An occasional blog by Robin Turpin*
CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM
Last week was our annual St. John Vacation Bible Camp. As usual, it was fun for the children, exhausting for the adults, and hopefully, a little educational. In searching for a ‘theme’ for our week, we pondered the global events in the past year, which have been even more horrifying than usual. With the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7th, and the now on-going Israel-Hamas War; Russia’s continued war on Ukraine; and the rise of antisemitism and Islamophobia, we decided to focus our Vacation Bible Camp on the similarities among the three major Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Islam and Christianity). Together these faiths are followed by approximately 55% of the world population; in the U.S. over 75% of our population identifies with one of these three.
Now, mind you, our Vacation Bible Camp is mostly focused on fun activities; with lots of crafts, movie watching, story-telling, and particularly, a visit to the farm of one of our members. After all, who doesn’t love the opportunity to groom a horse, hold a chicken and hug a pack of sweet, squiggly dogs? But we did have an underlying theme tying all these activities together, that indeed, ties the Abrahamic faiths together as well. But I’ll get to that a bit further on.
Twenty years ago, I was fortunate to be able to travel to Egypt. It was an amazing visit for many reasons but one particular conversation with a Cairo-local has stuck with me all this time. We were chatting about this and that (the details being unimportant), when this gentleman remarked that ‘after all, we are all Children of Abraham.’ I’d never actually put our similarities into this type of perspective before, and it was mind-blowing. Such a lovely chance conversation that led to the theme of a Vacation Bible Camp in Palatine, Illinois 20 years later. (And herein lies another lesson; our everyday lives have the ability to deeply impact others, and thus, everyone on God’s green earth has an amazing ability to influence others).
So, our lesson time last week focused on learning about these three Abrahamic faiths. The Old Testament tells us that in about 2,000 B.C., God called Abraham to leave Ur (a city in Mesopotamia) to found a new nation and monotheistic faith in Canaan. By all accounts, Abraham was a righteous, hospitable, and compassionate man of great faith. His son Ishmael is identified as the Father of the Arabs, and an ancestor of the Prophet Muhammad. His son Isaac is an ancestor of both the Prophet Moses and Jesus. Thus, we at St. John can trace our spiritual family tree back to Abraham, the same as our Islamic and Jewish siblings.
We spent some time during the week learning about the traditions of Islam and Judaism, and discovered that each of the three religions have similar ‘pillars of faith’, which include charity and kindness towards others, respecting your elders, and seeking justice and peace in the world. Of course, each of the three faiths embrace beautiful and deeply meaningful spiritual practices that distinguish between them. But there are far more similarities than differences between the Abrahamic siblings.
But we didn’t just read about these faiths; we were also fortunate to be able to experience a bit of this beauty firsthand. We were graciously hosted by members of a local Mosque, touring their stunning facilities, and having our questions answered. We learned how praying five times a day shows great respect and gratitude for all that Allah (or God) provides. Everything in the Islamic faith, from the beauty of their sacred spaces, to the structure of their family life, and even to their clothing, all reflect this respect and dedication to Allah.
Equally thrilling, Father Petro, of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church that uses our sanctuary after our services, showed us the beautiful icons and embroideries that are used in their services. He explained how these beautiful items of faith enable their parishioners to demonstrate their love and devotion to God. He even let the children hold the banners, and he sprinkled us with holy water. What a wonderful way for the children to experience the glory of these amazing faiths. We were unable to schedule a visit to a Jewish Synagogue during our week to experience Judaism in person, but we hope to visit one in the near future to continue our Abrahamic family lessons.
At the end of the week, one of the children noted “So, we are really pretty much the same, right?” Yup, we are all pretty much the same. Children of Abraham. A few differences between the siblings of course, as in all families. But pretty much the same.
So, the antisemitism and Islamaphobia that grown-ups sometimes express? Maybe they should take a lesson from the children. We are all pretty much the same . . . . . .
With much thanks to our Vacation Bible Camp Jr. Teachers Jazz and Cassie O’Campo, and our adult volunteers Sue Jacobs, Paula Wix, Shawne Greney, Jenny Cooley, Linda Cannon and especially Pastor Sandy Kolar. A very special thank you to Ellie and Dodie Kayler for hosting us at their farm.
For more information on St. John, contact the church at stjohnUCCpalatine@gmail.com
*With thanks to Pastor Sandy Kolar and Laurie Turpin Soderholm for editorial assistance.
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