When Faith is a Privilege

This Week's Quotation:

"Joy is doubled when wonder is shared; every new perception becomes a doorway we can walk through together."

~ Author Unknown

When Faith is a Privilege

Rev. Berry Behr, Interfaith Minister

According to https://www.opendoors.org/en-US/persecution/countries/ Christians are being persecuted in North Korea, Nigeria, Pakistan, DRC and Sudan. Baha’is faith systemic oppression in Yemen, Iran, Qatar and Egypt. In Syria, religious minorities are threatened with violence, and in Nicaragua, Catholic and Evangelical faith leaders face incarceration, church bans, frozen assets, and harassment.

In South Africa, where I live, the threats here are not usually as systemic or state-driven, but the reality of exclusion and violence against those whose practices differ, reminds us that privilege is never universal.

Many people live in the kind of poverty that precludes even the possibility of silence and quiet spaces conducive to spiritual practice. Many do not have access to the kind of beauty that you and I celebrate every day. A friend at a recent interfaith gathering at Gate House spoke of her gratitude for the freedom of association that we enjoy, the spiritual communion and the access to calm and beautiful spaces which foster deep thought and conversation. She works in areas where these privileges are not known.

Gate House Spiritual Centre, EDL’s Cape Town home, is one of the most beautiful and tranquil venues I know, thanks to years of dedicated building of a vibrational ark, by those who have lived, worked and volunteered there. Sunrise Ranch in Colorado has extraordinary beauty and an essence of “home” in many hearts. Edenvale in Canada and Riverdell in Australia carry the energetic of years of loving dedication to the Divine Design. How privileged we Emissaries are, to have access to these places of deep reverence, peace and sacred immersion, in the beauty of Creation. How blessed that we can invite others into our experience of community which honours and centres the sacred. This is the essence of our interfaith practice. Let us always be grateful for the Grace that brings us these gifts.

I am eternally grateful for the deep privilege in my life of access to people and places that bring wonder to my world.

I pray for the grace to help open the eyes, hearts and minds of those who have not yet seen the beauty and wonder. I pray for the grace to introduce those who have not yet met you.

About Open Windows

We, the authors of this blog, dedicate it to the transparent exploration of the world's sacred scripture and enlightened spiritual thought. We believe that the original inspiration of all faiths comes from a common source, named and revered in a myriad of ways. With that understanding, the innumerable symbols, beliefs, and practices of faith cease to divide. They become open windows to a common reality that inspires and unifies us. We find deeper insight and nourishment in our own faith and from the expression of faith from others.

We hope these weekly quotations and meditations speak to your heart and soul.