Reaffirming faith

The story of people visiting places of different faiths is not new. While it is something that people from certain sections of society might not approve,largely most people welcome this as a sign of positive change and secularism. “I visit the temple and the gurudwara near my place very frequently even though I am a Christian myself. There is nothing wrong in going to these places to connect with your own self,or even just sit and be at peace with everyone. In fact it is a sign that people are finally becoming broad minded and understanding that all religions preach the same fundamental truths of spreading peace and happiness,” says George Roy,software professional.

Shishir Nair,a hotel management student says,”For me even though following the traditional customs and rituals associated with Hinduism is important I go to the St Ignatius church regularly just to sit in the compound and pray to god. It might sound a little strange to others but even my parents have no issues with it. It’s basically about understanding and interpreting god and religion in your own way. It does not necessarily have to mean that you are going astray or following another faith. It just means that you find solace in a place like that to leave behind your worries and understand yourself and God better.”

Visiting places like these can actually turn out to be a healing experience for a person’s soul in many ways,Fr Malcolm Sequeira,parish priest of the St Patrick’s Cathedral,says,”While one might not necessarily go to a church or a mosque or temple to just follow the customs and traditions of those who belong to those religions,it is a good thing to just go and pray in these places. Youngsters usually have faith in their religion and have deep rooted beliefs about the same but they are always on the lookout for a personal experience of God and it can be just about anywhere,maybe a temple,a gurudwara,or a mosque but the important part is that if they can themselves experience God then it is probably the best thing that can happen to them. And this is for two reasons,firstly instead of falling prey to vices like drinking smoking etc,they are finding solace in doing something peaceful and secondly it gives them a very secular outlook and helps spread the idea of harmony and co-existence of various religions together. In fact positive experiences like this can help improve a person’s outlook towards life and make it more positive.”