Monday, January 14, 2008 Maxey: The Father Abraham Prayer Center By Ram Maxey Bar None
DO YOU know that there's a place in Davao City where members of various religious faiths may converge from time to time to exchange views on their religions and even pray together?
There is such a place. Called the Father Abraham Prayer Center, it is located in Wellsprings Village II, Catalunan Pequeño. It was opened during the observance of Eidul Adha last December 9, led by Human Settlement Development Corporation Executive Director Zamzamin Ampatuan.
"The Center will serve as a place for dialogue among members of religious faiths," Ampatuan said. "It will also become a venue for them to pray together.
The significance of the December 9 opening lies in the fact that it was on that day when Prophet Abraham was set to sacrifice his son in behalf of his faith. In both Islam and Christianity, Abraham was considered as a man whose strong belief in his faith was such that he would readily sacrifice the life of his son as a demonstration of his belief.
In Islam, the day is among the highlights of the pilgrimage to Mecca that Muslims the world over make a point to visit once in their lifetime to perform in the "stoning of the devil" to symbolize the act of the devil in cajoling Abraham to defy the order of the Creator.
In Ampatuan's view, the Center also symbolizes his objective of bringing together the religions in Mindanao for them to share ideas that will eventually strengthen their bond and affection for one another.
"We need the Center as a venue to facilitate our desire to become members of the community of the world whether one is a Muslim, Christian, Lumad or a member of any other group or faith," he added.
Teachers will be assigned to teach children about the major religions in the world as a way of heightening awareness among them about the similarities of these religious groups, according to Ampatuan.
At a time like this in Mindanao when the search for an elusive peace has proven to be very difficult to achieve in the face of so much mistrust and ill-will that has resulted in violence at the expense of people's lives by antisocial forces, Ampatuan's Father Abraham Prayer Center in Catalunan Pequeño stands like a beacon of hope. He hopes that sooner than later, Mindanaoans of different faiths will contribute to the peace process by simply dropping in at the Center to get to know each other, pray together and strengthen fellowship and bonding.
