I feel so strongly the desire to learn from those whose beliefs and philosophies differ from my own and I spend much of my time, study and energy trying to encounter and understand those who are not like me. I struggle with nationalism which is different from patriotism and I don’t actually appreciate the flags coming out on National Day of Prayer because prayer and God for me have nothing to do with nationhood. The ideal of the day is for the people of this nation who pray to pray together for each other and for those who lead us. My hope is that as better relationships are formed between those of us in religious leadership, we will teach each other how best to celebrate or not celebrate and pray together. If it is not about bringing us together in some kind of unity (not uniformity but respectful togetherness) then I don’t know what it is for.
Tripping the Light Fantastic 