Interfaith panel shares diverse religious views

Five speakers representing different faiths were the focus a panel discussion on positive aspects of religion Tuesday.\nStudents, staff members and members of the Bloomington community gathered to discuss positive values in faiths other than their own. Judaism, Christianity, Earthreligions, Unitarianism, Buddhism and the Baha'i faith were represented by their religious leaders.\nCampus minister Rebecca Jimenez said this interfaith discussion was sponsored by the Center for Campus Ministry, in part as a way to help students appreciate religions that differ from their own.\n"The point of this was to model that it's OK to respect all faiths," Jimenez said, "and that they all have truth and something valuable to offer."\nDan Enslow, representative of the Baha'i faith, began by reading a passage from the Koran and spoke of the aspects he valued in Islam. \n"I like the connection with God through prayers and the vision of an intimate God controlling in a very peaceful way," Enslow said, adding that he is attracted to the love and spirit found in all religions. \nYouth minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church Kat Hawbaker also spoke of her respect for the Muslim religion. \nHawbaker said it was the spiritual practice of Islam that drew her to speak about it. \n"The idea that you stop what you're doing five times a day and be in a mindful and worshipful spirit, it's that pillar of Islam that I honor and share with you today," Hawbaker said.\nMary Patterson of the Tibetan Buddhist Temple said she also admires the spiritual discipline and compassion of the religion.\n"I admire two qualities most in the religion of Islam and those are, No. 1, the spiritual discipline of praying five times a day and, No. 2, their long history of compassion and reaching out to others," Patterson said, mentioning that she believes, "we should take the same approach and zeal to our spiritual lives as athletes training for the Olympics take in that training." \nRabbi Sue Shifron, representative of Helene G. Simon Hillel Center, 730 E. Third St., addressed what she found intriguing about the Unitarian religion. \n"I really like how this religion is open to so many different kinds of beliefs and people of all backgrounds, and that they have the understanding that we all have very valuable lessons and beliefs to share," Shifron said.\nThe Rev. Linda Johnson of Trinity Episcopal Church talked about her appreciation of an early Christian religion called the Fathers and Mothers of the Desert, a group of people who separated themselves from civilization. They lived in poverty and humility and were looked upon by some as spiritual heroes. \n"I believe these people embodied faith, wisdom and searching," Johnson said. "We stand in a multiplicity of truth, and there are reasons for all religions and each has a bit of revelation."\nEarthreligions was represented by senior Aly Hatcher, who practices the religion and spoke on her value of the faith of Catholicism. \n"I appreciate Catholicism because of the fact that there are so many aspects of their religion in which God is represented," Hatcher said.\nFather Dan Atkins of St. Paul's Catholic Center talked of the right of reconciliation in Catholicism and how he valued Buddhism, which takes a communal approach to reconciliation. \nThe session later was open for discussion. Several students spoke of being reared in a home that told them there was only one way, but they chose not to accept that and began searching for something to fulfill their unanswered questions. Audience member Dave Collins said he heard about the event from and e-mail list and attended because the e-mail's "emphasis on actively discussing different commonalities and differences respectfully"