Varying Perspectives

Re Love One Another, July/August

As an elder who attended this year’s General Assembly, my opinion differs from those expressed in the article about Pandit Roopnauth Sharma’s address. For me, along with the “Good News Stories,” Mr. Sharma’s address was the highlight of the assembly. Prior to this meeting, I was not aware that the Presbyterian Church had an interfaith mandate which encourages us to build an understanding and relationship with other faith traditions and I was delighted to learn about this. Then when I realized that Mr. Sharma had been invited to speak both about the Hindu faith and the concerns and hopes that they have as we live together in Canada, I was again delighted. I was proud that the organizers of the General Assembly had the courage and insight to do this. I appreciated learning more about the Hindu faith and lifestyle and admired Mr. Sharma’s honesty. I encourage everyone to read the entire address on the Presbyterian Record’s website as I do not believe that the excerpt did it justice. Regardless of how you feel about the address, I believe we need to continue reaching out to other faiths. We need to listen, learn, share and continue this dialogue. My prayer is that at the next General Assembly, another guest from another faith will be invited to speak.