Spiritual Guidance:

Pakistan’s prime minister invited my wife and I to speak at a peace conference in Islamabad in April 2005. Our message was that people should focus positively on similarities, not differences, between their faith and others’ that might discomfort them.

Krister Stendahl, former dean of the Harvard Divinity School, made some significant remarks regarding people’s comparing faiths:

First: Don’t compare your best with their worst.

Second: To know about a faith community, ask its members and not those with negative feelings toward it.

Third: Leave room for “holy envy.” In other words, recognize aspects of other religions you wish were a part of your faith.

After one of my presentations in Lahore, Pakistan, a man stood up and said, “You are stating falsehoods! You said we were children of God, while the Holy Koran says that we are creations of Allah!”

Several people became somewhat angry with him, for showing me what might be seen as disrespect.

I smiled and said, “This is the best example of the message that Sheila and I have brought to you today! I said that we were ‘Children of God,’ and this man states that the teachings of Islam say we are ‘Creations of God’! And we are ready to fight about it? I could easily have used ‘creations’ instead of ‘children.’ Do we really need to look for differences, even small ones, which will divide and alienate us? Or can we look for those things we have in common and celebrate them?”

If everyone lived the tenets of their faith, this would be a wonderful world. If we are to receive respect from others, we need to demonstrate it to them. When I mentioned this incident to a dear Sikh friend, he said, “See, God gave you an opportunity to illustrate your lesson!” He is correct, and I am grateful for so many “opportunities.”

TOM THORKELSON is the director of Interfaith Relations for Orange County at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.