Six months of religious visits: part 2

My first six months of visits to new religious ceremonies was really interesting - I did one per month and learned a lot, especially about eastern religions I was unfamiliar with.

For my second six months:

July - Latter-Day Saints / Mormons

Everyone is vaguely familiar with perhaps the silliest aspects of the Latter-Day Saints, what with the musical "Book of Mormon" and other pop culture and news coverage in recent years. I traveled to Salt Lake City for work last year and visited some sites, and I also recently read the book "Educated" by Tara Westover, which describes the experience of growing up, then escaping, a fundamentalist, survivalist Mormon family.

So I visited a local Mormon church / meeting house for the same reason I've visited all the other religious institutions this year - to see real church members in practice and learn about what brings them joy.

I knew there's a local temple in Glenview on Lake Avenue, but I heard that visitors are not really allowed into those buildings. The bishop at the church later told me that visitors are welcome to some extent, people would talk to you and you can enter the building, but some of their liturgical rites are private to members.

I took a seat in the back, and the bishop approached warmly me as a face he didn't recognize. I told him about my project and he thought it was a great idea. He also explained that the service I attended - the first Sunday of the month - is a time when parishioners bear testimony of their faith. It's a kind of genius strategy, because if you hear your friends and neighbors advocating their faith, it is very reassuring.

A few folks got up and shared stories, confirming that their faith is true and that the creator loves us all. My favorite story was told by a guy who has a license plate identifying him as an LDS member, which makes him be careful not to cut people off because he wants to be a good representative of his faith. I loved that story because I think it is important to act in a way that reflects your values and that shows you as a good representative of any clan to which you belong.

I am sure that if I had told people that I was inspired to visit after reading "Educated," they might have been needlessly embarrassed. Westover herself says she still has "warm feelings" toward the church. In the book, the church members at Brigham Young University are clearly concerned about her mental and physical well-being among her abusive family, and they work hard to get her scholarships so that she can learn and study. 

The disconnect for me with the LDS message is that of exclusion - they claim that the church holds the one true way (which is always a red flag for me), yet they could not have been more welcoming and repeated multiple times the message that they love "all of god's children." And in fact the LDS and Catholic churches have been leaders in opposing the hypocrisy of the Trump presidency, which courts the religious yet fails to espouse actual Christian values.

In the end, I think they were excited for me as a potential convert - hopes that I tried to let down easily. 

August - Quakers / Friends

I chose the Quakers (a.k.a. Society of Friends) for August because I've always been intrigued by them; my husband in particular loves the quiet, individualistic aspect of this faith, as well as their commitment to nonviolence.

I visited the Downers Grove location of the Quakers, where they have a fellowship hall and a worship room. I was warmly welcomed by members of the congregation, who explained their worship to me. I had known that their silent worship involved speaking only when moved to by the spirit. There is no pastor, no "service" as such - it's like meditation with some religious inspiration shared periodically. During the 50-minute service, I sat quietly meditating and was interrupted only twice - one member shared the parable of Mr. Rogers' mother telling him to look for the helpers in scary news stories, and another sang a Quaker hymn.

The members emphasized the individualistic nature of the religion; one said there are many libertarians, another said it's full of hippies. The members who spoke about their faith and in the service really didn't mention Christ, only God, so I asked how many of them consider themselves Christian. They said technically Quakerism is a Christian religion but it really depends on what congregation you go to. They encouraged me to visit the location in the city on 57th street.

The Quakers get a bonus because one of their members volunteers at a food pantry and had extra coffee cakes and pies to give away before they were thrown away. You know you have a quality religion when there is pastry.

September - SGI Buddhism

In August, I moved to the South Loop area of Chicago and saw a Buddhist center in my area. The sign indicated it was "SGI Buddhism," which I am not familiar with, so I decided to visit and see how it differs from traditional Buddhism or insight meditation as I have come to know it.

It's an interesting practice - the religion centers around chanting as a method of striving for achievement in life and removing obstacles to your goals. There don't seem to be any rules like traditional Buddhism (non-harm, cessation of suffering through elimination of desire, equanimity, avoidance of alcohol and meat, etc.), just love for other people and recognition that all people can achieve enlightenment. It seemed kind of simplistic and populist, but if it helps people in their lives, I say go for it.

While I do feel that there are good elements, the members explained to me that achievement of your material desires is how you attain enlightenment. That is absolutely not Buddhism as I understand it, and it goes against the mentality of living lightly that I've striven for this year. We have probably gotten rid of 50% of our possessions in the move and simplified many things in our lives, and I am much happier for it. I also recognize that humans are never really satisfied even when their desires are fulfilled, so I think the idea that you can achieve enlightenment through fulfilling material desires is just setting yourself up for more suffering.

The people were all very friendly, but they seemed very into getting me in as a member, maybe even more so than the Mormons were. What I love about traditional Buddhism and insight meditation is the total equanimity with which they view you as a potential convert. If anything, this visit showed me a foil to the type of Buddhism I'd like to practice. But I love that there are really cool members of my community who are trying to achieve their desires through love and helping others. That's got to be worth something even if other Buddhists might not recognize traditional teachings of the Buddha in what they're doing.

October - Baha'i

For this month, I chose to research the Baha'i faith because I knew I was going to Haifa, Israel, for the purpose of visiting the shrine there, and I think it's a fascinating faith tradition!

I have visited the Baha'i House of Worship in Wilmette before, so I knew a little bit about their faith and their gorgeous facilities. The Baha'i faith is a relatively young faith that holds that all world religions are describing essentially the same thing, that all reveal the truth in some way and that humanity should work together toward common prosperity.

What's not to like?

The shrine and grounds in Haifa are gorgeous; the golden domed building at the top in my photo is Shrine of the Báb, the resting place of the Prophet-Herald of the Baha'i Faith. 

Shrine in Haifa, Israel

No worship is done here, which makes this visit different than my previous religious visits this year, but I did two visits in May for Islam and traveled all the way to Israel for this one, so I'm going to count it. (Plus I did actually contact some Baha'i who did not respond to me, and they are hard to get in front of because most worship is done locally in homes.)

I appreciate the unifying aspects of this faith and was disappointed to learn of how persecuted Baha'i followers have been in the Middle East. The religion has Muslim roots and apparently they are seen as "deserters," sort of the reverse of Christian persecution of Jews for not joining the bandwagon.

I enjoy any religion that beautifies nature and emphasizes that we are more same than different. Kudos, Baha'i!

November - Hinduism

Hinduism is a religion I've been circling around all year, with my studies of Jainism and Buddhism. I also have been circling around the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago for years - I grew up around the south suburbs and drove by its gorgeous white tower like a dollop of meringue on the hill of green.

Temple complex

The temple has existed for decades and has expanded into a multi-building complex with shrines, temples, auditoriums, and a meditation center. Dave and I wandered around a bit, finding the cafeteria, a shop, and the temple itself. People wandered in and out while we were there, visiting and meditating, while the staff told us that most worship is done in the morning.

I read a book on Hinduism earlier this year: it's so fascinating that it has no founder and no known author of its texts, it's as if the faith simply sprung out of Indian culture and the two are intertwined. Jainism and Buddhism both sprung out of Hinduism, and all three have a lot in common, especially karma, reincarnation, and non-harm. India seems to be the spiritual homeland of much of my secular Buddhism, and I would love to visit someday. The country may be a bit more unstructured than I'm used to, but I think it would be worth going out of my comfort zone to explore the importance of living in the moment. (Oh, and Indian food.)

We should have come and visited this temple years ago - it's so beautiful! You don't need an excuse to come, you just need to be curious and respectful. I would encourage anyone to come check it out.

December - Review

In December I tried to visit the Satanists, who told me they didn't welcome visitors, and the Zoroastrians, who responded to none of my emails or calls. So Dave and I decided to walk over to Old Saint Pat's Church in Chicago on Christmas eve, which was also not open. Seriously?! (I did end up visiting a church in Panama on Christmas day - does that count?)

So I decided that I would reflect on what I have learned this year, and also to reflect on my preferred faith practice - secular Buddhism.

I loved the religions this year who were welcoming of outsiders, served the community, built community, were quirky, and appreciated their own history. My favorite was probably Sikhism, which was so unique, yet a blend of its origins (Hinduism, Islam, mysticism). They welcomed us with a fabulous tour - and Indian food!

In April, I didn't count it as a religious visit, but Dave and I did a meditation retreat in the style of insight or Vipassana meditation. It was a two-day silent retreat where we meditated for hours and hours, as well as discussed meditation with others, read about meditation, and took walks. I have also read extensively about meditation and Buddhism the last few years. 

While I don't believe in reincarnation, demons, and other unverifiable aspects of Buddhism, I do heartily agree with karma in this life, loving kindness toward others, valuable thought observation and quiet times, and cultivation of fewness of desires. While Buddhists claim life is suffering, I have gained insight that suffering isn't just pain - others have noted the mistranslation as something more like, "unsatisfactory-ness." We want, and we want, and we want - and we can never be satisfied. The only way to minimize suffering is to desire few things and be happy with what we have.

I will continue to visit religious sites and rituals in the future, and I will remember what I have learned this year. I hope to attend another meditation retreat in 2020 and continue on the path of the dharma.