On Tuesday morning we had the privilege of hearing from the sheik at the Bilal Mosque in Hinchinbrook. The sheik went over the foundations of Islamic belief and took questions over the few hours we were there. We were then treated to an enormous morning tea over which we chatted to the sheik and to other Muslim leaders who were at the mosque that morning. The hospitality that we were shown was really quite humbling. It was a great time of discussion where we could probe the questions that we had about the Muslim faith.
On Wednesday we visited the Shree Ram Krishna temple. Here, we again got to ask questions of the priest and investigate a religion that not many of the team had come across before. It was a great opportunity to be in an open dialogue with people who believe different things than we do, and it gave us a greater understanding of the religious makeup of the area. Reformed Christianity is the 4th most prevalent religion in the area with 38.8% of the population being Catholic, 9% Hindu, and 8.4% Muslim. It was interesting at both visits to compare and contrast the beliefs of the two religions with Christianity.
One of the main differences that we found was the amount of assurance that the Muslim and Hindu leaders had. Both religions are works based, with their followers doing good things in the hope of earning their way to God. What a blessing it is for us Christians to know that Jesus has done everything needed to bring us to God, and that there is nothing that we can do to separate us from the love of God.
Please pray for all the people of Hoxton Park, that they will come to know the assurance of their relationship with God that only comes through knowing His love shown through Christ.
Read more . . .