Take Me To Church

Can we take a moment of appreciation of how beautifully done this AI piece 😂

So! as I’ve mentioned before I’m on a mission to [throw myself into the unknown](https://medium.com/@linjabri/lets-have-some-fun-shall-we-1099d6bd5431) and crushing comfort zones right and left, and that have led me to…haha you’re not even going to believe this!

BUT I joined a Christian Fellowship program in Dubai on Sundays called “Alpha” 😂.

whoa whoa whoa, before we jump into conclusions here, no I’m not switching my religion, after years and years of being ignorant when it comes to “religion”, I decided that I actually cannot be supportive of/ or against any religion if I don’t actually go and study it and develop my own understanding of it.

The understanding should not be based on what my parents said, what the society said, what the media and the sheikhs said, but based on what my mind and heart says :)

And that my friends requires aloooooot of efforts and proper dedication, which I’m not going to lie I haven’t given it the importance it deserves.

However! I have been reading lately more and educating myself more about my own religion, and while the efforts are minimal but still…it’s better than the no efforts that I was doing.

And anyways no matter what the verdict will end up being (which will take years or maybe a lifetime of seeking and searching) however, I’ve already experienced so much in life, and I’ve travelled and been immersed in different cultures and had life changing conversations with people from all walks of life, which is enough for me to decide on:

“I want to learn about and understand the religion that I was born into (Islam) as I don’t believe things happen as coincidences, however, I do want to take in and embrace the beautiful teachings and concepts that can cross my way from other religions and beliefs too”

Now that I’ve given you a brief history class on “Lin’s Religious Beliefs” let me tell you about my Sundays as I’m so excited about it!

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A few months ago, I got sold on the idea of “reformer pilates” and since I’ve never done it or even been close to those machines, I decided why not 🤷🏽‍♀️

So I go reach out to a studio that a friend of mine recommended, and the girl on the other side who responded to me to book the class, somehow and I don’t remember how the conversation went but we hit it off instantly! she was soo witty! and hilarious!

But I actually ended up cancelling that class and never made it there 😂 but that young lady became a friend of mine on Instagram, and I say young lady because she’s 11 years younger than me so I’d like to think of myself to her as a “Mentor” a mentor in “how to turn all life traumas into sarcasm” but she’s already doing a great job in that herself haha.

Anyways that girl who we haven’t met in real life, goes and shares on her instagram story a promotional video for “Alpha” and it caught my attention, because it didn’t make it sound like they are promoting “The Way To Christ” rather its about those who are curious about life, who have deep and pressing questions about their existence, and about those who seek more…and I’m Alllll about that! so I reached out to my friend and asked what’s that?

She explained briefly and asked if I want to come? and I said yes! and I actually can’t believe I said yes, because normally I’d at least require more information or encouragement, but seeing that I’m on a mission to crush comfort zones, I was like….why not!

So I went two weeks ago, with my young friend who now we have met in real life, and not only she’s young but she’s also so tiny! and for someone my height to say someone else is tiny…like….minions kind of vibe! 🐣 and her wearing a yellow tshirt only confirmed that vibe.

We met and we went to alpha, and I assumed this would be in a church but turns out its not, its in a ballroom in a hotel, anyways we sat down and they showed us a video, also kind of promotional of what this is all about and stuff like that, and I was “okay” with it, but my friend said that usually we break out into groups and you sit and discuss with your group and if you have any questions about the topic of the day..etc, you get to ask or just listen.

So the first session was just an intro, so no breakouts discussions happened, but I was still curious and everybody was so friendly and so welcoming, that it felt like a really nice community vibes, so I said I’ll come again.

Yesterday, my minion friend was sick and couldn’t come, but I was actually so curious that I decided to go alone! and I’m so glad that I did!

Yesterday, I got introduced to my group who we will be together until December (every Sunday).

The way how “Alpha” works, in the beginning of the session they show you a 15–20 mins video about a specific topic, (So far it’s being about Christ and Christianity but from a Historical perspective) but what I really liked is that the way the videos are made are very modern!

Like Kudos to whomever is behind this initiative (I mean I guess the church is😂) but because they are making their mission very relevant to today’s day and age! to the youngsters!

And they show all kind of opinions in the video, as they ask people in the streets about a specific thing and then they show all kind of opinions, the skepticals, the atheists, the believers…the no damn clue and don’t care people, they show it all! and that’s what got me hooked! is that they actually do allow questions and skepticism from everybody.

In the group there are 2 Kenyan ladies, 1 Guy from Benin (I’ve never in my life met anyone from Benin!), an Indian guy, 2 Egyptians and one Filipino Man, and yours truly!

All of the above are Christians (just like the majority of everyone who’s in Alpha I’d guess 90% Christians) but The Indian guy is a curious Buddhist and I’m a Muslim.

3 of the above are facilitators but they also take part in the discussions and answering questions just like the rest of us.

And I didn’t want to hide who I am or why I’m there and I thought to myself its better I tell them from the get go why I’m there and what my religion is, and the fact that I’m not here to change my religion, and if they have an issue with that then I’d rather get kicked out from the beginning instead of wasting my Sundays.

So I told them:
“I came here because the promo video made it sound like this is a place for the curious people, and those who had questions about life and faith, and I am a Muslim, and I’m not planning to change my religion, however, I am quite curious and I love to know about other peoples beliefs and hear different perspectives….so here I am”

And everybody was smiling to me! welcoming me! no body got offended! no body frowned or twisted their faces after hearing what religion I came from….they all were so cool about that and they told me that this place is exactly for the people who are like that! the curious ones who have questions….and that’s all that matters.

Another surprise was, that the questions asked in our discussion group, yes first its started by asking a question related to the topic of the video, but then it branched out to deep topics about life, things that are not related to religion at all!

And I sat there hearing each one of us, the group above, coming from all walks of life, different culture and variety of ages, I heard the unique answers and perspectives to each one of those people to questions like:
“What is happiness to you”

And honestly, I was sitting there smiling the entire time, I was so happy to be there! to be surrounded by people who also seek deeper meaning like me. Those who like to have discussions or even just to throw a questions that no body really have the answer but maybe it’ll be something to ponder on alone….and those two hours have passed without me even feeling it.

I always felt like I’m the type of person that likes “community” thats why I love the eastern way of living more than the western one, and while yes it does come with disadvantages such as, everybody is up in each others business…but to be honest the advantages outweigh that by alot!

Being greeted by your neighbors in the street because everyone in the hood knows each other, or to be invited to other peoples homes just because your culture is welcoming like that and no body finds it weird, or for the elderly to sit infront of their shops with their friends and they play backgammon and just enjoy their time while sipping on tea, or for families to live close by to each other and where the elder members in the family are not a burden that gets thrown out of the equation once their physical bodies start giving up on them, rather they become the blessings of the family and it’s the duty of every member to cater for the needs of the elders and to ensure that they are happy and well looked after.

I love all of that, I love it so much! and that’s what I felt yesterday at Alpha…**a sense of community! **a community that allowed me to be be my blunt and straightforward self, they allowed me to ask any question I have on my mind and they answered in the kindest and most loving way, a way that it shows that they weren’t faking it.

They actually shared their knowledge with me of what they think from “their own perspective” and thats what I loved! I loved that the facilitators and other group members say “their perspective” but they don’t enforce it as none negotiable facts.

The final question in yesterday’s Alpha was:

Who is Jesus to you?

and the group went in turn, each saying what is jesus to them:
My Savior, My Friend, My God…etc.

And I was quiet until all of them are done and it was my turn, and the facilitator said:

Lin…feel free to give your answer without feeling being put on spot.

I laughed and I said the truth:
Jesus is just a human……until proven otherwise.

And they gave me a genuine smile and thanked me for my honesty….as simple as that.

We bid each other farewell with the aim to meet next week again, and honestly! I can’t wait! I can’t wait for next Sunday to hear more thought provoking ideas, and to learn not about religion only but more importantly…about Life from all of the experiences of these lovely humans.

In my perspective, life is not supposed to be lived in a 1 dimensional way, we are blessed to be living this “Human” experience on this planet earth, where each person you cross paths with would have a different story, a different life experience and a different belief….and I believe that growth can only happen when you learn how to listen, to appreciate and to learn!

There’s no point in proving who’s right and who’s wrong, the spiritual connection between you and the divine, is the only connection which is vertical and not horizontal, so it’s between you and what’s above, so it doesn’t matter what others think, it doesn’t matter if others offend or attack what you believe in, that connection is very special and private that the noise around shouldn’t shake it.

And if you don’t believe in anything at all…then that’s also fine! I always say, if that brings you peace then that’s the right thing for you :)

I am so happy that my path crossed my young minion friend, and I’m so glad that I was curious to ask what is that video that led me to Alpha, and I’m even more blessed with the group that I ended up with, as the vibe felt so natural and I was so comfortable being around them.

Excited to see how this journey will unfold 🙏