The Sky Is Much Bigger Than I Realized

Madagascar

I grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah, the 2nd oldest of 8 kids in my devout Mormon family.

At the age of 19, I traveled to Madagascar to be a missionary for the Church. I lived in Madagascar for 2 years, serving, teaching, and making new friends —I loved being there.

Madagascar is a beautiful place. I spent my time in the capital city, in small towns out in the countryside, and in a major coastal city too. The land is mostly flat with some hills here and there.

Twice a year (Christmas and Mother’s Day), we would call home and catch up with family. During our phone calls, my parents would ask me about Madagascar.

“What’s it like there? How’s the weather? What does the scenery look like?”

One thing that always struck me as different was the sky. It seemed way bigger than the sky I grew up with.

“The sky down here is HUGE!” I would tell them, “it’s probably something to do with being in the southern hemisphere.”

For the entire 2 years I was in Madagascar I attributed the unusual vastness of the sky to the fact that I was living in the southern hemisphere of the planet instead of the northern one I grew up in. It wasn’t until I moved home to Utah that I realized the truth:

The sky isn’t bigger in the Southern hemisphere, it’s just smaller in my home town. The Salt Lake Valley is surrounded by mountains that obscure a good chunk of the sky.

In retrospect, it seems like such a silly thing to forget. Of course the mountains made the difference! But it wasn’t obvious to me. The mountains were something I saw every day. I didn’t know what the sky looked like without them.

In many ways, my faith journey resembles this experience.

Exploring

For my entire life, I have been an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The church gave me a lens to view the world. It gave me a clear definition of right and wrong, truth and error, heaven and hell. I belonged to the one and only true church on the Earth. I knew what “the sky” looked like. Or at least I thought I knew.

It wasn’t until I stepped outside my Mormon orthodoxy and started exploring that I realized the true vastness of “the sky”, or in other words, how big God really is.

In the last 10 months, I’ve participated in more than 30 different religious services (see my log for a complete list).

I’ve experienced many new things. For example, I have:

Felt the sprinkle of holy water in the Coptic Orthodox church.
Shouted “praise Jesus” music at the top of my lungs with the Pentecostals.
Received communion blessed and passed by a female priest (foreign experience to a Mormon).
Sat in silence with my Quaker friends in an “Unprogrammed” worship service.
Announced “Allahu Akbar” (God is the greatest) with my Muslim brothers.
Lifted a glass of grape juice alongside my Jewish friends, toasting “L’Chaim” (to life).
Recited mantras about Krishna and Rama in a Hindu Temple.
Breathed the holy incense of a Lunar New Year celebration in a Taoist Temple.
Meditated like the Buddha.
Enjoyed a communal meal with the Sikhs.
Offered a prayer in a Baha’i worship service.

I’ve met so many wonderful people! People who have embraced me as a brother, welcomed my curiosity, guided me through their rituals, and invited me back. People who are building their community, feeding the poor, loving one another, and connecting with a higher power.

Truly, these are God’s people.

Yes, the Mormons are a wonderful group of people, and yes, God really is guiding and directing them. However, the same is true for Catholics, Protestants, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, and others.

These groups are no longer an “other” in my brain. They are religious people doing their best –just like me. We are the same.

Yes Kev, they’re all good, but my religious group is the best

It’s easy to get carried away with the idea that your set of beliefs and practices are the “most correct”. You think other religions have bits and pieces of the truth, but not “the fullness”. You acknowledge that good people exist in all religions, but the best people share your same faith.

As an orthodox member of the Mormon church, this is also what I believed. I believed my church was “the one and only” true church that Jesus Christ created, and because that’s true, other churches and religions had to be false (at least in some ways).

However, time and experience has shifted my perspective. I no longer believe any one religion has all the answers. Truth, divinity, compassion, and love exists in all religious groups (except, of course, extremist outliers). Each has different God-given strengths and human-caused weaknesses. Each is it’s own essential piece of the sacred puzzle that God is putting together for humanity.

So, yes, it might be true that your religious group is the best for you. But what’s best for you and what’s best for your neighbor may vastly differ –and that’s okay! More than okay, it’s expected. It’s designed.

“How many paths are there to God? There are as many paths to God as there are souls on the Earth.”
Rumi (Islamic scholar and Sufi mystic)

A Bigger, More Beautiful Sky

When I returned from my LDS mission in Madagascar to my home town of Salt Lake City, Utah, I was struck by how small the sky felt. But, it had always been that size –I just hadn’t noticed. The mountains weren’t bad, but they had shaped my perception without me realizing it.

Likewise, my religious upbringing shaped my spiritual worldview. It gave me structure, community, and purpose. And I am grateful for it. But just as I had to leave my mountain-bound valley to understand the vastness of the sky, I had to step beyond my own religious tradition to understand the vastness of God.

Some might worry that this kind of exploration leads to a loss of faith. But for me, it has led to more faith –more wonder, more love, and a greater trust in the idea that God is bigger than any one religion can contain.

So, keep being curious. Keep learning. Keep growing. And don’t forget that the sky is much bigger and more beautiful than any of us realize. 🙂