Faith Stories from Youth Like Us!
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Rachel (United Methodist) Rachel is a 22-year-old United Methodist missionary serving homeless women in a Seattle shelter. She says there is very little in her life that has not been impacted by faith: "It's like the presence of God is right there with me all the time by my side; granted, sometimes God is very silent next to me, sometimes I'm yelling at God, or sometimes God is pushing me when I don=t want to move. But always, the Presence is there." Faith shapes her values: values of human worth, commitment to social justice, integrity, honesty and love. Think about this: If these are the values of our faith, can we find similar values in other faiths so that we can work together in this world for social justice, integrity, human worth, honesty and love?
Krissy (Unitarian Universalist) Krissy is a high school student from Cleveland who loves to paint, draw, and produce television shows. She's a Unitarian Universalist and describes the "UU faith" as being like a salad "There are all types of salads. You can include almost anything, except some things, because there are guidelines," she says. For instance, paper clips can't be included in a salad! The basics of this faith, according to Krissy are:
Think about this: Krissy outlines the basics of her faith. Can you find these basics in every faith that we study? Hannah (Jewish) Hannah, 15, born in Northern California and now living in Pennsylvania, is interested in drama, writing, and music. She is Jewish. One of Hannah's projects includes gathering 15 teenagers together for a weekly meeting to discuss and debate current issues in the news and media, as well as problems concerning youth today. "Not only does such a group give teens the opportunity to share knowledge and opinions with others, but it brings together diverse social and cultural backgrounds as well," she says. Hannah's grandfather suffered a series of strokes, became bedridden, and was put in a rest home. Regular visits to her grandfather began to re-open her eyes to her Jewish faith and to the "heart of religion." "Many of the things he has said or done in the past two months seem to be miracles of God. I have started to explore the many beautiful mysteries of Judaism. By re-examining my faith, I have taken a deep look at my inner self as well. This is only the beginning of a long, spiritual journey." Think about this: What are our spiritual practices and disciplines that we need to further explore? Are there ways in which other people of faith pray, meditate, or practice their spirituality from which we can learn?
Zeenat (Muslim) Zeenat is a fourth-year marketing and international business major and the president of her university's Student Muslim Association. She believes that the basis for creating an interfaith community is an open mind and understanding. Her Muslim friends at the university come from very diverse backgrounds, but they try together to establish a sense of community and common understanding. One of the things they do is invite friends to the Mosque during the holiday of Ramadan. These friends are often not Muslim, but from other faith groups. She believes the first step in creating an interfaith community is up to the individual. "A lot is personal. You have to take the first step to invite others into your community. And then, it's up to your community to extend feelings of openness and warmth," she says. "Often the first step is just individual friendships with persons of other faiths." An interfaith community is not new to Zeenat. She grew up in India in a Muslim family, attended a Methodist high school, and celebrated Christian, Hindu and Muslim holidays within the school. Think about this: Do we make an effort to know our neighbors of other faiths or do we stay closed in our own communities? How do we extend feelings of openness and warmth? How can we begin to create "communities" with people of other faiths?
Langdon (Bahai)
Langdon is a college student in New Hampshire and part of the Bahai
faith. He believes that a truly interactive interfaith dialogue
promotes a mind set that steers us away from an "To recognize that there are core spiritual values for which we all strive promotes a culture of understanding and appreciation, and ultimately brings people together," says Langdon. "We are all citizens of one planet with common interests, not competing interests defined by religion or national sovereignty." Langdon thinks that participants in a dialogue need to investigate the truth with an open mind and heart. In other words, they need to be able to "see with their own eyes and hear with their own ears." If you don't do this, then you fail to see that at the core of each major religion lies the belief in one god, promotion of love and justice, and a goal to establish unity. "Once the 'veils' of tradition and culture that obscure the original light of religion are lifted, it is then possible to see that our religious paths emanate from the same source and promote the same spiritual teachings of love and unity." Think about this: Can you find the core values of the various religions that promote peace, unity, and love? Is this different than a "pre-conceived notion" about a certain religion that you had before?
What do you believe? You can probably recite the Lord's prayer, The Apostle's creed, the Golden Rule, and other affirmations of your Christian faith. But have you ever written down what you truly believe. Think about it. Pray about it. Then write it down in a journal and keep it. Then, remember this:
Do you need some help in your affirmation? Check out some United Methodist web sites:
Now that you know what you believe, let's learn more about our neighbors of other faiths. It may help us to grow in our own faith! Explore some of these web sites for youth of other faiths. Write down the answers to these questions:
Hindu Hindu Youth Universe Global
- http://www.hinduyouth.com/ .
This website for Hindu youth explores everything from stories from the religion,
to
Hindu Net - http://www.hindunet.org/kidsyouth/ This is a website for Hindu youth that is good for learning about the stories and other aspects of this religion.
The Bahai World - www.bahai.org . This website is a good introduction to the Bahai faith, giving information about it, its writings, and its vision for humanity. Bahai Youth - http://www.bahai-youth.org/ . This website has a variety of links to websites for Bahai youth. It is interesting because you can see ways in which theatre, dance, and other arts are used to interpret and teach this faith and advocate for peace in the world.
Muslim Student Association of the U.S. and Canada - http://www.msa-natl.org/ . This organization is the umbrella organization for Muslim student associations on campuses throughout the country, representing more than 100,000 Muslim students. It gives important news, ideas for activism on campuses, and stories about innovative projects. Young Muslims North America - http://www.ymusa.org/ . This active group of young Muslims in North America studies their faith and relates it to today’s issues, does advocacy work, and incorporates interesting discussion groups and surveys. Muslim Youth Association - http://www.muslimyouth.ca/ . This website shares a lot of news important to the Muslim community, has a discussion group, games, and information about the Muslim faith. This list of youth web sites is not inclusive! Can you find other youth web sites for youth from: Judaism, Sikh, Jain, traditional religions, other Christian denominations besides your own, and other faiths?
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festivals
and worship, to exercise. 
Buddhism
Bahai
IslamYoung United Methodist Women web page
A
Mission Study resource from the United Methodist Women's Division of the
General Board of Global
Ministries, The United Methodist Church
©2003
E-mail:
umw@gbgm-umc.org
Other Mission Studies:
http://gbgm-umc.org/missionstudies/