During Ramadan, on the evening of June 9, 2018, as a Buka Puasa (breaking fast) event, members of INSaF (Interfaith Spiritual Fellowship) were invited to Pure Life Society to discuss “The Origin of Our Scriptures.”
Representatives of Islamic, Buddhism, Baha’i’, Christianity, Hinduism, and Sikh religions all presented short lectures on their scriptures. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) was invited to join the event as one of the Christian faiths, along with the Catholic Church.
An offer was tendered by representatives of the LDS Church to present The Book of Mormon. The event organizers expressed appreciation for the offer. But because of the multiple religions represented and the corresponding large volume of scripture considered, the coordinators felt that The Holy Bible could represent Christians i.e. Catholics and the LDS Church. The LDS leaders said they were honored to be recognized in that meeting and appreciated their representation as Christians by the Bible.
As anticipated, there was common ground for the various denominations. Each group held their prophets in high regard. As stated by the Muslim presenter, “Muhammad spoke the truth because he had such impeccable character.”
Each group maintained their scriptural knowledge as a source of enlightenment, goodness and encouragement. The Buddhist speaker said, “That Buddha gained experiential knowledge and had right thought, right speech, and right actions.”
All recognized that there is good in all religions. The Baha’i representative stated, “All established religions are divine in origin with identical aims, complementary functions, and continuity in purpose.”
But there were also distinct differences. Disagreement about the personality and nature of God was an example.
Multiple simple treasures of wisdom were offered:
- Buddhism: “To attain perfection, we must perform an action millions of times.”
- Baha’i: “The earth is one country and mankind is its citizens.”
- Sikh: “To praise God is a universal message for all humanity.”
- Muslim: “If God had willed, He could have made us all Muslims. But He desired to test you in what He has given you.”
Those who attended were impressed with the wisdom found in scriptures of the various denominations. And they were impressed with the reverence for God during the gathering.