I have never had more appreciation for other faiths until I became a missionary. It´s our "job" to talk about religion so we interact with people with various beliefs on a daily basis. It´s interesting to me that many will smile and reply "Bom Dia" to us while others simply look at us strangely. The Brasilians have a phrase that is very common to hear here "Deus é um só." or "There´s only one God." And it´s true, we really are all worshiping the same God and doing the best we can to follow the example of Jesus Christ. It is so easy to find the good in every religion. For example, I always admire the Jehovas Witness for their dedication in proselyting. There are members of some faiths here that have strict rules about how to wear their hair and what to wear, and they follow! It´s very impressive to me. No matter where we are or who we are talking to we always hear "Oh because those people believe blah blah blah....". We find ourselves defending other religions and ask "Have you actually visited their church to know for yourself is that true?" I was impressed with a young man who came to church on Sunday for that reason! He belongs to the 7th-day Adventist church and was reading a book about religion. When he read the part about his church he told us that everything was a lie. He thought to himself "Hm, if all the doctrine about my faith is wrong, probably everything about all the other faiths is too." So he decided to find out for himself and he showed up at church! I told him "Wow, good for you because usually NO ONE does that. Unfortunately they just listen to the gossip that others spread and believe anything."
We were talking to another young lady we are teaching and she said "We study religion in my church, you guys believe, blah blah blah and this religion believes blah blah blah" She then said a lot of mean things about other faiths and their beliefs. I asked her if you had a question about your math homework would you go to your English teacher? She said "No of course not, my math teacher." We explained that it should be the same way with religion, if she has a question she can ask us, or about any other faith she should ask the member of that faith instead of discussing and ridiculing other religions in her church. I asked her if she thought thats what Christ would do. If we try we can really learn a lot from everyone. We can look for the good in everything that other religions practice and their doctrines. Truly "everything good comes from God" and all is a preparation for the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. We have made so many friends from other religions and I am grateful! I have learned so much and have gained so much respect for each and every child of God, no matter what their beliefs. Deus realmente é um só and His love for all of His children is infinite!
We were talking to another young lady we are teaching and she said "We study religion in my church, you guys believe, blah blah blah and this religion believes blah blah blah" She then said a lot of mean things about other faiths and their beliefs. I asked her if you had a question about your math homework would you go to your English teacher? She said "No of course not, my math teacher." We explained that it should be the same way with religion, if she has a question she can ask us, or about any other faith she should ask the member of that faith instead of discussing and ridiculing other religions in her church. I asked her if she thought thats what Christ would do. If we try we can really learn a lot from everyone. We can look for the good in everything that other religions practice and their doctrines. Truly "everything good comes from God" and all is a preparation for the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. We have made so many friends from other religions and I am grateful! I have learned so much and have gained so much respect for each and every child of God, no matter what their beliefs. Deus realmente é um só and His love for all of His children is infinite!
-Sister Peck
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