As I travel, I make an effort to visit places of worship. The architecture is usually stunning, many having withstood the ravages of time and wars. I love to spend a little time inside, away from the hectic, noisy world on the outside. A few moments of quiet solitude in a stunningly beautiful, usually cavernous space. Almost all places of worship are very welcoming, but surprisingly, a few are not. If you are not of their faith, you are not welcome. Very hard for me to understand.
“We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another.” ___Jonathan Swift
St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral, Tarpon Springs, Florida
As my eyes adjust to my darker surroundings, I am quite taken by the craftsmanship; yes, but it’s the colors that amaze. Those subtle, soft hues reflected through the stained glass windows and ambient light.
Why do two colors, put one next to the other, sing? Can one really explain this? no. Just as one can never learn how to paint.
___Pablo Picasso
Nakhoda Masjid, Kolkata, India
The spiritual peace that one feels in the masjid is but one of the many blessings of visiting a House of Allah.
___Yasir Qadhi
Jama Masjid, New Delhi, India
Religion is a candle inside a multicolored lantern. Everyone looks through a particular color, but the candle is always there.
___Mohammed Naguib
Small Methodist Chapel, Port au Prince, Haiti
I think people often come to the synagogue, mosque, the church looking for God, and what we give them is religion. ___Gene Robinson
Magen David Synagogue, Kolkata, India
When I admire the wonders of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in the worship of the creator. ___Mahatma Gandhi
Shree Jain Swetamber Dadajika Temple, Kolkata, India
Give me the money that has been spent in war and I will clothe every man, woman, and child in an attire of which kings and queens will be proud. I will build a schoolhouse in every valley over the whole earth. I will crown every hillside with a place of worship consecrated to peace.”
___Charles Sumner
Buddhist Temple, near Laung Prabang, Laos
Not thinking about anything is Zen. Once you know this, walking, sitting, or lying down, everything you do is Zen. ___Bodhidharma
