Learn About Religions of the World at Gilroy Church

South County residents will have an opportunity to learn about
the world’s major religions during a free course offered during
eight monthly sessions at Gilroy’s First Baptist Church, 8455 Wren
Ave.
 
South County residents will have an opportunity to learn about the world’s major religions during a free course offered during eight monthly sessions at Gilroy’s First Baptist Church, 8455 Wren Ave.  The seminar will be held from 6-8pm beginning Oct. 15, and it takes places on the second Sunday of each month. The teachers are the husband-and-wife team of Haran and Joy Schoming.

The course’s textbook – which is $13 and is the only fee involved – is called “Faith Reaching Out to World Religions.”  It introduces the course this way:

“Religion is humanity’s explanations (beliefs) and expression (practice) of its relationship to its ultimate concern (god).  God created people to be religious beings, and we give our primary devotion to that which we value most. The proliferation of world religions over the ages illustrates humanity’s persistent longing to experience and worship God in a meaningful way. 

“Today America is a patchwork of world religions.  Although our nation’s largest religion is Christianity, increased immigration to the United States during the past 40 years has brought followers of many religions to our neighborhoods and workplaces.  Millions of Jewish people, Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists live in this country, and other non-Christian philosophies like New Age and  secular humanism have an impact on culture and government that is far greater than the number of their adherents might suggest.”

Participants in the course will have the opportunity to study the beliefs of each religion through lecture, notes, selected videos, group discussion and some reading.  Some of the goals of the course are to enable students to “witness” to members of other religions, and to “formulate a biblical response to teachings of other religions,” helping them understand the beliefs of Christianity and bring them to the truth of Jesus Christ. 

The Major World’s Religion Seminars will provide accurate information about beliefs of those around us today, as well as prepare Christians to counter these beliefs with skillful questions and scripture.   Another way to become familiar with world religions is provided by a book that attempts to explain the religions while  providing tips on religious etiquette.  It answers the normal questions people might have when approaching an unfamiliar religion.

“How to Be a Perfect Stranger” (Skylight Paths Publishing, $19.95) was named by the Los Angeles Times as the best reference book of 2003.  The information in the book is based upon questionnaires filled out by clergy and other religion experts throughout the United States and Canada.

The major part of the book is a series of 29 chapters, each devoted to a different religion or denomination, arranged alphabetically from “African American Methodist Churches” to “United Church of Christ.” Included are non-Christian faiths like  Baha’i, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism.

Each chapter is organized in the same way:  history and beliefs, an outline of the basic worship service, holy days and festivals, life-cycle events (birth, initiation, marriage, funerals and mourning), and home celebrations.

For each religion, a selection of “special vocabulary” words is provided.  Examples are “Salat” for Islam (“prayer”); “Prasad” for Sikh (pudding served toward the end of the service); and “Theotokos” for Orthodox (“Mother of God”).

This thorough reference work ends with three important sections:  a glossary of common religious terms and names, a calendar of religious holidays and festivals, and a final section offering “proper forms for addressing leaders of various faiths.”