Running and Religion: Divergent Paths

Exercise can take many forms. Under the umbrellas of aerobic and anaerobic exercise, numerous activities abound. Regardless of the form, exercise carries the function of improving and sustaining health. People have their personal favorites, but rarely is anyone offended when a person mentions his or her exercise of choice.

No matter what type of exercise you choose, it can offer personal, professional and spiritual benefits as great as, and arguably greater than, solely promoting health. Examples come to mind like the euphoria of cresting a mountain, finishing a race, meeting a personal goal, or communing with nature. I’ve been fortunate to have had many amazing experiences, primarily as a result of running. Again, most folks don’t care that I prefer running over biking.

Today I thought of religion much the same as I have described exercise. Over the course of four days Shannan and I had the opportunity to remember a dear friend in a Baptist memorial service, confess our sins and complete Yom Kippur prayers and rituals, and attend an Open House at a local Islamic masjid. Although my Quran class at the Baha’i Center was cancelled, we also completed daily readings of the Bible, read from the Bhagavad Gita, and attended a worship service at a Universalist Unitarian Congregation. That was followed by having a meal at a Middle Eastern Festival held in an Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church.

We had much of this planned, but not as an intentional interfaith smorgasbord. Of course our weekends never adhere to what others consider normal. In these religiously diverse settings we encountered people and traditions all with the same ultimate goal of relating to God. Unlike the differences across various types of exercise one prefers, religious difference often breeds intolerance and all too often leads to violence. It will be a fine day when someone says, “I’m a Muslim” and it’s as well received as saying, “I’m a runner.”

Tom