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Passing the Mic: West Michigan Hindu Temple's Fred Stella answers, "What is the purpose of your life?"

The Rapidian
The Rapidian Staff
9/10/21 02:46pm
culture voices

in collaboration with Brett Townsend and Community Media Center

Fred Stella, Hindu practitioner, responds to Rishi Singh, Sikh practitioner.

West Michigan Hindu Temple & Fred Stella

The WMHT is a Hindu temple located in Ada on Whitneyville Ave. SE. Opened in 2008, its mission is "to promote the values of peace, harmony, and human values of truth, tolerance, forgiveness, respect for one another, and sharing through the means of prayer, bhajans, and community spirit."

Fred Stella is an active member of the temple and its Pracharak, or outreach minister. He is also President of the Interfaith Dialogue Association, host of WGVU's Common Threads radio show, and regular contributor to The Rapidian's Ethics and Religion Talk column.

Rishi Singh, Sikh practitioner and interfaith outreach officer for the Sikh Society of West Michigan, previously asked Grand Rapids faith communities:

  • "What is the purpose of your life? How can you live a spiritual life – how can you attain that which you’re sent here for – if you can’t answer that fundamental question, which is 'what is the purpose of your life?'"

Fred Stella, Hindu practitioner and Pracharak (outreach minister) for the West Michigan Hindu Temple, responds, and passes a question on to the city's Christian community:

  • "I would like to ask someone from the Christian community about how they are able to balance the religious dictate that was given to them in the Bible – to spread the message of the gospel to all peoples and to try to recruit people to the gospel – … with their interfaith activity?"

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Passing the Mic

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