The Interreligious Exchange Spot

InterAct Cleveland Welcomes Comments

 

Sometimes we take for granted steps that were taken before us, and forget that the interreligious journey we embark upon daily is never one we should approach on auto pilot. Instead, we need to be is constantly aware, open to new ideas, and ever ....

Read more and be aware of interreligious events in February, here. 

Love, InterAct

Dear Friend, 

Poets, crooners, lovers, romantics, men, women, and religious thinkers. For centuries, all have been trying to describe love. With Valentine's Day just around the corner, we would like to present you with our own Whitman's Sampler of quotes about love from the various religions that are part of the InterAct Cleveland family. Enjoy!

Baha'i:

"Kindle the fire of love and burn away all things,
Then set thy foot into the land of the lovers."
Bahá'u'lláh

"And if, by the help of God, he findeth on this journey a trace of the traceless Friend, and inhaleth the fragrance of the long-lost Joseph from the heavenly messenger, he shall straightway step into the Valley of Love and be dissolved in the fire of love. In this city the heaven of ecstasy is upraised and the world-illuming sun of yearning shineth, and the fire of love is ablaze; and when the fire of love is ablaze, it burneth to ashes the harvest of reason."
From The Seven Valleys of Bahá'u'lláh

More quotes found here.

Buddhist:

"The purpose of all the major religious traditions is not to construct big temples on the outside, but to create temples of goodness and compassion inside, in our hearts."
The Dalai Lama

"Through your love for each other, through learning the art of making one person happy,
you learn to express your love for the whole of humanity and all beings."
 Thich Nhat Hanh

More quotes found here.

Christian:

"Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."
1 John 4:8

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."
1 John 4:18

More quotes found here.

Hindu:

"It is in love that religion exists and not in ceremony--in the pure and sincere love in the heart."
Vivekananda

"All love is expansion, all selfishness is contraction. Love is therefore the only law of life. He who loves lives, he who is selfish is dying. Therefore, love for love's sake, because it is law of life, just as you breathe to live."
Vivekananda

More quotes found here and here

Jewish:

"Who acts from love is greater than who acts from fear."
Talmud, Sota

"Three things have a faint savor of the world to come: Sabbath, the sun and married love."
Talmud, Berakhot

More quotes found here.

Islam:

"God kindles the fire of love in the hearts of the chosen, so that their carnal selves are consumed. Once ignited the fire of longing never dies. That is the flame about which the Prophet said, 'When God wills the good of his servant, He kindles a light of faith in his heart.'"
Abu Sa'id, "Rabi'a the Mys

"In thy soul of love build thou a fire
And burn all thoughts and words entire."
Jalalu`d-Din Rúmi

More quotes found here and here.

Sikh:

"A life devoid of love is a flower blooming in the wilderness,
With nobody to enjoy its fragrance."
Kabirji, Gauri Rag

"True love is the highest stage of spiritual perfection."
Baba Narinder Singh Ji

More quotes found here and here

Unitarian Universalist:

"You need not think alike to love alike."
Francis David

"Love is the spirit of this church, and service is its law. This is our great covenant: to dwell together in peace, to seek the truth in love, and to help one another."
James Vila Blake

More quotes found here

What are a few of your own sonnets? Share your favorite verses or lines with us below. 

Baha'i Basics

The Baha'i Faith is a relatively new, monotheistic religion established in 1863 by Mirza Husayn Ali, also known as Baha'u'llah. ("The Glory of God") While in prison in 1852 Ali had a revelation that he was a foretold messenger of God. It was not until 1863, however, that he shared his revelation with anyone. This sharing of his revelation is celebrated every year as Ridvan. 

One of the central tenets of the Baha'i faith is Progressive Revelation, the idea that there is only one religion, which is evolving as humanity evolves. "There is a golden thread of truth that connects all of our faiths. God has revealed a little more of the spiritual truths as we were ready to understand them," explains Jan Sabet a local Baha'i public information representative and founder of the Meet Up group “A New World Consciousness: The Baha'i Approach." This is what attracted me to the Baha'i Faith. Conflict between different religions always bothered me, the fighting and even killing each other. The Baha'i view that it is all one religion is very refreshing. It shows that there is beauty in all of our faiths."

Among many other principles, Baha'is believe that the extremes of wealth and poverty should be eliminated, and that men and women should be equal. "Not that everyone should be the same, but for some to have no shoes and be unable to feed their family, while others have ten houses and so forth doesn't make sense. If those extremes could be moderated, we'd have enough for all," says Sabet.

 

There have been Baha'is in Cleveland since 1894, and in 2003 a historical marker was placed at East 14th Street and Euclid Avenue commemorating a visit from the son of Baha'u'llah. Today, the local Baha'i population consists of more than 500 Clevelanders and is part of a worldwide community. Though there are devotional meetings happening all over Greater Cleveland, there is not currently a local center for worship. Instead Baha'is invite their friends and neighbors to their homes and other venues to share prayers, devotional music, or whatever is inspiring. "It is meant to be a spiritual safe zone, a place where you can come and commune with that spiritual part of yourself that gets pushed aside during the day," remarked Sabet.

 

Practitioners meet together more formally 19 days of the year, or every first day of a month. The Baha'i calendar consists of 19 days in a month in a system of 19 months. The first days are known as the Baha'i Feasts. Though there is often food present, the word "feast" refers more to a spiritual than a physical feast. There are prayers and readings from the sacred texts, with time spent on organizational business, before the remainder is spent socializing with other participants.

 

Worship, in the Baha’i faith is also viewed as serving the community. "We work for humanity, no matter where we are. We believe in the oneness of the human race, one God, and unity across all spectrums. Baha'is are about building bridges, bringing people together," explains Sabet. "That is why we are part of InterAct Cleveland."

InterAct Cleveland is proud to count the Baha’i group of Macedonia, Cleveland, and Cleveland Heights as member organizations. For more information on the local Baha'i faith please visit “A New World Consciousness: The Baha'i Approach."