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KIDS UNITED
It is so much fun to belong to a circle of friends. It lets us share ideas and find out how we all live. Sometimes we live differently, but that's part of the fun. Sometimes we talk differently, but that's how we communicate exciting ideas. Sometimes we look different, but underneath our hair and clothes and skin, we're really all the same. We're a circle, and whether we're boys or girls, we're friends. And that's the most important thing in the world.
When do you go to church?
It was Wednesday, the middle of the week, and everybody was hanging out at the park. There was Sean, Suzie and Tommy who were all from the United States, Chehn who was from China, Abebi from Africa, and all the other friends from different parts of the world having a conversation about religion.
"So then why do some people go to church in something called a temple?" asked
Suzie with her curly hair and ribbons.
"Because that's where they pray?" offered Luc.
"Well, who are 'they'?" asked Chehn.
And several of the friends shrugged their shoulders before David stood up and
said: "'They' are Jewish, like me. We go to temple to pray. It's our church."
The friends thought about this and then Andrew asked: "What about a mosque?
Is that a temple, too?"
Abebi nodded and said that many people in the world are of the Muslim faith
and pray in holy places called mosques.
"Do mosques look different than temples?" Maria asked.
Abebi nodded again. "But all mosques look different than other mosques"
"Just like all temples look different than other temples," said David.
"And all churches look different, too!" offered Sean, drinking his favorite
drink-Root Beer.
The friends talked about how churches all looked different and about how many
different types of religions there are in the world.
"How many religions could there be?" asked Niklas, eating a piece of chocolate. He did not want to share any
with his sister Heidi. She wrestled him to the ground and bit off a piece of
his candy. They both giggled.
Somebody said three religions, and somebody else said three hundred and still another
friend said maybe three thousand or three hundred thousand, but no body
really knew.
Suzie seemed perplexed about something. She scrunched up her eyebrows and made a funny line across her
forehead.
"You look scary when you do that," Sean said.
Suzie shrugged and asked "So when do all these religions go to church or
temple or mosque?"
Tommy, who was often the ringleader, was stretched out under a big tree with
his eyes closed. The friends all thought he was asleep but when he started to
speak they realized he had been listening the whole time.
"Some people like David go on Saturday, and some people go on Sunday. Some
people go at sun down and some at sunrise. Other people only go on special
occasions, and some people don't go at all."
Because, friends, it doesn't really matter whether you go to a church or a
mosque or a temple. It doesn't matter if you pray on Saturdays or Sundays, or
Wednesdays. Being in a building isn't what makes you a good person. Caring about other people is
what truly matters, and that is what religion is really all about.
Even on a Wednesday!
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