Voices of faith: What aspect of your faith do you find most difficult to explain?

Voices of faith: What aspect of your faith do you find most difficult to explain?

Arvind Khetia, engineer and a Hindu: To an outsider, Hinduism may look complex and confusing. However, it is a rational religion based on the spiritual philosophy of the Vedas. Hinduism’s spiritual wisdom, known as Vedanta, is given in the Upanishads and the Bhagavad-Gita.

Vedanta maintains that the material life cannot be sustained for long without a spiritual foundation. Therefore, the emphasis of these spiritual teachings is to transform one’s inner life by being fearless, unselfish and nonviolent. It interprets God and religion in universal terms and teaches religious tolerance. It affirms that the fulfillment of the spiritual goal is not in believing certain doctrine or dogma, but in realizing the divine presence within all of existence.

Thus, Vedanta explains that the spiritual unity behind this apparent diversity is the basis of universal ethics and morality that are essential for spiritual life. Swami Vivekananda has affirmed that “a time must come when everyone will be as intensely practical in the scientific world as in the spiritual, and then that harmony of oneness will pervade the whole world.”

Each spiritual tradition has its way of expressing its spiritual philosophy. It is sometimes difficult to explain these underlying spiritual principles to those who are brought up in an environment of exclusivity of their own faith. Therefore, to appreciate this underlying spiritual unity among us all requires an open, inclusive and spiritual mind.

Rushdy El-Ghussein, former president of the Islamic Society of Greater Kansas City, Mo.: When I think about Islam as a religion, I find it really easy to accept, follow and practice.

Explaining the basic beliefs and practices of Islam is easy. The most difficult things that I encounter relate to concepts and expressions that are translated erroneously, intentionally or unintentionally. Some of these cover topics relating to the concept of the oneness of God, women’s status in Islam, jihad and terrorism. I do not claim to be an expert in Islam or Arabic.

Each person’s general religious practices differ based on his or her own level of commitment to God and his guidance. Some Muslims are happy to merely perform the basic pillars such as prayer, fasting and charity; others desire to achieve a greater degree of commitment and devotion to God, spending more time and effort to practice a deeper level of their faith and reflect on the miracles of God that surround them.

Islam transcends rituals to become a way of life. The purpose of a true believer’s life is to worship and please the Almighty God in all areas of life. Thus, obeying God and following his message becomes the focal point in a person’s life. Explaining these things to people who are not religious might be difficult; otherwise, it is easy when I speak with people who are open-minded and who do not limit themselves to preconceived ideas.

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