Book Review of "Secret of Divine Love" in commemoration of International Peace Day

In commemoration of the International Day of Peace (Wednesday, September 21, 2022), students of religious studies enlivened the discussion and book review held by the Quranic Peace Study Club at the Gereja Kristen Kalam Kudus (GKKK). This forum was attended by several young people from various backgrounds; including UKDW theology students, Nahdlatul Wathan Youth, YIPC, and UIN Sunan Kalijaga Religious Studies students.

The book discussed was one of the works of A. Helwa, a writer from Southern California, entitled "Secrets Of Divine Love".

Om Gerald M. Siregar, as discussion leader as well as the host and pastor at GKKK, expressed his personal opinion that "...although this is a book of Islamic treasures, I did not feel far away when reading it, instead I felt so close and enjoyed every narrative of A. Helwa about the universality of love and sincerity in religion..."

Mas Rahmatullah (Alumni of UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta) as a respondent to the book discussion also gave several points such as. "The book discusses love as the breath of religion. The importance of balancing spirituality with religiosity is emphasized. In addition, this book teaches readers to reinterpret rituals and live their worship with full surrender to God".

The forum did not feel awkward due to the differences that were present, on the contrary, the atmosphere of harmony and laughter was so alive.

Om Gerald also explained a lot about Christian activities and teachings that are in line with Islam. He closed the forum with the statement "There is no God in the church, mosque, or Kaaba, but God is in every human heart."

This book review went smoothly. It was closed by Ms. Annisa Zuhra as the moderator and then ended with a meal together that had been provided.