Throughout this Building Your Own Theology class I’ve tried to reflect on what I believe about the nature of God, of religion, of spirituality and of how I feel called upon to practice my faith as well as what I feel called to believe.
I began attending UU services in January when I recognized a need in myself for a religious community and realized that I no longer feel at home in a mosque due to cultural differences and how they play out in common beliefs about family and social issues. I’ve re-discovered that I’m quite traditional when it comes to questions about the nature of God and religious practice although I am modern and liberal when it comes to social issues and I’m ok with that and don’t feel a conflict between those things.
I believe, joyfully and reverently, that there is a single all-knowing, all-powerful God who is responsible for the creation of the universe through the process of evolution. I credit him for the beauty of every sunrise and every sunset. I believe that God intercedes in human events on occasion but that it is human free will that creates the societies we live in. Because of that I believe that we are responsible for the communities we live in and have a responsibility to help make one another’s lives better. At the same time I find it best for my attitude about life to credit and praise God for the good things in life that come my way.
I converted to Islam 29 years ago and I still feel bound by my conversion declaration, or Shahadah. I believe that Muhammad was a messenger of God and while I’m not a fan of Shariah law I believe Muhammad had a lot of wise things to teach us and that he left a rich and beautiful legacy for Muslims the world over to follow. Part of the Shahadah declares that there is no God but God, in other words that Jesus is not divine and does not share in God’s power, and that’s a belief I take very seriously. It’s the reason I don’t believe I would feel at home in a Christian congregation.
What I like about the UU religion is that it is a living faith with room to grow and change with the times. I believe we need a balance of tradition and modernity to meet the human needs for stability and responsible flexibility. I very much enjoy the weekly services and look forward to them although I miss communal prayer. I’m very excited by the opportunity to assist refugees learn English as a second language in the evenings and I plan to get involved with that this fall.
I believe in the power of prayer, the duty and practice of which is an important part of my faith. It is an emotionally satisfying experience for me and a key part of my spiritual growth. Nothing destructive that human beings have done in God’s name can take away from the force of awe-inspiring wonder that greets me when I pray. Still, with all of that, I don’t pray 5 times a day.
I also believe that in my life I need to fulfill religious obligation and duty to demonstrate faithfulness. I don’t eat pork so that I have a daily reminder of God’s rules and I fast to the best of my ability during Ramadan. I find these practices fulfilling. They remind me that I am a part of something much larger than myself, and also that I am just one person called upon along with a billion others to obey certain laws.
And I have discovered a new appreciation for the legacy of my parents attitudes toward religion. As hard-core atheists they were narrow and self-righteous about the beliefs they tried to instill in me and my brother about the non-existence of God. However they were well educated and also taught us that the different world religions and belief structures have equal value and should be understood as cultural expressions of humankind’s search for meaning. So, when I decided to make my own foray into religion as a young person I had an absolutely clean slate from which to explore. No religion seemed inherently better or worse than any other and I was able to find one that met my needs for order and ritual. That’s true for me today as well. Listening to the life stories of other people in this class I realize my religious upbringing wasn’t perfect but it had an upside, too.
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