This is my friend Levi. He is perhaps the most outstanding young man I have ever met.
He’s been visiting me once a month for more than two years now. He comes during the day with a colleague and knows I am busy at work so he never stays for long. Levi is soft spoken and humble yet very worldly and knowledgeable about life for a man of his age. He brings me some literature and we have a very nice discussion. No matter how busy I am I always find time for Levi and look forward to his visits. Those visits often coincide with cold and rainy weather and when I asked Levi if he always brought the bad weather he informed that he is a landscape gardener and would visit me on the days he couldn’t work. Levi would often bring an equally admirable young woman, named Jaylen. I enjoy speaking to her as she shares my interests in photography and genealogy. Levi and Jaylen recently got married. I couldn’t think of a better couple.
Levi is a Jehovah’s Witness.
I am not a Jehovah’s Witness but I have an interest in all religions and spiritual paths. I welcome people of all faiths into my life and I am eager to learn of their beliefs. I studied Christianity as a teenager and was confirmed in the Lutheran Church. I studied eastern religions as a university student and learned of how people of Buddhist, Muslim and Hindu faiths could live together while I lived in Malaysia. I became fascinated in Roman Catholicism while I lived in Central America and Colombia. I studied the Koran while I lived in Syria.
I profess to no single religion, nor do I reject any. I find wisdom and guidance in all religions. If a Muslim wants to visit me once a month to discuss brotherly love, then my door is open. If an Evangelical Christian wants to discuss Revelations with me on a rainy day, then you are welcome in my home. I have the deepest admiration for anyone who would give up their days off to share their faith with me.
After more than two years of Levi’s visits though, I can’t say I know a whole lot about the Jehovah’s Witness faith. We don’t really talk about nontrinitarian beliefs or Armageddon. Levi brings a publication for me to read which deals with a lot of issues about coping with life in general. Today’s issue addressed teen depression and Levi, his colleague, Benito, and I chatted about that.
One day Levi noticed that I was a bit upset after learning of President elect Donald Trump’s environmental agenda. I couldn’t believe how people of Christian faith could not be better stewards of Planet Earth. Levi pulled out his Bible and showed me a few passages which convinced me that the Christian God certainly is a keen environmentalist and condemns those who rape our land.
On his next visit, Levi continued the environmental theme and showed me a fascinating video about the construction of the Watchtower complex in Warwick which won four green globes for environmentally conscientious building design and construction. Levi always comes with an interesting topic to discuss.
Like all religions, the Jehovah’s Witnesses have beliefs and practices that some of us don’t agree with. And so do Catholics, Jews and Zoroastrians. But who am I to judge in matters of faith and who am I to judge a person by what their beliefs are? We live in a time when we hear more and more about bigotry … about how we judge another person based on their beliefs without even knowing that person. Bigotry is a word often heard in the United States these days and the word is almost always used in the same sentence as Muslim. I watched a video the other day which was making the rounds on Facebook. It was about a lovely American Muslim woman telling about how she was coping with the bigotry in the United States. She had some very wise words of advice. She said ‘Talk to a Muslim. Get to know us’.
A few years ago, there was a knock on my door. I knew who was at the door but I’m glad I didn’t pull the shades and pretend I wasn’t home. I’m glad I opened that door and got to know someone who might share different beliefs than I did but who truly was worth getting to know.