Pluralism And Religious Life

One of the most unique weddings I have officiated was Shreeti and Jon’s. I co-officiated with Shreeti’s family’s lay pundit (Hindu priest), Jaysurya (“Jay”) Upadhyaya. It was fascinating to see how these two faiths, one Western and one Eastern, came together in one ceremony, and how many parallels exist between the wedding rituals of both.

The ceremony began at the entrance, with Shreeti’s mother waving a wand over Jon to cast away spirits. This Hindu tradition is similar to the Jewish tradition of beginning the ceremony with the bride and groom’s mothers leading the bride around the groom to similarly protect him. In accordance with Hindu tradition, Jon then broke a clay pot to symbolically remove any obstacles to the marriage.

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This week, next Sunday to be exact (the third Sunday of January), is World Religions Day. This is a day in which the world’s amazing collage of different religions is honored. It was started by Baha’i's in the United States but has slowly been spreading throughout the world.

On this day throughout the world interfaith conferences, dinners and dialogs are hosted in order to promote communication and understanding amongst the world’s religions. According to the Baha’i website, the purpose is to call attention to the harmony of the various religions and spiritual principles and to emphasize that religion is the motivating force for world unity.

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