Sunday, November 6, 2011

Let us build a better world together, says Mike Ghouse. Here’s how

It is a delight to read my article reformated by my  friend Susan McKenzie,  making the article more meaningful and powerful. Thanks  you Susan - Mike Ghouse


November 6, 2011
by Susan McKenzie
WHAT DOES LIVE AND LET LIVE MEAN?
We need to think about this as our neighbours may be of a different religion and culture. In America, Australia, Asia and Europe – your neighbours could be Hindus, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Atheists, Pagans, Wiccans, Zoroastrians and all manner of others as well.

LET A THOUSAND FLOWERS BLOOM
Why should anyone stand up for you, if you are not willing to do the same for others?

THE PLURALISTIC FACTS OF LIFE
Other people follow different beats in their hearts and even if we find it difficult to understand why they don’t embrace our faith we should respect their way of life.

LEVELS OF ACCEPTANCE
We may not want to take part in the prayers and ceremonies of Jewish, Muslim or Hindu religions if we are Christian, but we should have enough respect in our hearts to realize that devout Jews, Muslims and Hindus could never be expected to become Christians, or embrace all aspects of secular culture.

EXTENDING RESPECT
We should also respect Christians and others who are prepared to attend the prayer sessions of other religions because they believe in pluralism, harmony and as a way of showing respect to others.


ACTION FOR GOOD AND GODLINESS
In fact, these actions confirm our beliefs in the overall goodness of religion. Embracing our fellow man and partaking in his religious ceremonies actually gets us closer to God. Think about it – what would you be doing if you were not doing that? You might be at a ball game (nothing wrong with that) or watching television (nothing wrong with that either), but if you are in a Temple of God, a Mosque of God or a Church of God then you are drawing nearer to God.


DRAW NEARER TO GOD AND GOODNESS
Jesus (PBUH) was a Jew and worshipped in synagogues – if what is good enough for Jesus, it must also be good enough for us. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) also worshipped God with non-Muslims. Hinduism may not be about one God but nevertheless we could look upon this religion as encompassing all aspects of God from different perspectives. At the very least it is about holiness and respect and that can only be good.



WHY WE SHOULD BUILD UP OTHER’S FAITHS
Look at your world – do we have enough Godliness in it? The world would be so much better if everyone had a religion and practised it as best they could. We should make it our life purpose to build up Godliness in all and that includes respecting and supporting all religion.


WHAT EACH FAITH IS
Mike Ghouse: Each faith is dear to the believer and no faith is superior to the other either. Faith is about humility. All faiths are designed to bring solace to its followers. Religion is a mechanism that gives hopes and restores one’s balance with what surrounds one; people and the environment.


LET US BUILD A BETTER WORLD BLESSING
B: Building up should be our aim in life. Build up the Godliness within us and then we can help others.
L: Live and let live, because living in a respectful way leads on to building better communities and societies.
E: Embrace Godliness by showing respect to all good and wholesome religions. Every major religion (Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Hinduism, Buddhism and more) have good and wholesome values at their core.
S: Show respect and make this a better world.
S: Showing respect will increase the amount of respect in this world, including respect for your beliefs and religion.

Y: You are an ambassador of your religion if you say you have a religion, so do remember to be the best ambassador that you can be.
O: Our world will be so much nicer if we put respect at the forefront of our understanding of the practices by people with other religions. Other people follow different beats in their hearts and even if we can’t understand why they don’t embrace our faith we should respect their way of life. Our heart should be a heart of respect.
U: Understand the interplay of religion and culture and seek to increase the understanding in the world by being the personification of the good aspects of your religion.


BEST BLESSING: Building respect leads on to building understanding and with understanding we may have more respect. Respect and understanding leads to a more harmonious society – a more peaceful society where more people can operate together and flourish. Will you help in this grand scheme of building up society in this way? Encourage everyone to practice their religion by really respecting the practice of religion generally. Godliness and being godly and goodly in our natures is what makes the world a better place.


SOURCE OF THIS POSTING
http://mikeghouseforindia.blogspot.com/2011/11/bigotry-against-hinduism-in-kentucky.html
Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer committed to build a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. His work is fully indexed at www.MikeGhouse.net


Susan McKenzie is an English teacher with over 20 years teaching experience. Susan has worked in the British Council and Linguaphone, well-known language teaching organizations. Susan is a London-trained lawyer, and has also been an editor in an international book publishing house and a national magazine. In her teens, Susan was a Sunday School teacher and in 2006 was appointed as an Ambassador of Peace by the Universal Peace Federation and Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace. Susan is also a co-author of two law books: English Legal System and Company Law, published by Blackstone, Oxford University Press. For enquiries about the IELTS, practical English and pronunciation courses Susan teaches, email susanmckenzie2003@yahoo.co.uk. FOR DAILY BLESSINGS: www.abetoday.com

2 comments:

  1. Dear Mike, I feel it is the greatest privilege to be able to work with your words. Words that are blessed and infused with your spirit and the Spirit of God. If only people could put fear to one side and then love could emerge. We always talk about goals and we should develop love. We can’t do that until we have conquered fear. Fear is at the bottom of many negative actions although it is a rare human being that would admit that. Admitting fear is the first goal and conquering fear is the next goal, then developing love is our ultimate goal. Thank you Mike – it is to your credit that you permit me to do this. Blessings.http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2011/11/let-us-build-better-world-together-says.html

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dear Mike, I feel it is the greatest privilege to be able to work with your words. Words that are blessed and infused with your spirit and the Spirit of God. If only people could put fear to one side and then love could emerge. We always talk about goals and we should develop love. We can’t do that until we have conquered fear. Fear is at the bottom of many negative actions although it is a rare human being who would admit that. Admitting fear is the first goal and conquering fear is the next goal, then developing love is our ultimate goal. Thank you Mike – it is to your credit that you permit me to do this. Blessings. http://​theghousediary.blogspot.com/​2011/11/​let-us-build-better-world-toget​her-says.html

    ReplyDelete