Two Religions, One Faith

Today was a great day. We went to church at a ward in João Pessoa and we increased the attendance by at least half. It was a good service and I sat next to a man who was visiting, so I tried to help out with the hymn book (you would be surprised how tricky it is to read one) and what to do during the passing of the sacrament. It was nice to be doing something so familiar.
   We then went to some of the Roman Catholic churches that are in the center of the city. They are over 250+ years old and it was amazing to see them. Northeastern Brazil is a treasure trove for Tropical Baroque art in the churches and the detail is amazing. The ceilings were painted with scenes from the life of St. Francisco and the reliefs of Christ and Mary were beautiful. There were several of the statues of the broken and dying Christ on the cross and I had to stop and think about them. True, they aren't what I think of when I think of the Atonement, but they are a representation to some of the mission of the Savior. So while it may have been very striking and graphic, it is a representation with great detail of the faith of many millions of people.
Here are some pictures to show you what I mean:

Look at the ceiling

It was amazing to see how old the churches were and the art was touching. While we have many differences with other Christian faiths, we have many important things that we have in common. One of my favorite talks is the talk "Faith of Our Father" by President Uchtdorf from April 2008. Here is an extract from that talk:

The Faith of Our Fathers

I marvel at the different backgrounds of members of the Church. You come from all walks of life—all cultures, languages, political circumstances, and religious traditions.

This multiplicity of life experiences has caused me to reflect on the message of one of our hymns, “Faith of Our Fathers.” In the refrain, these words are repeated: “Faith of our fathers, holy faith, we will be true to thee till death!” ³

The faith of our fathers—I love that phrase.

For many members of the Church, these words bring to mind valiant pioneers who abandoned the comfort of their homes and traveled by wagon and on foot until they reached the valley of the Great Salt Lake. I love and honor the faith and courage of those early pioneers of the Church. My own ancestors were living an ocean away at the time. None were among those who lived in Nauvoo or Winter Quarters, and none made the journey across the plains. But as a member of the Church, I claim with gratitude and pride this pioneer legacy as my own.

With the same joy, I claim the legacies of today’s modern-day Church pioneers who live in every nation and whose own stories of perseverance, faith, and sacrifice add glorious new verses to the great chorus of the latter-day anthem of the kingdom of God.

When my own family contemplates the phrase “faith of our fathers,” often it is the Lutheran faith that comes to mind. For generations our ancestors belonged to that denomination. In fact, my son recently discovered that one of our family lines connects back to Martin Luther himself.

We honor and respect sincere souls from all religions, no matter where or when they lived, who have loved God, even without having the fulness of the gospel. We lift our voices in gratitude for their selflessness and courage. We embrace them as brothers and sisters, children of our Heavenly Father.

We believe that it is a fundamental human right to worship “Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.” ⁴

This idea that the faith of our ancestors has brought us to the point where we could receive the gospel is one that I love and feel is important. My own family coming from Roman Catholic background has helped me to better understand and appreciate the art, architecture and symbols.  

We then drove on to Natal, which translated means "Christmas", so it's Christmas time! It's been a really fun trip, so hopefully I can put some more photos on (hotel internet is terrible) soon.