The Children of Abraham - Week 29

I know I have said I had busy weeks before, but this week has been the busiest yet! It has been pretty stressful at times with a lot of work to do. I finished the last class of the “Becoming a Resilient Family” group I have been facilitating on Sunday nights, gave two suicide prevention classes, was the keynote speaker at a “Prayer Breakfast” and gave a message on teamwork, and covered the responsibilities of two chaplains since my boss is out for a few days on a mission. I also took a physical fitness test (which went well, but I was pretty sore for a few days). So, I have been looking forward to a relaxing Sunday, which today has certainly been a much needed day of rest.

Yesterday we got to do a “Cultural Staff Ride” to do a tour of the local “Grand Mosque.” It was a beautiful building and very sacred to the people who worship here. As I learned more about the purpose of their daily prayers, their devotion to God, how they use beautiful calligraphy for decoration so as not to have anything close to idol worship, and the significance of the architecture, I felt connected to our fellow children of Abraham. 

These are the descendants of Ishmael who have been blessed by the faithfulness of our father Abraham as well. We have more in common than most people realize. I love that our Church recently published interfaith materials on the website and Gospel Library App regarding Islam. 

One of the symbols often used in Middle-Eastern sacred buildings is the 8-pointed star (concentric squares). This symbol was handed down to Ishmael as a sign of the covenant of which he was a part, which symbol Abraham received from Melchizedek as a sign of the priesthood. This symbol is very prominent in many temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints as well, especially the San Diego Temple.

I sat staring at this artwork in their calligraphy gallery for a while because it has the “99 names of Allah” in Arabic, including Redeemer, The Holy One, etc. I felt a connection as I reflected on the names we attribute to Jesus Christ as well.

So many people misunderstand Islam and stereotype those extremists who participate in terrorism or other violence as a part of this peaceful religion. When we take the time to really understand each other, we truly have more in common than we think and together worship the true and living God of Abraham.
 
In His Service,
Chaplain John Critchfield