Spring Break
Hopkins hosts "Faith in the Black Community" panel
Issue date: 2/21/08
During his childhood, Earl El-Amin looked up to the black Muslims in his neighborhood.
"They were dignified, respected. They were like the vanguards of the community," he said during the "Faith in the Black Community" panel discussion held on Friday.
Sponsored by the Black History Month Committee and the Black Student Union, the two-hour long forum involved black members of the Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim and Christian communities.
The discussion covered the tenets of the panelists' religion and how each became a follower of his or her religion.
For the first hour, the representatives described what their religions are about and what they stand for. In the second hour, the panelists described their life stories, focusing on the role which religion played in helping them forge their own identities.
"The world is greater than your one life, but your life is in itself the universe. If I can't stand as an example, I must go back to the roots of my faith and make the adjustments there," said Maia Carroll, who represented the Buddhist Network of Greater Baltimore on the panel.
Panelist Herber Watts of the Baltimore Hebrew Congregation said that Jews "are supposed to live your faith through your life."
Christianity teaches that "your actions do have consequences; you are responsible to your actions. We do disagree with evil. We do disagree with oppression, slavery, racism, sexism - anything which prevents people from living together in community," said panelist Mark Wainwright, a reverend from Macedonia Baptist Church.
The panelists chose to focus on the things that were similar among their religions. All four representatives believed in the importance of peace and betterment of the community.
"Don't let anyone divide you. This is coming together like no other time in human history. All these religions are coming together in America," El-Amin said. The Imam represented the Muslim Community Center of Baltimore on the panel.
"They were dignified, respected. They were like the vanguards of the community," he said during the "Faith in the Black Community" panel discussion held on Friday.
Sponsored by the Black History Month Committee and the Black Student Union, the two-hour long forum involved black members of the Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim and Christian communities.
The discussion covered the tenets of the panelists' religion and how each became a follower of his or her religion.
For the first hour, the representatives described what their religions are about and what they stand for. In the second hour, the panelists described their life stories, focusing on the role which religion played in helping them forge their own identities.
"The world is greater than your one life, but your life is in itself the universe. If I can't stand as an example, I must go back to the roots of my faith and make the adjustments there," said Maia Carroll, who represented the Buddhist Network of Greater Baltimore on the panel.
Panelist Herber Watts of the Baltimore Hebrew Congregation said that Jews "are supposed to live your faith through your life."
Christianity teaches that "your actions do have consequences; you are responsible to your actions. We do disagree with evil. We do disagree with oppression, slavery, racism, sexism - anything which prevents people from living together in community," said panelist Mark Wainwright, a reverend from Macedonia Baptist Church.
The panelists chose to focus on the things that were similar among their religions. All four representatives believed in the importance of peace and betterment of the community.
"Don't let anyone divide you. This is coming together like no other time in human history. All these religions are coming together in America," El-Amin said. The Imam represented the Muslim Community Center of Baltimore on the panel.
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