Yesterday we had our monthly Council meeting. I met several of the new youth, and we discussed plans for our third annual Peace Walk. We chose the charity we will be raising money for: Free the Children. It is an organization started by and run mostly by a group of children who want to make a difference. They try to find sustainable ways to benefit those in need. Organizations like Free the Children and people like the ones I met yesterday give me hope and energy. In a world riddled with difficulties, it sometimes seems futile to try to make change, but my motivation is constantly renewed by this community.
After we finished the administrative part of our agenda, we heard from our guests, a Mormon couple, Laura and Hugh. Laura was warm, enthusiastic, and a lovely Southern belle. She had grown up Baptist in the South and converted to Mormonism as an adult. Her husband, Hugh, is a fifth or sixth generation Mormon, and a scholar of the religious texts. She shed light on many of the Mormon teachings, many of which I had heard before, but often in a negative light. As a Humanist, I often struggle to understand faith. I admire and respect those who have faith and believe in things like a merciful God and a heavenly afterlife. The Mormon tradition is filled with love and acceptance, as are many religions and belief systems. As humans, I think we recognize the importance of working together to achieve a common goal. I do not know what will happen after I die. I do not know if a divine power watches over all of human-kind. However, I do have faith in people. I believe that we are all alive at this moment, and can work to end suffering and injustice throughout the world.
I thank Laura and Hugh very much for talking to us about their faith.