Today's episode is part-10 of a multi-part series about what you can to do help protect and foster respect for religious freedom. One thing we can all do is pray for God's guidance about what we should do and then have the courage to act on the direction we receive.
Below is a list of the prior past nine episodes about what regular, run-of-the-mill people can do to defend and foster respect for religious freedom.
Quiz #50 (Part 1) – Tie Your Actions to Religion
Quiz #50 (Part 2) – Share How Religion Helps You
Quiz #50 (Part 3) – Talk About the Good that Religion Does
https://religionlawquiz.podbean.com/e/quiz-50-part-3-talk-about-the-good-that-religion-does/
Quiz #50 (Part 4) – Respecting Religious Freedom -- Stand up for the rights of others
Quiz #50 (Part 5) – Respecting Religious Freedom -- Be a Peacemaker
https://religionlawquiz.podbean.com/e/quiz-50-part-5-defending-religious-freedom-be-a-peacemaker/
Quiz 50 (Part 6) – Respecting Religious Freedom -- Become Educated
https://religionlawquiz.podbean.com/e/quiz-50-part-6-protecting-religious-freedom-become-educated/
Quiz 50 (Part 7) – Participating in events that promote the exercise of religion
https://religionlawquiz.podbean.com/e/fostering-respect-for-religious-freedom/
Quiz 50 (Part 8) – Tie religion to your work
https://religionlawquiz.podbean.com/e/tying-religion-to-work/
Quiz #50 (Part 9) – Engage in the Community
Disclaimer: The Religion Law Quizzes are provided as a service to you. They are intended only for educational purposes. Nothing in the Quizzes is intended to be legal advice and they should not be relied upon as conclusive on any issue discussed therein.
HERE IS AN AI GENERATED SUMMARY OF TODAY’S PODCAST
Welcome to episode 50, part 10 of the Religion Law Podcast; a discussion on the various practical steps every individual can take towards promoting, protecting, and fostering respect for religious freedom. Hosted by Michael Fielding, this episode centers around the use of prayer as a guide in pursuing religious freedom passionately and effectively.
In previous parts of this series, Fielding discussed nine tactics including tying actions to religion, advocating for the beneficial role of religion, standing up for others' religious rights, fostering peace, and engaging in religious promotion events. This tenth installment brings attention to a straightforward approach that anyone can adopt - seeking divine guidance and discerning what we should do to propagate religious freedom through prayer.
Fielding emphasises the idea that prayer may vary across religions but the belief in a Supreme Being who loves us binds us all together. He encourages listeners to seek ways to listen and communicate more effectively with people of varying beliefs while emphasizing the importance of the role of religion in society, as well as the necessity to protect the freedom to practice religion. This is part of fostering respect and understanding in a diverse society.
The discussion also delves into the idea of focusing on commonalities rather than divisions while interacting with differing views, fostering harmony and respect at societal levels. Fielding concludes with the belief that divine help can guide us in fostering this respect and protec
Episode Transcript
Welcome to another episode of the Religion Law Podcast, where you learn about
religious freedom and other religion law-related topics through a short question-and-answer format.
I'm your host, Michael Fielding.
Let's see how you do on today's quiz.
Welcome to Religion Law Quiz number 50, part 10, numero 50, parte 10.
(00:26):
As you will recall, quiz number 50 has been a sub-series where we have been
talking about practical things that a regular run-of-the-mill person can do
to promote religious freedom, protect religious freedom.
And I would also say to help foster respect for religious freedom.
(00:49):
And as you know, from past quizzes that I have done, I have talked about,
well, these different things that could be done and said I could only think
of nine different items.
Well, this week it occurred to me, number 10, which frankly should have been
the most obvious from the beginning.
But sometimes the most obvious thing is right in front of us,
(01:14):
and we absolutely overlook that.
And that's what we're going to be talking about today.
And that item is pray for God's help. Pray for God's guidance as to what you should be doing.
Now, before we get into that, I want to just very quickly cover or repeat the
(01:35):
prior nine different items that we talked about. out.
The first one was tie your actions to religion, which is when you are engaging
in some practice of some sort and your actions are a result of your religious
beliefs and people ask you, why are you doing that?
It is helpful to tie your actions to religion.
(01:57):
Oh, I do this because of my belief in God. Oh, I do this because of this particular
scripture that I adhere to, things like that. Part two was here, how religion helps you.
I talked about in that episode, the passing of my son, Jonathan,
and it's this daring of how our belief in God, how our exercise of religion
(02:23):
helps us in times of trouble.
And the reason that is
important is because there are a growing number
of people in the united states that are not believers
and it's when when people that are not of faith hear the stories and examples
of how faith genuinely helps a person that lets or helps people that are non-believers
(02:48):
understand that religion does play a good,
helpful role in what I'll call the very challenging difficulties of life that
we all go through in different ways.
Part three talked about talking about the good that religion does.
It's so often in the media and in the news, we hear about the negative.
(03:12):
And I had read a statistic many months ago that about two-thirds Words of all
news stories focusing on religion put religion in a bad light,
but people of faith know that there's a lot of good that happens through religious
exercise, through religious practice.
Part four talked about standing up for the rights of others, people of other faiths.
(03:38):
Part five was an in-depth discussion about being a peacemaker.
We need a lot more civility. We need a lot more respect for one another.
We need to learn how to be peacemakers and help create bridges between differing parties.
That is so very much needed in today's society.
(04:00):
Part six was about becoming educated. Part seven was participating in events
that promote the exercise of religion, such as mayor's prayer breakfasts and
proclamations about the importance of religion.
Part eight was tying religion to your work. And then part nine was engaging in the community.
(04:20):
Now, part 10 is very simple and very easy to do for any person.
And that is simply pray to God and ask for God's guidance and direction in your
life about what he would have you to do to help promote religious freedom,
(04:43):
help develop respect for religious freedom, and then be willing to act upon
the thoughts and impressions that come to your mind.
I don't know what else more to say on that, because I know prayer is very personal.
It differs for people from religion to religion.
(05:08):
But it's this idea that we know that there is a supreme being,
a creator, someone who loves us.
It's often said, and I firmly believe that we are all children of God.
And it's this idea, this notion that we are supplicating God.
Asking for his help and his guidance, asking to do it in a way where we can be a peacemaker,
(05:33):
not being divisive and adding to the division that exists between us, But seeking a higher,
better way where we can listen to other people,
talk to other people, and really help foster respect and understanding for the
(05:56):
importance of the role of religion in society and of the need to protect the
way that people can exercise their religion.
And also find ways when there are people who are not of people of faith that
we can also respect their rights and their beliefs.
Because again, at the end of
the day here, we want to live harmoniously in society. It was interesting.
(06:20):
I had a discussion, I don't know, maybe 10 months ago.
It was with a representative in the Missouri State Legislature.
And it was a really good meeting because we were talking about the possibility
of a nonpartisan event for faith and political leaders.
(06:44):
And this person that I was speaking with, he was obviously one of the two major
parties, but he said, you know, at the end of the day,
there's like 95% of everything we want is the same.
And he said, we really just tend to focus on like that 5% difference.
And rather than focusing on the 95% that unifies us.
(07:06):
And I remember having a very similar discussion with one of my daughters.
Maybe a year ago, there was some point, it won't go into the details,
but it was really, really important to her on that.
And I very much disagreed with her on a particular point.
(07:27):
But our discussion was, why do
we have to focus on this one point that we really don't see eye to eye on?
Why does it have to be such a sore spot of contention?
Why can't we just focus on the fact that there's like, again,
90 or 95% of everything else we actually see eye to eye?
(07:50):
And on top of that, and much more important than these differences,
I let my daughter know that I deeply love her and that we want the best for
her and that we are trying to to focus on what we have in common,
foster that relationship with one another.
And I guess just from my perspective, that is an attitude that if we would,
(08:14):
as we go out into this, the societal questions that are out there about the
role of religion, the importance of religion,
what the boundaries of the law and religion are.
I guess my view is if we can approach that dialogue, that discussion,
with this idea of how do we focus on what we have in common,
(08:36):
how do we focus on fostering respect and civility for one another,
and then how can we find meaningful, respectful ways that respect works.
Both sides of differing views so that you can harmoniously live together while
simultaneously respecting one another's views.
Having that attitude, I think, just really fosters and helps.
(08:57):
And so then we get back to this point here of seeking divine help and praying for God's guidance.
It's my belief that if we pray to God, asking for his help, asking with this
idea of how How can we promote respect and help protect religious freedom?
But doing it with this eye of being a peacemaker, it's my own belief that God
(09:21):
will give us ideas, give us guidance, give us opportunities where we can try
to help be this bridge builder, this bridge maker.
All right, that does it for today's quiz. I look forward to having you on the
next Religion Law Quiz. quiz.
Thank you for listening to today's episode. Remember, religion law quizzes are
(09:43):
for educational purposes only and are not intended to be relied upon as legal advice.
If you have found this episode to be helpful, please share it and leave a review.
Until we meet again, keep being an influence for good.
Music.
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