Love Your Neighbor (Whatever His Religion)

by Nicole Gibson

The world seems to be going mad. If you go by what the news reports, the situation is pretty bleak. Particularly when it comes to relations between Christians and Muslims.

But what we hear on the news is not the whole story.

The truth is that there are peace-loving people on both sides who don't make the news, mainly because peace doesn't really sell that well in the world of news and media. So I'd like to chip away at that and share with you about a gathering that took place today, an event that is only one of many happening all the time and all over the place. About 40 Christians and Muslims from Tempe, Arizona got together at a mosque to simply meet and spend time with each other as fellow humans. As we shared lunch, the pastor and imam took turns answering honest (and often hard) questions from members of the other faith. The kinds of questions that remind us that real relationship between us is getting more important by the day.

We then left the mosque and went out together to pick up trash and clean up the city we all share.

As members of these two faiths, we have substantial differences, it's true. But we also have a surprising amount in common. And when it comes down to it, we're all humans, and these are my neighbors. My faith teaches me to love my neighbors, and I'm so thankful to have ones of both faiths who are willing to do things like this. Share this story, and let's make this kind of thing happen more often.