Je parle de religion parce qu’on devait aller visiter plusieurs Églises, et j’ai décidé de ne pas y aller. Au fait, j’ai juste visité 2 Églises. Je veux juste clarifier le fait que je respecte toute religion, mais personnellement j’ai un autre point de vue. Et toute discussion a propos de ce sujet ne m’intéressera pas.
Je ne nie pas l’existence de Dieu. Tout au contraire. Dieu existe, mais pour moi Il s’identifie à la somme totale de tout ce qui est. Il s’identifie au monde. Tout ce qui existe est divin. L’être humain ne peut échapper à la divinité, parce que, tout comme le monde dans lequel il baigne, il est une partie de Dieu, il est une partie du Grand Tout.
Sara
When someone asks me “What’s your religion?” then, well, I answer that I’m Muslim, but I don’t (and never did) really practice. But personally, I believe that I do practice [religion] when I have a clear conscience, when I respect myself, when I respect others– when I help them, when I am faithful, etc. I am writing about religion now because we went to visit [and film at] several churches, but I decided not to go. In fact, I only visited two churches. I simply wish to clarify that I respect every religion, but personally, I have a different point of view. Moreover, no discussion on the subject interests me.
I don’t deny the existence of God. On the contrary, God does exist, but for me he is the sum-total of all existence. He is the identity of the entire universe. Everything that exists is divine. Human beings can’t escape from God, because like the world in which we live, we and the world are part of God, and part of the Great Everything.
Sara
[translation by Ben and Lyzz Schwegler]
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Merci, Sara, quelle belle déclaration.
I will post a translation for everyone else!
Lyzz, can you put me a pic on my profile some how?
Well said Sara!!! Miss you guys!
I can appreciate Sara’s sentiments especially since I received a lot harassment from so-called religious people throughout my life. Sometimes I’m just not in the mood to go to a church and get reminded of that kind of behavior. However, at other times I think, any place where people pray is a nice place.
I want to share something from the Sikh scriptures, which is regarded as our living Guru (teacher, literally: that which brings light to darkness), since the teachings still live on today. This was written by a Muslim holy man as the Siri Guru Granth Sahib (Sikh Guru and scripture) contains writings of saints from other traditions as well:
eik fikaa n gaalaae sabhanaa mai sachaa dhhanee ||
Do not utter even a single harsh word; your True Lord and Master abides in all.
hiaao n kaihee thaahi maanak sabh amolavae ||129||
Do not break anyone’s heart; these are all priceless jewels. ||129||
sabhanaa man maanik thaahan mool machaangavaa ||
The minds of all are like precious jewels; to harm them is not good at all.
jae tho pireeaa dhee sik hiaao n thaahae kehee dhaa ||130||
If you desire your Beloved, then do not break anyone’s heart. ||130||
Sekh Farid
From page 1384 of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib
Sara,
Why do you think that the “youth” is less interested in religion? Is it the knowledge of different cultures? And isn’t it sort of chic to be religious in the ME??? I hear different stories.
I would love to know.
Tania
Hey Sara!
J’esserai d’ecrire en francais pour toi mais mon francais n’est pas tres bien, alors je suis certaine de faire des erreurs…je suis desolee!
A mon avis, les eglises ne sont pas importantes ou interressants parce qu’elles sont des immeubles religieux mais parce qu’elles sont importantes aux gens. Je n’ai pas de religion, mais c’est important a moi, lorsque j’etudie les autres cultures, de comprendre ceux qui est important aux eux. Une eglise n’est pas seulement un endroit pour Dieu; elle est un endroit ou beaucoup de gens trouvent quelque chose qui’ils trouvent importante, et alors un endroit important dans l’histoire culturelle.
Merci beaucoup pour votre visite a Georgetown! C’etait un plaisir de faire votre connaisance et j’espere que vous aviez un bon voyage en les Etats-Unis!
–Eileen (blue Georgetown shirt; I sat at your table today)