REXBURG— After a few lifechanging experiences he learned on his mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, BYU-Idaho student Logan Weaver sought to find common ground with others outside of his faith.
“When you don't have interactions with a lot of other people outside of church and stuff, you kind of have circulated prejudices or misconceptions, just as much as other people have misconceptions about Latter-day Saints,” Weaver said.
While knocking doors on his mission, Weaver met a Muslim man. The man invited him in, and they had a civil conversation about religion, despite differing beliefs.
“What was really cool is just the way he approached it. He was just very respectful, very careful. He was like, ‘Now I don't want to be offensive. Please correct me if I'm wrong. You said this and this, but I believe in this and stuff,’” Weaver said. “And then it was just a very mutually beneficial conversation. We try to seek mutual understanding. And we were both enriched. We both felt very peaceful after that. We both got to understand each other on a much deeper level.”
Weaver found that this and other experiences shifted his view on other religious beliefs. The experiences have also helped him see how others perceive his faith and religious beliefs.
“Because of that simple interaction, I thought, wow, that really changed my thought and made me think about people of other faiths. What are some misconceptions I have about them? And I recognize that people have misunderstandings about my faith,” Weaver said. “But also recognize that there's people in my own church who have misconceptions or negative attitudes towards people of other faiths. This isn't really the right way to go about in our relationships.”
Weaver finds strength and purpose in trying to become like Russell M. Nelson, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“We're trying to build these positive relationships, become like President Nelson, who if we look at the news, he's just one of those people who always is positively engaged with people of other races and of religions,” Weaver said. “And I was like, this is exactly what I've been looking for. So, I jump in, I attend some of the meetings, fell in love with it.”
Weaver is now the acting president of the Interfaith Leadership Academic Society at BYU-Idaho. He has held nearly every position within the society and works to create unity in a world of diversity.
The Interfaith Leadership Academic Society will host an opening social on Wednesday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. On Feb. 8, Interfaith Educator and Leader James Holt from the United Kingdom will share his experiences as an interfaith leader.