Title
- Ramadan day 11 Dallas Family Church
Date
- Monday, July 30, 2012 | Ramadan11, 1433
Mosque
(not a Mosque) - Dallas Family Church (214)
905-9233
Address
- 1922 Anson Road, Dallas, TX 75235
Iftaar
Time today: 8:31 PM CST
Recommended reading
listed below the note
Today’s Iftaar
was at Dallas Family Church.
 |
| Rev. Kook Jin
Moon |
Dallas Family Church is
a place I visit a few times a year, and it is always a joy to be there, the
folks at this ministry are committed to the interfaith work. Indeed, they have
become a family to me, particularly Rev. Mark Hernandez. If he asks me to drop
other things and join him, I will do that out of respect for this great man. As
the month progresses, I will share some extraordinary stories and experiences
from the interfaith events, including the one tonight.
Reverend Moon’s ministry
has made several trips to Jerusalem with the Middle East Peace Initiative, and I
have been with them as well. In Korea this March, they held an international
meeting with thousands attending from across the globe. They celebrated the
interfaith movement with a unique concept - they made 4 Gold plated statues of
major religious leaders; Moses, Jesus, Buddha and for Islam, they made a gold
plated symbol of Quraan on a pedestal and conducted their meetings under the
umbrella of these. They are very respectful of Islam, and I have opened many a
sessions with interfaith prayers.
Today, Rev. Kook Jin
Moon made it to Dallas, a Harvardian heading his father’s business, an inventor
himself and a powerful speaker. He is visiting several Cities in the United
States and other countries on a mission about creating freedom societies,
similar to mine building cohesive societies, but his emanates from theology of
Rev. Sun Myung Moon, his father.
Mark asked me to join
him to hear Kook Jin this evening, and also asked me to join for lunch. I
mentioned to him that I will join them, but that, I am fasting.
Mark Sat
next to me and was reluctant to eat, I broke the ice, and told everyone to
simply enjoy their food, the more temptations sit in front of me, the stronger I
get in my fasting, indeed, I looked into each delicious dish, and took pictures
as well. The food looked real good.
 |
| Delicious "looking" Korean food
|
Then
I spoke about what fasting was all about - it’s to bring Taqwa, the spirituality
in us, it is getting closer to God and acquiring those qualities - to be kind,
forgiving, generous, loving and caring towards all of God’s creation, and to
learn to be ourselves by being ourselves rather than go with the
flow.
Kook Jin Moon shared
some powerful views about freedom, less government, less regulations and let the
freedom determine the outcomes. Ideologically, it sounds good and almost like
the concept of “freedom wins” at last. I shared the concept of freedom
expressed in Quran 2:256, that there shall not be no compulsion in the maters of
faith.
Furthermore, God could have prevented or programmed Adam to be
obedient, and we would not have been kicked out of heaven. God means business,
when he gave free will to Adam, he meant it. He did not interrupt, nor did he
slap Adam for disobedience. Adam knew there was a consequence to his decision,
and we are living it.
When Christians talk
about the first sin, or being born sinners, they mean that it is in our DNA to
disobey, and that we have to do our inner Jihad to be free again.
On the other hand, the
Saudi Police is intolerant of Muslims who do not fast, as if they are
responsible to God on the Day of Judgment. I don’t know if Iran has enforcers.
What an individual does is his own business and not any one’s. Similarly, a few
Muslims embarrass others by blatantly asking them if they are observing the
fast. On our part, we should not look down on those who don’t observe fasting,
as it amounts to degrading our own taqwa. I do hope our Imams agree with this.
Isn’t Islam about common sense and free will?
Rev. Mark Hernandez is
Chair for the seven states area for the American Clergy Association and Family
federation of Churches, in 2005 he heard me on 820 AM Radio and came to the
Unity Day USA, since then we have become friends. The founder of this world wide
church is Rev. Sun Myung Moon whose ministry is based in South Korea, but has
flourished well in the United States. He is quite an influential person on the
world stage. I have had the opportunity to have breakfast with him and his wife
at 4:30 AM a few years ago, and also welcomed him in Dallas by placing a Garland
on him, and my late wife Najma had welcomed his wife Rev. Hak Jahan Moon. I have
met with three of their sons, who run their own businesses and head the church
now, and thier daughter Rev. Injin Moon, who heads the Church in the United
States.
BREAKING THE
FAST
The program was from 7-10 PM and breaking of fast was at 8:32
PM. I had informed Rev. Hernandez earlier, who had informed Rev. Moon that I
will be stepping out for Iftaar, thank God; Mrs. Yuri Hernandez had set a fruit
plate for me and Marzuk Jami, the other Muslim among some 250 people in a packed
hall to listen to Kook Jin Moon. By the way, we quietly walked out and did our
Iftaar and Maghrib prayers in the fellowship hall. My i-phone compass worked to
point to the Kaaba.
This is the first
time I am on the other side of the fence.
Five years ago, my Sikh and
Zoroastrian friends reluctantly shared a story from seven years ago, and they
wanted to know why Muslims had walked out on them in the Unity Day in 2005? They
asked if the prayer sequence for religious leaders be reversed this time from
Zoroastrians to Atheists (though not a religion, they are a part of the Unity
Day) instead of the other way around. I could not bear their hurt, and quickly
did inquires and found out that Muslims did walk out on them when the Sikhs,
Wicca and Zoroastrians were speaking. I don’t let these things go unverified,
and found out that it was the time for Maghrib on September 11, 2005 and Muslim
went to prayers. It was all in Alphabetical order. My Sikh and Zoroastrian
friends were relieved knowing the truth, and the restoration of
goodwill.
Our Key note speakers that evening were Daisy Khan and Mayor
Pat Evans of Plano. I shared the story and added that for Muslims, duty to God
takes precedence over other things, and mentioned to the Mayor and other Mayors
present that even if President George Bush (2007) would be speaking, Muslims
would go to pray. It was a revealing story, and the moral is, don’t hold against
people without verifying the truth. Whether it is Christians, Jews, Hindus,
Muslims or any one, we really need to verify before we hold someone in contempt,
it is for our own good, saving the anguish and sustaining the
goodwill.
Mike Ghouse, Rev.
Kook Jin Moon, Rev. Mark Hernandez
And today, it was my
turn to inform the organizers of the event to let them know in advance, that I
will be stepping out to do my Iftaar. Indeed, I stepped out at 8:29, right when
Rev. Kook Jin Moon was being introduced. This ministry is well versed with the
religious nuances of Jews, Christians, Hindus and Muslims.
Rev. Kook Jin
Moon’s talk on freedom was incredible, I do see his point, he is more like Ron
Paulian libertarian, and I am more like Gary John Libertarian or John Huntsman
Republican. We did talk about Sean Hannity. Sean is indeed a good conservative
who believes in genuine individual freedom, but somehow he slips into being a
radical Republican. He did correct me once that he is a conservative rather than
the Republican and I pray he remains conservative but becomes a moderate
Republican.
I will write about Rev.
Moon’s speech in a separate piece. However, I do want to thank Rev. Hernandez
for inviting me, and appreciate the honor Rev. Joshua Cotter gave me by
referencing several times from the stage.
Happy Ramadan.
Please
mark your calendar for the Unity Day USA, a positive event that brings all
Americans Together to rededicate our pledge for a peaceful, prosperous and
secure America. We are a part of America and we need to feel and live it. If
you liked some of the article, you will like the description of Unity Day USA
at
www.UnityDayUSA.com
A
few other Articles to read if you have the time:
What
does God really want?
MikeGhouse is
committed to building a Cohesive
America and
offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. He is a professional
speaker,
thinker and a writer on pluralism,
politics, civic
affairs, Islam, India, Israel,
peace and justice. Mike is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity
show on
Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to
the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning
News and
regularly at Huffington
post, and
several other periodicals across the world. The blog www.TheGhousediary.comis
updated daily.
