St. Cloud Florida Stake Blog

The religious scholar Huston Smith once wrote, “If we take the world’s enduring religions at their best, we discover the distilled wisdom of the human race.” 

How wonderful, then, to share a moment when all of that distilled wisdom is gathered in a room. In concurrence with tours of a full-scale replica of Moses’s Old Testament Tabernacle, members of the three major Abrahamic faiths—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—participated in an eight-panel interfaith devotional at the Windermere chapel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints last month. The devotional was enlightening, connecting, and strengthening. Panel members were able to discuss what Moses and the tabernacle meant to each of their respective faiths, as well as their own sacred spaces, clothing, and events. The fact that Jews, Christians, and Muslims all have these traditions is something that unites us to begin with, even if the traditions themselves vary. 

Sam Haught, Communications Director for the St. Cloud Florida stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, put it this way: “It’s like the trunk of a tree. The trunk of our faith traditions are remarkably similar. It’s just when you start to go up and out into the branches that you start to see the differences.” News of a full-scale replica of the Old Testament Tabernacle was such a draw that nearly 10,000 visitors of all faiths came to tour it in a week. Forty-three interfaith leaders and congregations visited the structure, including groups of bible college students and Torah study students. Community leaders such as Kissimmee Mayor Olga Gonzalez also attended.

“I think this event was significant for our area because it helped members of many different faiths find common ground concerning our belief in God and our expression of faith and devotion to Him,” said President Jonathan Gooch, stake president for all Latter-day congregations in Osceola County. And during seemingly divisive times, common ground such as this is worth honoring.