What if Religion was Life?

Religion is a way of life [here]...

In America, the land of free and the home of brave, we are accustomed to many liberties. Freedom of speech, press, and religion just to name a few. But here in Abu Dhabi, although being a more progressive area considering its geographic location; those freedoms seem...well stifled. Free speech and press, well let's just say I've rewritten and revised these first few blog postings several times. There is lots of monitoring and I'm sure that some of my very opinionated opinions may be frowned upon so I've censored myself. The UAE practices freedom of religion but you better be sure to respect theirs! Religion directly influences culture. Style of dress for example, expat women do not have to cover but are asked to dress modestly out of respect for the culture on daily adventures. [Side note: this seems to go out the window after dark, I see the same club/lounge/bar attire as back home] Modesty meaning no mid-drift, back, or cleavage. Additionally, shorts are also not preferred for women. Now anyone who knows me, knows I love shorts because I have great legs lol! So, needles to say, I haven't worn shorts in public here, only to the pool and beach. However, I digress.
In reflecting on the freedoms of home and juxtaposing them with the present culture in which I've ben immersed, I started down a road of what living in the US would be like if we actually practiced and lived a national religion, while showing tolerance for others. Of course I took the perspective of Christianity because I am a Christian and wholly believe that Jesus Christ died for my sins and was resurrected now sitting on the right hand of the Father.

Below are two practices that I have observed here or researched and what they might look like in the United States:

Prayer in School

UAE - every morning during Tabor (similar to morning assembly with announcements) a student reads from the Holy Quran and the students pray. Students also take Islamic class where they learn about their religion and about the Quran.

America - prayer in our US schools would have an evolutionary impact. To be honest I learned to pray for my students with my friend and team member, Jason Banks, when I moved to PG County. We had a tough (that puts it lightly) group and we prayed for them regularly. And I have seen over the years the great difference it makes in the flow of a school day if I simply pray for my students and over my classroom the morning. God loves the pure hearts of children; if they could pray corporately in school we could easily see an increase in test scores due to reduced anxiety and a severe decrease in school violence. My third grade class a few years ago would regularly ask me if they could pray, to bless their food for class parties or if someone was sick, and I gladly obliged them! Now I never prayed with them, I know that gets sticky and I was not about to risk my job, but I certainly allowed whomever asked to lead the others in prayer.

Closed on Holy day

UAE - Friday is Holy day here. Many Muslims attend Jumu'ah, around noon, for prayer, a sermon, and congregational prayer. During this time many locally owned stores and businesses are closed as well as banks, and some may be closed for the whole day out of respect for the holy day. [Side bar: traffic is soooo much better on Friday mornings, this is the only time that I will go to certain places because its so much less crowded]

America - What stores, other than Chik-fil-a can you think of that are closed on Sunday? Some might close early, but who is closed  for the whole day?? If you can come up with any, its not many! Now I know that Sunday may be the only  time that many people have to shop, but at the very least a delayed opening would be nice! I had an ex-boyfriend who was routinely pulled from church attendance because of work. It bothered me so much because I felt that his job would not have suffered to be without him for those two hours. I know of many others whose only excuse for not attending church is  their work shift. Would it hurt our economy to open stores just a little bit later on Sunday morning? Well...no, I don't think so.

Of the many things I've gained thus far while living in Abu Dhabi, I have developed a deeper respect for Islam. Now don't jump to any conclusions, I am not saying that I will be converting. I just have an even greater respect for the religion because of how deeply it influences the culture. As Americans, we say that we reverence God with "in God we trust" printed on our bills and the Ten Commandments engraved about the Supreme Court, but culturally what do we reflect?


Thank you for partaking in this dose of 'A Journey Along the Journey'! I hope that you continue along the ride, until we meet again...be blessed!


P.S. - I visited the Grand Mosque last week and was blown away by its beauty and grandeur. It got me thinking along another path. What if our churches were as grand as the mosque? King Solomon was given specific guidelines to build the temple and it was beautiful and ornate, made of rich materials from near and far! So why are some of our churches today so jacked up!?