursuing Knight’s other work and will be sampling all the Taqwacore bands that I can come August.  But for now I will leave you with these lyrics which open The Taqwacores. Enjoy.

I see Muhammad
down at the corner store
rocking on Galaga
getting the high score

When he delivers sermons
the kids think he’s a bore
but when he smashes idols
everyone cheers for more

Muhammad was a punk rocker
he tore everything down
Muhammad was a punk rocker
and he rocked that town

All the people in Mecca
knew Muhammad’s name
they knew him by his fucked-up hair
and dangling wallet chain

They knew him by his spikes
and said he was insane
but Ali knew better
Uncle wouldn’t play their game

Muhammad was a punk rocker
you know he tore shit up
Muhammad was a punk rocker
Rancid sticker on his pickup truck

When he was in a dumpster by himself
Allah told him crazy things
for Muhammad to share with all of us
on his six holy strings


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Tue 6 Apr 2010

Stepping Into Sikhism

Posted by Michael under Sikhism
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Sat Sri Akal

My month of Sikhism is off to a slow but gentle start.  I basically took Easter weekend off, gave myself some time make the transition between the two religions.  I think that helped a lot.  March already feels like it happened years ago, and now April stretches out in front of me, long, uncertain… hairy.  Sorry, the beard is definitely getting to the itchy stage right now, I’m very aware of it.  At the moment I don’t think it makes me look particularly wise, worldly, or holy.  I’m getting more of a homeless vibe from the mirror- a spiritual vagrant.  If my hair was shorter I could probably pull off some kind of trendy hipster look.  But I have no hope of fitting into those skinny jeans, so it’s probably for the best.

There’s another reason why I’ve been slow to get into Sikhism.  It feels different than any other religion I have experienced so far, it looks perilous, closed off, difficult to penetrate.  Let me explain.  You see I feel pretty comfortable donning the suit of any particular belief system by now, of thinking and discussing things like God, prayer, faith, in a variety of contexts.  I feel like I can do so with honesty and candor.  At the very least by this point I can fake it pretty damn well.  But Sikhism doesn’t feel like just another religion, it feels like an entirely new culture, new language, new mannerisms, new food, new everything.  I wonder if I can know what it is like to be a Sikh without being East Indian, I wonder if it will matter that I’ll probably be the only white guy in the gurdwara.  I’m sure none of that really matters, being of a different race doesn’t preclude you from being sensitive to different religions, and culture, though experienced individually, can be shared.  Still, these are the things I worry about.  Different faith, different challenges.

The daily prayers are lengthy, longer than anything that have I so far encountered.  There are three central prayers to be recited in the morning, in the evening and at night.  I found a helpful booklet online that contains these in a line-by-line translation with the original Gurbani.  It is over 300 pages long.  The key word here is- daunting.  The central text of Sikhism, the Guru Granth Sahib, was available at the library in four volumes.  Large volumes.  This is not a religion of brevity.  But so far it is quite beautiful

In the platter are placed three things; truth, contentment and wisdom, as well as God’s Name, the support of all.  Whoever eats this food, whoever relishes it, is emnacipated.

-Guru Arjan, the Guru Granth Sahib

Sounds delicious.

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Sun 4 Apr 2010

A Week of Religion in Video Games

Posted by Michael under Uncategorized
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Starting the week off right with a new post!  Woot!

This week Kotaku is covering religion in video games and I could not be more excited. Their first treatment of the subject isn’t terribly awe-inspiring, but I think it hints at ideas which have the potential to be delicious, much like a pie with a filling that you have not yet encountered.  I know that pie, as a constant, is sublime in its blissful effect, and yet I see this new combination of fruit and pastry and am given pause.  Will it be all that is true and dear to me of past pies?  Of fruit, sugar, pastry and whipped cream?  Will these things come together into something that is worth my time?

I hope that the answer is a resounding, “Oh God, yes.”

I am so excited by the prospect of discussing this topic that I’m having trouble finding the right words.  And this is saying something above and beyond my usual lethargy when it comes to bringing content here, because I have been trying to put these ideas into writing for a few months now.  Suffice it to say, I think that video games are a great medium for story-telling, art, and entertainment, and that while it is often difficult to convince people that religion is an important force in the world which merits our attention, I think it would require less rhetoric to convince people that it has an incredible canvass for myth, a rich context in which many entertaining and valuable stories can be told.

And if there is one thing I would like to see more of in video games, it’s better stories.

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Fri 2 Apr 2010

A Hairy Experience

Posted by Michael under Sikhism
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So how’d you like my little April Fools bluff?  Huh?  Pretty good eh?

Yeah, not quite sure what that was.  It started off as a funny kind of visitation, but then I thought it would be a bit more believable if I made it… um, well a bit more genuine.  And weird.   I don’t think I finished it right, I was trying to write the last few paragraphs on the bus on the way back from work.

So yes, welcome to my head.

I’m not really done writing about the Baha’i faith, I feel like I left it on a bit of a negative note, but now we’re into Sikhism!  So that may have to wait until later.  I promise I enjoyed Baha’i quite a bit, I think it was my most successful month yet, but right now I really want to write about my beard.

Not much of a beard yet I know.  You’re looking at about three days worth of growth.  I knew that I was going to have to let my hair grow out this month, so I wnet a few days without shaving, just so that I could start getting used to it.  The verdict so far- it’s kind of itchy.

Unshorn hair is part of the five K’s of Sikhism, five articles of faith worn by baptized Sikhs, a right called Amrit Sanchar.  This is the formal entry of the everyday man or woman into the Sikh religion, where one swears to live up to the ideal and practices of the religion and adopts the five K’s.  I don’t think that this is something that I will be partaking in this month, as it implies a genuine will to practice and cultivate the Sikh life throughout one’s life.  However, I can practice the five K’s in spirit, and letting my hair grow out is pretty simple to do.  This is called kesh, and symbolizes a respect for God’s creation.  Sikh’s believe that hair is a gift from God, and so to cut it would be a sign of disrespect.

I like this part of Sikhism, outward signs like the kesh set Sikhs apart from everyone else, and harken back to the days where they actively monitored and secured their communities against outward and inward threats.  This is probably still true today, though modern society has probably essoned this Sikh responsibilty.  I guess I’ll be finding out for myself.

Hope eveyrone has a good Good Friday (yay repitition) I’m off to enjoy another transition day.

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Thu 1 Apr 2010

A New Experience

Posted by Michael under Uncategorized
1 Comment

I’ve been trying to write about this all day. It’s slow going,
I’m taking every opportunity I can between customers to type what sounds like nonesense into my iPhone so that I can put this onto the blog. I feel frazzled, a bit jittery, not myself. Just need to get this written down while the memory of it all is still fresh.

I’ve never had what I would call a ‘religious experience.’ I have felt indescribable feelings of itense awe and emotion when confronted with amazing pieces of art or inspirational words and performances, but never anything that other people have called religious. I have never had that feeling of the unseen Other that most people describe when they fall to the floor and begin speaking in tongues, or however people get through these sorts of things.

After my post last night I couldn’t sleep. This isn’t anything new these days. For the better part of the week I haven’t been sleeping properly. I was worried about the next month, thinking about God, nothing new. I don’t know what happened next, whether or not I managed to fall asleep, but I remember becoming aware of something terrible, something horrifying. I couldn’t move.

My jaw was clenched shut, and I think I may have been shaking, but I definitely remember everything getting rather… ugly. It was like the colour and life was suddenly being sucked out of everything, and even though it was dark I felt assualted on all sides by this distortion, this perversion of eveything around me. I must have been shaking by that point, shaking despite my repeated attempts to move, to turn my head away, to close my eyes.

Looking back now, I’m reminded of Karen Armstrong, about her autobiography where she described what it was like to suffer from seizures before anyone had diagnosed them as anything other than manifestations of deep psychological issues. She wrote about how everything went dark, how everything turned into sickly, ghostly forms that terrified her just before she would black out. On hindsight his may have been what I was experiencing, but I can’t say that I’m entirely sold. Karen Armstrong never said anything about hallucinating voices.

I couldn’t understand what it or they were saying. It wasn’t quite English, wasn’t quite human, and wasn’t really one voice. It was… difficult to describe, and even more of a trial to experience. To be frank I have never been so scared. Whatever this voice was, it was all around me, making me claustrophobic, pushing me down into my bed. It was so strong I thought I was going to die, that I was being crushed to death by each indecipherable utterance.

Waking was an experience in itself. I went from a state of sheer and utter panic to that of waking from a pleasant nap in a single moment. The last thing I remember was thinking that I could almost understand what was happening, that I could almost make sense of my pain and of what was verbally assualting me, and then I was waking up. It was like the whole thing had happened to someone else.

I almost leaped out of bed, my mind completely out of sync with my body, convincing it to flee, to run, to hide, to fight, to do anything but lay still and pretend it was all a dream. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to convince myself of that. But really, does it matter? I don’t know if I would be any more at ease knowing that this was some trick or misfiring in my mind than it was some… thing else. The only reason I’m equating this with something spiritual is because it happened in the context of the Year of Faith, and I cannot help but make that connection.

Whatever it was, I’m certain that I never want to experience anything like that ever again. Ever.

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Thu 1 Apr 2010

Problems with Baha’i

Posted by Michael under Baha'i
[3] Comments

I think that I’ve mentioned a few times now that there are some problems with this faith, some issues I have with a couple of things that Baha’is have said and that I have seen in their sacred writings.  Because of the nature of the Baha’i faith, the stress it puts on the individuals independent search for truth, progressive revelation, and the need to be in line with scientific discovery, I don’t feel that these are real deal-breakers.  At no point did these problems I have make me want to stop practicing, or make me respect Baha’is any less.  I will stress this again once I write my final summary on my time with Baha’i, but the overall feeling I got was that the Baha’i faith is concerned for the continued flourishing and spiritual development of humanity.  Period.  Anything else is window dressing, and anything that gets in the way of this needs to be reflected on and revised.  These are some things that, in my opinion, can and do get in the way of that goal:

Discrimination Against Homosexuality

I have no idea why this is even here.  Honestly, the last time I investigated the Baha’i faith this threw me for a spin and I’m still not used to it.  But it’s here, a blemish on an otherwise beautiful countenance, and so it deserves some words.  The fact of the matter is that the Baha’i faith does not recognize same-sex marriage, and actually harbours a fair bit of bias against homosexuality in general.  It all stems from a few passages from Baha’u'llah:

It is forbidden you to wed your fathers’ wives. We shrink, for very shame, from treating of the subject of boys. Fear ye the Merciful, O peoples of the world! Commit not that which is forbidden you in Our Holy Tablet, and be not of those who rove distractedly in the wilderness of their desires.1

Ye are forbidden to commit adultery, sodomy and lechery. Avoid them, O concourse of the faithful. By the righteousness of God! Ye have been called into being to purge the world from the defilement of evil passions. This is what the Lord of all mankind hath enjoined upon you, could ye but perceive it. He who relateth himself to the All-Merciful and committeth satanic deeds, verily he is not of Me. Unto this beareth witness every atom, pebble, tree and fruit, and beyond them this ever-proclaiming, truthful and trustworthy Tongue.2

Shoghi Effendi has interpreted this to mean that Baha’u'llah was ordering injunctions against homosexual activities and therefore unions that would endorse such activities.

Bahá’u'lláh has spoken very strongly against this shameful sexual aberration, as He has against adultery and immoral conduct in general. We must try and help the soul to overcome them.

No matter how devoted and fine the love may be between people of the same sex, to let it find expression in sexual acts is wrong. To say that it is ideal is no excuse. Immorality of every sort is really forbidden by Bahá’u'lláh, and homosexual relationships He looks upon as such, besides being against nature.

To be afflicted this way is a great burden to a conscientious soul. But through the advice and help of doctors, through a strong and determined effort, and through prayer, a soul can overcome this handicap.3

From a religion that purports to be dedicated to erasing the boundaries between people as well as bias and prejudice from the individual’s spirit, this is really, really weird.  I see no connection between what Baha’u'llah has said in the above passages and what Shoghi Effendi infers.  I don’t see how they can get out of this, either.  The Universal House of Justice, the head of the Baha’i faith, is unable to change any legislation that it has not enacted, which is to say it cannot go back on anything that was laid down by Baha’u'llah, Shoghi Effendi, or Abdul Baha- the last two being the only ones permitted to interpret Baha’u'llah’s writings.  But if Baha’is want to be taken seriously there is no way they can carry on with this kind of doctrine, especially if they wish to jive with science and reunite humanity.

I didn’t bring this up with many of the Baha’is I met because I was scared of what would happen, and that is what is happening right now- I’m getting frustrated and angry, and I really didn’t want that to spoil what have otherwise been amazing interactions with amazing people.  This kind of thing- needless and irrational bigotry, really stirs me up.

I mentioned before that I didn’t think that these problems were deal breakers.  When I have brought up this issue, the Baha’is I talked to understood that it was a problem, a contradiction, and seemed genuinely flummoxed over how to solve it.  They were open to it though, they were not stubbornly holding on to this idea, which tells me that their beliefs in tearing down divisions between us is higher than being fickle over who gets to tie the knot.  This is a good sign, a sign that they will not be holding onto this position forever.

Still, it’s just so weird to even see it.

Disrespect to Unbelievers

There is a lot of language in Baha’i writings which suggests or outright states that all good and moral things come from God and God alone, even advances in science and technology are considered to be attained only through the spiritual advancement given to us by God through His manifestations.

The first duty prescribed by God for His servants is the recognition of Him Who is the Daypsring of His Revelation and the Fountain of His laws… Whoso achieveth this duty hath attained unto all good; and whoso is deprived thereof hath gone astray, though he be author of every righteous deed.4

You can see how this has left the unbeliever in the lurch, without God in their life or on their mind, how are they supposed to get about with their day?  How are they supposed to navigate history if everything that is good is Godly?  Again, we are in weird territory for a religion doing its utmost to bring the world together.

I haven’t had any Baha’is overtly say that atheists are bad people- even though the Baha’i writings tend to communicate that.  There is however this sentiment that God is what keeps us in line, His teachings are what helps us to ignore and overcome our animal instincts and behaviors and realize our more spiritual aspects.  This is especially true when we are “tested”, when we are presented with moral quandaries or particularly  trying periods.  Without God or the guidance of His manifestations we may just act on the will of our egos and other selfish desires.

Do I really need to get into this?  At this point?  Really?  I can’t just say the words “Catholic priest” and make all these silly notions that it’s religious study and service that make you a good person just dissolve and be swept away?  I realize that I might be nitpicking, I realize that the Baha’is I’ve met wouldn’t judge me like this, but I just can’t help but wonder what they think when they see these things in their religion.  It all feels so backwards.

It’s late and I have more to say, but I need to sleep, and I need to post something.  I don’t want you all thinking that these are my final thoughts on the Baha’i faith because there are a lot of positive things to say, I’m just so tired.

1. The Kitab-i-Aqdas, paragraph 170.

2. “From a previously untranslated Tablet” it claims to be from the Gleanings of Baha’u'llah but I can’t find it.

3. Homosexuality.

4. The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p19.

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Wed 31 Mar 2010

Link Dump One

Posted by Michael under Uncategorized
1 Comment

I like to think of this as a space where I can share a variety of stories, articles, and various little things about religion that I have found useful on my journey or are just plain awesome.  To that end, here are some links that have been gathering dust in my browser.  I hope that this will be the first of many.  Enjoy.

Sam Harris Talk at Authors@Google- If you enjoyed the TED talk I posted, this is a slightly longer version followed by a fairly intelligent Q&A.

Sam Harris Responds to His Critics- An essay by Harris addressing major concerns with his thesis that science can help us answer moral questions.  If you hadn’t guessed by now, I think the point he’s making is kind of important and worth some attention.

10 Things Christians and Atheists Can (And Must) Agree On- An amusing article that I think nails a lot of the miscommunication and presumption that occurs between believers and the faithfully challenged.  Found via my friend Angus on Facebook.

Paint Your Faith- An interesting art project where a small group of artists takes over an unused wall to create a mural depicting their interpretation of what faith means.  And it’s coming to Vancouver!  Squee.

Baha’i Rants- A really good blog covering all things Baha’i. I discovered it late in the month, but I will be following it in the months to come.

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Fri 26 Mar 2010

Recap

Posted by Michael under Baha'i
[2] Comments

Allah-u-Abha.

Wow. So much has happened in the past week, it’s getting hard to keep track and make sure I get everything written down. But I don’t want to leave this blog without content for too long, I was doing so well before, so I’ll give you the basics of what has happened so that we can can be all caught up. Sound good? Good.

On Saturday I celebrated Naw Ruz, which marks the Baha’i new year and the end of the Nineteen Day Fast. The celebration took place in the Baha’i Centre with hundreds of local Baha’is of pretty much any ethnicity you can care to name. That was the really striking thing about it. Sure, there was still the high school lunchroom racial segregation, with like congregating with like around their own tables- but it was there. Diversity was evident no matter where you looked. I shared the table with Jack and some of his Anglo-Saxon family as well as four charming and friendly Iranians who eagerly told me about their experiences immigrating to Canada and then moving around to spread the faith.

It didn’t reel formal, more like a yearly family reunion. Kids ran amok, the young served the old, the food was basic and hearty and the entertainment was low key and beautiful. It was everything one could expect from a small and friendly community. I left feeling refreshed, and looked forward to being able to investigate all the things I had been denying myself for the last nineteen days.

Paradoxically I miss food. Food really does taste amazing when you limit yourself to one meal a day. You spend a lot of time thinking about it, there’s a lot of build up, and unless you have a specific plan you will feel paralyzed by choice once the sun goes down. Everything looks delicious, and it will be. But now, food is, well… commonplace again. It isn’t special anymore, and tastes just the same. I will often deliberately slow down when I’m eating now so that I can get that same feeling, that same sensitivity to taste, and it actually works. I still find myself thinking that maybe getting by on one meal a day wouldn’t be a bad idea. It is, of course. I’m sure it’s unhealthy for a number of reasons. Still, I miss it.

I still don’t have a lot of time for video games, but they are way better. Feels like anything that’s new and shiny- brilliantly entertaining, novel, and exciting. I look forward to my days off so that I’ll have time to properly enjoy them, heck I’m even willing to wake up early.  But I’m also acutely aware of how much time they take up, and that is a truly precious commodity these days.  I am starting to feel a pull in myself, a nagging feeling that I might just have to let this favourite pastime of mine slide, perhaps for good.  I don’t know if I can do that, I really enjoy the medium and I feel there is an enormous potential there for storytelling and artistic expression.  We’ll see.

Sex is, well, awesome. Let us not pretend that it could be otherwise between two adults who have been desperate for each other for more than two weeks.  Of the three things I was denying myself during the fast, this was the one I probably thought the most about, and now, almost a week after the fast had concluded, I don’t really think about it anymore.  I can’t tell if this is because the fast has helped me master that particular appetite, but it does feel kind of liberating, like I have mastered my body.

All in all the fast was a very positive experience and helped me to appreciate several things that I have taken for granted.  I’m looking forward to being able to partake in it again.

Tuesday was my last lesson with Jack, at the end of which he invited me to join the Baha’i faith.  I said, “Sure.”  Now, let’s back up.  Joining the faith does not require a baptismal right, or a formal declaration of faith, communion wafer, list of references, radishes, none of that.  Baha’is usually eschew religious rituals, and although joining the faith used to be a bit more onerous it’s now as simple as filing in a card with your name and address, putting it in the post and waiting for your shiny laminated membership card.  Going through this process basically brings you formally into the Baha’i community- you’re a member with a monthly newsletter and a card and don’t have any added responsibilities.  The expectation is that you’ll take part in the community, but as with anything, you’re level of involvement is strictly up to you.   From what I can tell it’s open to people of any belief or persuasion, so long as they’re in good standing.  Basically, don’t be a dick.  This much I think I can handle.

I can’t say that I don’t have issues with this religion, but from what I’ve seen I feel privileged just to be counted amongst them as a friend.  I feel joining their movement in this small way is a fitting cap on my Baha’i experience without being hypocritical.  It’s a wonderful community and I would love to keep in touch with them throughout the year and beyond.  Also did I mention the card?  They put your name on it and everything.

The pandit spoke first. “Mr. Patel, Piscine’s piety is admirable. In these troubled times it’s good to see a boy so keen on God. We all agree on that.” The imam and the priest nodded. “But he can’t be a Hindu, a Christian and a Muslim. It’s impossible. He must choose.”

“I don’t think it’s a crime, but I suppose you’re right,” Father replied. The three murmured agreement and looked heavenward, as did Father, whence they felt the decision must come. Mother looked at me. A silence fell heavily on my shoulders.

“Hmmm, Piscine?” Mother nudged me. “How do you feel about the question?”

“Bapu Gandhi said, ‘All religions are true.’ I just want to love God,” I blurted out, and looked down, red in the face. My embarrassment was contagious. No one said anything. It happened that we were not far from the statue of Gandhi on the esplanade. Stick in hand, an impish smile on his lips, a twinkle in his eyes, the Mahatma walked. I fancy that he heard our conversation, but that he paid even greater attention to my heart. Father cleared his throat and said in a half-voice,

“I suppose that’s what we’re all trying to do—love God.” I thought it very funny that he should say that, he who hadn’t stepped into a temple with a serious intent since I had had the faculty of memory. But it seemed to do the trick. You can’t reprimand a boy for wanting to love God. The three wise men pulled away with stiff, grudging smiles on their faces. Father looked at me for a second, as if to speak, then thought better, said, “Ice cream, anyone?” and headed for the closest ice cream wallah before we could answer. Mother gazed at me a little longer, with an expression that was both tender and perplexed. That was my introduction to interfaith dialogue. Father bought three ice cream sandwiches. We ate them in unusual silence as we continued on our Sunday walk.

-The Life of Pi, Yann Martel

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Tue 23 Mar 2010

And Now For Something Completely Different

Posted by Michael under Uncategorized
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I haven’t been posting lately, so instead of my words I give you a TED talk by Sam Harris, who you’ll be hearing a lot about come October.  This isn’t strictly Baha’i, but it is about religion and how we make moral choices and I enjoyed it a great deal.  At the very least it will provide some food for thought.

Enjoy.

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