Interfaith dialog with panel speakers highlights religious traditions at Pastoral Congress

Friday, Sep. 23, 2016

DRAPER — A special feature at this year’s Diocese of Salt Lake City Pastoral Congress was a panel of seven people representing various religious traditions, who each spoke briefly about their faith.

The panel members were Pamela Atkinson, a member of the First Presbyterian Church; Alan Bachman, a member of Utah’s Jewish community; Brian Farr, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Imam Muhammed Mehtar of the Khadeeja Mosque; Indrea Neelameggham, a Hindu; Geoffrey Russell, a Buddhist; and JB Singh, a Sikh.

Because of time constraints, they were limited to five-minute presentations; they were given questions about mercy as suggestions. 

“If I follow Christ’s teachings, I know exactly what I need to do, and forgiveness is one of them,” said Atkinson, who is well-known for her work with the homeless. She added that when she faces criticism for her advocacy, she tries to educate the person about the issues of homelessness. “If I didn’t forgive them, if I just moved on, what a chance I would miss to help that person bless somebody else’s life.”

Buddhists focus on compassion rather than mercy, Russell said, because while mercy and forgiveness can be filled with resentment, “if we instead work with compassion, to see ourselves in the other, then our attitude changes, and now we don’t grant forgiveness, we simply understand and let go of our resentments.”

Farr told the story of Brigham Young, who, after he became angry one day, went to pray and was overheard to say, “Bend, knees! Bend!”

Farr also displayed a quote reading, “Mormons believe we can pray for strength to forgive. The Lord is ready to bless us with power and increased love for others. When we try harder to look for the good in people and stop judging them, it is easier to love them. …”

Neelameggham said Hinduism is passed on to children by the telling of stories that illustrate what moral principles should or shouldn’t be cultivated, and she told the story of Ahalya, who was seduced by the king of the gods and cursed by her husband for infidelity.  She asked the audience to consider who forgave in the story, whether it was right for the husband to curse the wife when the transgression wasn’t her fault, and who should be punished.

“That is how we teach the quality of mercy,” Neelameggham said. “You cannot give up the repercussions of your actions whether inadvertent or (intentional); you have to reap the consequences, yet you will be forgiven, and there is mercy; and steadfastness and devotion are always rewarded.”

The introductory paragraph for Imam Mehtar shown on the screen in the room was a quote from Dr. Muzzamil Siddiqi, “Islam states two aspects of forgiveness: Allah’s forgiveness and human forgiveness. Allah the Almighty is the most forgiving. There are many names of Allah given in the Qur’an, some of which are related to His mercy and forgiveness. We need both, because we do wrong in our relations to Allah as well as in our relations to each other.”

The imam said forgiveness is a very broad topic, but to move to a higher level of success, one must adopt forgiveness, because it creates success for oneself and inclines the other person toward a positive outcome.

The world needs more mercy, more forgiveness, even when it is not deserved, said Bachman, referencing the Biblical story of Joseph, who forgave his brothers who sold him into slavery. That forgiveness made him a righteous person, “and that is what we should all aim to be – not try to measure everything with weights and scales and everything; as long as we do that we’re probably going to destroy this planet,” he said.

The Bible states that the merits of righteous actions last for thousands of years, but the negative impact of bad actions last only for about seven generations, so Bachman suggested that those present should think of themselves as people “who through your own merit and great works, that you can carry on what you do for thousands of years and help other people as they are on this planet, because we know it isn’t easy here.”

Singh gave a brief history of Sikhism; one of the quotes that was displayed while he spoke was from Guru Granth Sahib Ji: “Those who have truth as their fast, contentment as their pilgrimage, spiritual wisdom and meditation as their cleansing bath, kindness as their deity, and forgiveness as their chanting beads, they are the most excellent people.”

The spirit of forgiveness gives peace of mind and good health, Singh said. For Sikhs, “forgiveness is as necessary for life as the food we eat and the air we breathe,” he said.

The panel, which was held during the lunch at the Sept. 17 Pastoral Congress, was very well attended, said Susan Northway, director of the diocesan Office of Religious Education. 

A similar event is being planned for next year, particularly because “the Holy Father is calling us to interfaith dialog,” Northway said.