Cries from the Heart Read Online Free PDF Page A

causes us to forget that other
people are created in the divine image, when we are prepared to
sacrifice others on the altar of our beliefs, we become fanatics. When
we use religion to make God small like ourselves…we are fanatics.”
    Ever since the beginning of the world, people have believed that
turning to a transcendent being would bring blessing and even redemption from their present condition. There was a distinct element of expectancy and acknowledgment of the Supreme Being in
the religions of Sumer and Babylon, as well as ancient Egypt.
Zoroaster was a Persian prophet who in the sixth century B.C.
founded a religion characterized by the worship of an “absolute”
God who was engaged in a cosmic fight against evil. The Greek and
Roman civilizations, too, as pagan as they may seem today, acknowledged a supreme God. Aboriginal or polytheistic religions
such as Hinduism, or pantheistic expressions of spirituality such as
those found among Native American tribes, are also centered
around the idea of a divine presence, and their notions of petition
closely parallel our ideas about prayer.
    The need for prayer is recognized in all the major faiths. The
believing Jew prays both when he or she is alone, and in the
community: in personal prayer he or she is one with the people; the
prayers spoken in communion with others are as much personal as
they are communal. The Israelites of old were surrounded by a
pagan society with its idol worship. Therefore, the important
prayer said at the dawn of each new day, the
Shemah,
proclaims
the sovereignty of God and the oneness of everything in his
creation: “Hear, O Israel: the Lord is our god; the Lord is the only one.”
    Joe, a doctor I know, finds spiritual truth in the culture and religion of native tribes of the American Southwest. He has a unique
view of our communication with God:
    Above the earth is a great circle of prayer into which everyone
from every faith – and those without faith – can contribute, and
from which each can draw strength as well as answers. The beautiful thing is that when you pray, you are connecting with this
tremendous power that comes from all corners of the earth.
    In Buddhism there is the eightfold path, reminiscent of the Ten
Commandments. The goal of detachment from worldly desire is attained through discipline of the senses and devotion to Buddha,
who is the manifestation of wisdom and compassion. Silent meditation is valuable, as is “mindfulness,” an inner wakefulness to the
present moment. Thich Nhat Hanh, a widely respected Zen teacher,
writes:
    In a real prayer, you ask only for the things you really need,
things that are necessary for your well-being, such as peace, solidity, and freedom – freedom from anger, fear, and
craving…You also touch the wholesome seeds in your consciousness and water them. These are seeds of compassion, love, understanding, forgiveness, and joy.
    I have many friends in the Muslim community. They have tremendous conviction and depth of faith. My wife and I have also been in
the Middle East several times, most recently in Iraq, simply in an
attempt to have some small share in the distress of the people
there. Warfare and sanctions have already caused the deaths of
hundreds of thousands of Iraqi children, due to starvation and lack
of medical supplies. My heart aches for them. I found it challenging
how, in their suffering, many Iraqis are becoming more spiritually
attuned and are turning more to prayer. For them and for others
the world over, prayer is the only recourse, for it gives them hope
and strength to carry on in the face of extreme, unbelievable odds.
    A friend who has traveled to Iraq numerous times, recently told
me the following story. On one of his visits he had asked an Iraqi
what he could do to help the country and its people, and received a
most unexpected answer. The man told him to pray for those who