good life with brandi nielsen

Part of cultivating a good life is embracing the study of religions other than my own.

"My respectful study of other religions has not abated my reverence for or faith in mine."

I am a Christian. I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). I grew up next door to my best friend who was Catholic and I remember us comparing the words from her Bible to my Bible and realizing they were the exact same! I went to a non-denominational Bible camp each summer. I attended Bible study with my Catholic friend on Tuesday nights. I went to midnight mass with my Episcopalian step-dad. I've attended bar mitzvahs and gone to multiple challah bread-making events. I've had wonderful discussions with my Buddhist friend and was touched to learn more deeply of her beliefs when she buried her little girl.

Over the years, I have not shared these experiences with friends and family because I was looking for more. Rather, because I realized at an early age, while comparing the Bible with my friend, that we are more alike than we realize.

My husband is a Major in the United States Air Force. One of the toughest and best parts of being a military family is moving every few years. It is always hard to leave friends we have developed close relationships with, but with each move we look forward to the new friendships we will build. We are lucky enough to have close lifelong friends all around the world.

Two years ago when we lived in Alabama, my friend and I were asked if we would host a multi-faith Bible study on the Air Force base. For 9 months a group of 10 women, all from different religious backgrounds, gathered once a week to study a book based on Christian principles. It was so uplifting to discuss our relationships with our spouses with other women who shared the same Christian ideals as me. The discussions sometimes showed differences in our Christian beliefs (such as the Holy Trinity versus God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost being three separate beings), but it always came back to the same beliefs that we wanted to live the way Christ did.

Last year, my family moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. After a few months and finally feeling settled, I realized that I missed my little Bible group from Alabama. So I put a message out on our community page to see if there was any interest to meet and study the Bible. The response was so positive. We have 10 women who regularly attend. Two are Catholic, four are non-denominational, one is American Baptist, one is Baptist, and two are LDS. Together, we have studied Ephesians & Ruth. We are getting ready to study our next book in the Bible next week.

When others, particularly of my faith, hear that I am doing this, the first response is always "oh wow" with a sort of puzzled look. I love the "ah ha" moment for each of them when through our conversation they realize that they should not fear learning about others religions and cultural beliefs. Instead, you can do this without having it affect or diminish the faith you hold dear to you.

It is my personal belief that as we open our doors to our community and embrace our differences, we will see how very much alike we actually are. We will form lifelong friendships. That stepping outside our comfort zone may open our eyes to so many more amazing people.

I feel blessed to belong to the church that I do. I believe the best way to let others know how I feel about my Savior, Jesus Christ, is through building genuine relationships with them, respecting our differences, and embracing our similarities.

*The quote at the top has been altered from its original, which states, "My respectful study of other religions has not abated my reverence for or my faith in Hindu scriptures." -Mahatma Gandhi

a note from becky

When I first heard that Brandi put this Bible study group together, my first thought was definitely not, "oh wow". My thought was more like, "Yesssss! Yes! This is what we should be doing!" I am so grateful for her example to me (and so many others) and hope this will inspire you to consider doing something similar.

Fun fact: When Brandi's family was in our area for a short time years ago, that's when we met. She was one of my most thoughtful friends during a crazy, crazy time of starting our company. She not only offered to help in various ways, but she is one of those people that just takes action instead of waiting for someone to say, "Yes, I'd love your help." I'll never forget the day she and another friend, Jennae, showed up one evening (during a particularly stressful time) and literally helped me decorate for Christmas in a few hours. I didn't ask. They didn't ask. They just showed up and went to work as an expression of love and friendship. Brandi actually ended up working for us (customer service and various projects) and well ... we just love Brandi and her family so much.

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