Mehenwv

My Muskogee name is Mehenwv Hopoyv which means 'truth seeker.' My journey has lead me down a path with many curves, hills, bumps, and valleys.

I posted an introduction on the community site and some of this may be a bit repetative, but I will expand a bit on it.

My husband and I practice the Muskogee Square Ground traditions and have also started attending a UU church in our area.

I was raised in a Christian home and will have to admit that I grew up with a lot of misconceptions, prejudices, and even negative thoughts about people of other faiths. It took many years of growing and maturing to realize that there are common threads running through most religions.

Personally, I have come to believe that religious beliefs and ceremonies are usually based on historical events that happen within the framework of a certain group of people. For example, the historical experiences of the Hebrew people were certainly different from the experiences of the Chinese, thus any religious ceremonies would reflect those historical differences. I could give more examples; however, I think you understand.

If one peels away the various ceremonies and really look deep into the core of each religion, one will find a core root of commonality. That is something we can all grasp. It then becomes possible to come together and share with each other and learn from each other without loosing our own cultural and religious identity.

I sincerely believe that it will be the people of 'faith' coming together with the common goal of peace who will ultimately win over the evils in this world. At least, we will be able to put up a formidable fight; however, if we remain divided in our own prejudicial corners, we won't stand a chance.

I will say that Jesus is an important person in my personal life. That will never change as that is part of who I am and is very much a part of my identity. I do, however, want to learn from others as we share experiences from our various faith backgrounds in a safe, non-judgemental environment. I sincerely believe that this will prove to be such a place.