EDITORIAL: Baylor prayer vigil extends understanding
An interfaith prayer vigil attended by about 65 students and visitors at Baylor University on Thursday afternoon showed that the next generation is, indeed, crafting a template of tolerance that we should all heed.
As we approach this weekend’s ninth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, many in our nation are showing intolerance for those they do not understand or agree with. So we applaud those who argue otherwise.
Baylor chaplain Burt Burleson told those at Miller Chapel that “behind these chapel walls, there is a broken world ... that can be so very discouraging.” He added “there also is a world filled with love and wonder and so many who are so inspiring.”
We hope this sentiment inspires. We recognize how difficult it is to break from mass sentiment, and we applaud them for spreading peace and tolerance.
We should all try to understand those of different faiths and culture.
Senior Haley Grimland, 21, a Christian, was fasting Thursday — the last day of Ramadan — to relate to Islamic religion. Instead of eating lunch, she prayed. Admittedly weak from a lack of calories, she said it’s important to empathize with others. She helped organize the Service of Understanding: Prayers for Healing, Hope and Peace, which she hoped would show others that “Muslims’ and Christians’ beliefs come from the same place and we believe in the same God.”
Hear, hear.
Although sophomore Ashby Davis, 19, disagrees that a mosque should be built near ground zero, he attended the vigil with curiosity and an open mind. We applaud that. And we challenge folks to follow the prayer that Kristen Richardson offered — that we all “open our eyes to see those we prefer not to see.”
A good look might help us all right now.
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