laddiweb's blog
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Monday, December 29th, 2008
Jews Who Believe In Christianity And Are Embracing Sikhism
While Christmas may have many different meanings, for me it is time to reflect on the past year and celebrate everyone who has made a positive impact in my life. A couple that has recently made such a difference is Ben and Clarity Grace Cohen - often known as Ben and Grace “Cohen-Singh”.
The Cohen-Singh couple is of Judaism background, believes in Christianity, and is in the process of understanding the true essence of Sikhism. They are also involved with the “life centre”, a Christian faith based community gathering that meets every Sunday at the Rick Hansen Secondary School in Abbotsford.
While the Cohen-Singh couple may not be much different in their thinking than most other good people on this planet, they appear to be a symbol of harmony.
During an informal conversation, Ben told me that until a few years ago, he did not associate with Sikhs- because he had many misgivings.
A tragedy happened during the couple’s wedding day when all of their possessions were stolen. Sikhs from his neighborhood in Abbotsford heard of the tragedy and offered help, something he did not expect would happen. This was a turning point in Ben’s life and he decided to have a better understanding of the Sikh faith.
One of the attributes Ben and Grace appreciate of Sikhism is the concept of equality- where men and women are treated as equal. The irony is that, according to Ben, not everyone understands this phenomenon.
Recalling one of the incidents at the local Gurdwara, Ben said he was surprised when someone asked him if the person he was with was his girl-friend or his ‘mistress’. Ben said neither because Grace is his wife. When Ben asked why the question, he said the response was: you are not supposed to be servant to your wife, she can return her own dishes.
While the above episode may seem isolated because Ben and Grace have also run into many who follow true essence of Sikhism and are very helpful, understanding, and accommodating— it does highlight a need for all of us to have better understanding of ours and our neighbors’ faiths and institutions. “Only by having better understanding will we achieve peace and harmony and overcome our prejudices”, comments Ben. What a true and spiritual message! Also, a subtle reminder of the verse, “Ek noor te Sab Jag Upjya, Kaun Bhaley Kaun Mandhey” (We are all a creation of the same light, who is good or who is bad?).
More... Sikhism
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| Posted By laddiweb @ 2:54 PM | [Comment on this blog post] |
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