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Search - A World of Faith

A World of Faith
Author: Peggy Fletcher Stack, Kathleen B. Peterson

Preface to the Special Edition Light the fire within. This is the theme of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. It refers to the inner spark that drives athletes to reach their highest potential. It could also suggest a belief in the divine light that radiates within every human being, a notion that is taught in every religious tr... more »adition. The Olympic ideals, as symbolized by five rings, parallel notions common in spiritual teachings. The first ideal is peace, which can be within one soul or among nations. The second is friendship and goodwill among people. The third is fair play and sportsmanship, which reflects the commitment to justice that is common to all belief systems. The fourth is appreciation of art, which in many cases throughout history has glorified the divine. The fifth is brightness and enthusiasm for the Games. Religious motivation has been part of the Games from the beginning when the competitions were held in a stadium in Olympia, near Athens, to honor the Greek gods. The early competitions were accompanied by pageantry normally associated with religion—processions, sacrifices, altars, flames and banquets. Feats of prowess and agility were meant to please Zeus, the chief god, and then Apollo and Poseidon. For the athletes, body and soul were inseparable. To attempt the impossible, they had to ignite an inner fire in the name of a higher power. Today's athletes drive their bodies to peak performances, uniting spirit and motion. And there are many thanks offered to God, to an unnamed Supreme Being, or to a superhuman spark for these gifts and accomplishments. Athletes often feel aided by a divine power that exceeds their own. The same impulse that drives physical achievement also creates new civilizations and communities. Whether they call it God or inner light or faith or revelation, human beings have always sought something better, higher, and more pure. Every culture the world over has established a set of beliefs about the way the world works and how it responds to the Higher Source. Sometimes those views conflict, even violently. Organized religion has inspired the best in human history including new and often revolutionary social teachings about justice, glorious houses of worship, works of art, and acts of selflessness. It has also spawned the worst depravity, cruelty, forced conversions, and war. The best hope to end such conflict in the name of religion is increased knowledge of the various traditions and what they have in common. This book celebrates that quest to understand diversity. It is meant to be a glimpse, a taste, an awakening, rather than the last word. Each section opens with a story about a particular faith's origins. It talks about founders and founding events in a simplified way. This is not academic history but faith stories in the words of that tradition. The second paragraph for each religious tradition conveys some of its current practices, focusing on infancy, coming of age, worship, and marriage rituals. Every entry has been read by people who represent that religious tradition or by a religion scholar to verify accuracy and tone. The language may occasionally seem difficult or "insider" for those not of the faith, but we believe that it is important for children from each group to be able to recognize themselves and their faith in words that are familiar to them. We have organized the religions in alphabetical order to avoid preference. We omitted mentioning how many adherents a religion has because we believe religious ideas should be considered on their merits and not by the size of the group. We have chosen to illustrate the faiths with images that are largely historical because current believers tend to dress more alike. An understanding of history is crucial to grasp both the differences and the similarities among traditions. These twenty-eight religious groups are representative but also arbitrary. We chose Hopi to convey the sense of all Native American religions, though there are wide differences among the more than 500 native traditions. In Utah, for example, there are five major Indian tribes including the Goshute, Navajo, Paiute, Shoshoni, and Ute. Similarly Yorubas stand for all African tribal religions of which there are hundreds. Because America's religious landscape is dominated by Christians, we describe more Christian variations than other religions. But we are well aware that there are dozens more Protestant groups as well as many sects of Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism and Islam that we could have portrayed. To reduce redundancy, we have not described the story of Jesus common to all Christian believers. Christians see Jesus as Christ, the Son of God, who became a man 2,000 years ago. According to the Christian Bible, Jesus was put to death on a cross, but then rose from the dead. Christians believe that by accepting Jesus as the Christ, they will be forgiven for their sins and live with God forever. This book emphasizes the ways in which each Christian group's understanding or emphasis is a bit different from all the others. Bigotry begins with ignorance, and many of today's children know little or nothing about faiths other than their own. Worse, some believers demonize those of other faiths, completely misunderstanding the essence of that belief system, mistaking politics for doctrines. The Olympic Games provide a chance for global understanding. We hope these pages will show people of the 21st century their connectedness so that they can be tomorrow's peacemakers. Our world needs them more than ever. Peggy Fletcher Stack and Kathleen Peterson

November 2001

ISBN-13: 9781560851165
ISBN-10: 1560851163
Publication Date: 11/1998
Pages: 64
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Rating:

0 stars, based on 0 rating

Publisher: Signature Books
Book Type: Hardcover
Members Wishing: 1
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

Genres:

Children's Books >> Religions >> General

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