Hinduism, Christianity, and navigating an interfaith marriage | Where Race Meets Religion - video Dailymotion

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An interfaith marriage tests Shanta with expectations and stereotypes; yet faith guides her to peace and understanding.  Watch more: https://www.asiaone.com/video

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00:00What's happening today?

00:02Today we are having a groundbreaking ceremony.

00:06This is our first temple, holy temple, that's going to be built in Singapore.

00:12So we have about 500 people coming to witness this groundbreaking ceremony,

00:18which is very special for us because we've been waiting for our temple for several years.

00:25We want to be known as Latter-day Saints that people will know that we belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

00:33When you say Mormon, it's like, yeah, commonly known as Mormon,

00:38but people have this misconception of whether we really pray to Jesus Christ.

00:44The LDS members are a huge support in my life.

00:57They're not just my life, but all the members in church.

01:00They are my extended family, I would say.

01:04They lift me up and they inspire me in a lot of ways.

01:07The Gospel has been something that connects them and helps them walk on the covenant path.

01:15My day has been bad during the week.

01:18Sunday is a day that I look forward to it because that's where I am uplifted.

01:23My prayers to God has always been answered when I'm in church.

01:28It's through hymns that I sing or through somebody's talk or somebody's lesson.

01:35Church is everything for me.

01:38Because we are God's children, He wants us to come home to Him.

01:44And I know that God loves us so much that He's provided a path for you and for me to return and live with Him again.

01:54If I was not a member of this church, the Latter-day Saints Church, I would have been very different.

02:01My perspective of life would have been different.

02:04My choices would have been different.

02:06Our church, for me, reminded me of the covenants that I've made with God.

02:11What's the plan of salvation that God has for us?

02:15What is His purpose that He has sent us down to earth?

02:18Any time of the day, He's there for us.

02:20All we need to do is to acknowledge that He's there, call out for Him and ask for His guidance.

02:27And He will never lead us astray.

02:29It's a special feeling that comes to you each time you pray to Him.

02:34You just let go of your pride, strip yourself of pride and listen and be guided to Him.

02:41We don't have very many Indians in church, but they don't treat me as a minority.

02:51It's always one big family.

02:54That is a true love of Christ, I would say, of God.

02:58To love one another regardless of what our status is or what our colour is.

03:05I grew up in Queenstown.

03:08I had wonderful neighbours.

03:09I had a Chinese neighbour, a Malay neighbour.

03:12Yeah, I had another Indian neighbour below whom we were very close with.

03:17Yes, my Chinese neighbour, she's a wonderful lady.

03:20Whatever she cooks, she will make some for us and share it with us.

03:25There was never really a segregation.

03:27We were very united.

03:28So we were always sharing food.

03:30Even my Malay neighbour or so, whenever they cook.

03:33There's always this community.

03:35So we never look at one another as we are Chinese, Malay or Indians.

03:41Even to today.

03:43My husband is my greatest support.

03:49My greatest support, I would say in my life.

03:52He's always been my anchor.

03:55We were courting for eight years before we actually got married.

04:00So about 45 years, we have known each other.

04:04My husband actually is a Hindu.

04:07After his grandparents had passed on,

04:10he feels that he needs to continue that legacy of being a Hindu.

04:16So he is still a Hindu.

04:21Once in a while, he goes to the temple.

04:25He prays every day.

04:27We have an altar at home where he prays every day.

04:31He's a very strong character.

04:34She still looks the same to me from the day I met her.

04:38That's good enough already.

04:40Values.

04:41That's a value.

04:44So maybe when you first found out,

04:46she is not the serving player that she is.

04:49Were there any...

04:50For me, I'm not so particular about all this.

04:52I know she's already a Christian and I'm a Hindu.

04:55I myself not very strong in my religion.

04:57We got our house, we decided to get married.

04:59And ever since then, we just do according to what the book says.

05:03Which book?

05:04Marriage book.

05:05Marriage book.

05:06So I do my sports on Sundays.

05:09So I send her to church.

05:10After my sports, I pick her up.

05:12And it's become a regular routine.

05:14I know a lot of members of the church.

05:16Kind of familiar with all of them.

05:18So they used to call me the most active non-member of the church.

05:22That's my title there.

05:24I do volunteer work for the church sometimes.

05:26His grandparents were everything to him.

05:30He still wants to hold on to what his grandparents have passed on to him.

05:37So I think it's the love and the respect that he has for his grandparents.

05:41They didn't really like me because I was a Christian and he was a Hindu.

05:46For them to like me, it was very important.

05:49I had quite a bit of challenge with his grandmother, not his grandfather.

05:54His grandmother was the iron lady of the family.

06:00I used to call him by his name.

06:02Go Win.

06:03So as I was talking to her, I just said, Go Win.

06:07And she gave me such a sledge.

06:09I remember that.

06:11And then she said, you know, in our generation, we never call our man by name.

06:17I said, oh, okay.

06:19All right.

06:20So that's when I learned.

06:22I learned.

06:23I learned, yeah.

06:27Our factor is all during the weekdays.

06:30Weekdays.

06:31Weekdays.

06:32Because my father was too extreme.

06:33So he didn't know about our relationship until after two years.

06:38Yeah.

06:39Then you may have broken it with my father.

06:41Then he would come to my place.

06:43So we will, because my father doesn't know, so we will meet at the steps.

06:49He would sit there and he would talk.

06:51Yeah.

06:52So that was where we used to sit down and talk a lot.

06:56Yes.

06:57The other step.

06:58Fun moments.

06:59Yes.

07:00Short time, but after so many years, we are coming back here.

07:02It's nice.

07:03It's nice, yeah.

07:04Going down memory lane.

07:14Since we had Christianity and we had Hinduism in our home,

07:18we observed both.

07:21But it was always Christmas that was the bigger event.

07:24Hindu festivals.

07:26There were some prayers that they normally do.

07:30And the bigger ones would be like pongal.

07:33That's Indian harvest festival.

07:36In Singapore, yes.

07:37At home, you would just have some things that we cook.

07:42You know, it is incorporating milk with rice and sugar.

07:47As it boils, it flows over.

07:49It's like very auspicious for the whole year.

07:52People always buy clothes, new clothes.

07:56And what happens is, before they start the day of celebration,

08:03what they will do is all the clothes that they have bought, the new clothes,

08:07they will put it in a pile and they will pray.

08:11So, initially, when I actually got married, I felt that was a challenge for me,

08:16to be praying.

08:17For me, it was like clothes.

08:19I don't know what I'd be praying for, to clothes.

08:22You know?

08:23So, the first year was the first Tikpawali.

08:26So, he wanted me to do the same thing.

08:29I said, I'm not going to do that.

08:31For me, I didn't really understand at that point of time,

08:35why do they even do these things?

08:37Praying is praying to Heavenly Father.

08:40So, these are clothes, just clothes.

08:42Just for Grandfather, just come and do it.

08:45So, then I did it.

08:47But after that, I was very sad I had to do something like that.

08:54But over the years, I think Heavenly Father has helped me realize that

08:58it's literally thanking God for what He has given us.

09:04You know?

09:06This is like a blessing.

09:08So, over the years, I had a better understanding of what

09:12what were the beliefs of Hinduism and what are the beliefs of Christianity.

09:17And I kind of like was able to connect,

09:22connect what they believe and what we believe.

09:25So, in some things, like giving gratitude to God,

09:30it also is in them.

09:36I think it's got nothing to do with race.

09:39For me, I believe that regardless of race, you know,

09:44we are created by Heavenly Father,

09:48and we are His divine children.

09:51He created us and He sent us to earth

09:54and has given us this beautiful plan of salvation.

09:58In the early days when the world was just created,

10:02there wasn't any race.

10:03Heavenly Father looks at us as all the same.

10:06He loves us all the same.

10:09Whether we are Christians, we are Hindus, Buddhists,

10:12we are all His children, regardless.

10:15And so whether we are, we do good or we do bad,

10:20He still loves us the same, unconditionally.

10:23I want to share this particular song.

10:28It's very close to my heart.

10:30Sudden hymns makes you smile.

10:33Sudden hymns make you very touch.

10:35Sudden hymns lifts you up when you are having challenges.

10:39And whenever I sing it, I can feel the Savior's love.

10:43So I want to sing this hymn together with all of you.

10:49And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ.

10:52Amen.

10:53To live with Him, my strength.

10:57Be me there, O.

11:00Be right.

11:05Give me my heart.

11:40We're right back.

Hinduism, Christianity, and navigating an interfaith marriage | Where Race Meets Religion

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