World needs more spirituality

The world is in a crisis, and the answer to that is more spirituality — not from any one religion in particular, but from a variety of faiths and better cooperation.

That was one of the ideas espoused by the Salt Lake Interfaith Roundtable during a panel discussion on "Interfaith Dialogue in a Time of Crisis" Wednesday evening at the Salt Lake City Library.

"The more we read of other faiths, the more we see the commonalities of each other," said Jan Saeed of the Baha'i faith and leader of the Interfaith Roundtable group.

Roger Keller, religious studies chairman at Brigham Young University, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and another Roundtable member, agreed.

"I find as I look at other people's faiths I put on new glasses to look at my own faith."

He said there needs to be more venues like this panel discussion to break down barriers between religions. This doesn't diminish one's own religion beliefs.

"We accept each other just like we are," he said.

A special problem in Utah, Keller said, is that while the LDS Church is the predominant faith, the majority of the population — members of that faith — tend not to need those people of other faiths. They turn inward and get caught up only in their religion and usually lack meaningful dialogue with non-LDS people.

He also said the world is too fractured and fragmented for religion to continue to separate people.

"We find much more commonality in spirituality," he said of the four Roundtable members.

Imam Shuaib-ud Din of the Islamic Mosque in West Valley City, another Roundtable member, said fear is a key problem.

"Human beings become enemies of what they don't know," he said, adding it is a moral obligation to better understand the beliefs of others.

Elaine Emmi, member and activist of the Quaker community and the other Roundtable member, said living in Utah is fantastic because one can talk openly about religion here.

Keller said he has some colleagues who can't understand why he would sit on a panel with people of other faiths, but he said it has become a full-fledged friendship.

He also said that the tragedy of 9/11 has caused many to take a narrow attitude toward the Muslim faith.

Emmi said true terrorism are the terrible things people do to the environment and to other people.