Weekly Message 7/30/2010

What Does It Mean To Be An Interfaith Christian Bridge Builder?

Part 1- Developing an Interreligious Dialogue

 

In the last message I talked about our forefather Ernest Steadman being a “bridge builder” and that we should follow his example and all be bridge builders. What should that mean to an Interfaith Christian?  It should mean building bridges with God, building bridges with all positive faiths, building bridges with the leaders of churches, building bridges with each other together, and building bridges with our fellow man.  In so doing we must develop an interreligious dialogue.  (I am not referring to proselytizing.) 

 

Inter-religious dialogue is about knowing the beliefs of other religious communities and finding areas of common ground and shared values. The success of inter-religious dialogue is not measured by the number of converts won.  Within this these next few messages, I’m going to draw from several different faiths.  I will point out that as we develop this Inter-religious dialogue, it can and should be elevated into action for the common good. The shared values in promoting justice and equality and in alleviating suffering and bringing fairness into the law and in to the economy are all fertile grounds for united action between ourselves and other ‘positive’ faith communities.

 

"As we grow in understanding of one another, we see that we share an esteem for ethical values, discernable to human reason, which are revered by all peoples of goodwill. The world begs for a common witness to these values. I therefore invite all religious people to view dialogue not only as a means of enhancing mutual understanding, but also as a way of serving society at large." Pope Benedict XVI

 

It seems only appropriate that mystical theology and its universal call for peace, love and understanding be spoken about.  I will let the Catholic Encyclopedia define mystical theology or mysticism.

Mysticism, (from Greek: muein, to initiate), In philosophy, Mysticism is either a religious tendency and desire of the human soul towards an intimate union with the Divinity, or a system growing out of such a tendency and desire.  As a philosophical system, Mysticism considers as the end of philosophy the direct union of the human soul with the Divinity through contemplation and love, and attempts to determine the processes and the means of realizing this end.

 The German Catholic theologian, Karl Rahner who once said that: "The Christian of the future will be a mystic or he will not exist at all." Rahner's statement is based on common sense, for as often as one speaks to people about religion, one seems to meet with lapsed Christians, lapsed Catholics and Jews, and lapsed Muslims and Buddhists — but surely one never meets with a lapsed mystic; for mysticism demands of the adherent no blind adherence to law — but a whole turning of one's being to a loving relationship with a loving God. Mysticism is about living the loved experience of God. To be a lapsed mystic would in fact be a self-destructive anomaly — for having met with the source of life, one would need to turn one's back on this Light — and die spiritually. Paraphrased from Dr. Andrew Kania’s thought provoking lecture delivered at Oxford December 4, 2009.

 Twentieth century Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, in his work: The Three Ages of the Interior Life, concluded that the mystic way is the Way for all Catholics, and not an elite few. I might add that it is the way for all who believe in God.  In a world where religion causes war — mysticism is a key component not only for regional and world peace but also for authentic religion — to live as the God of love wills us to live and to love.  I personally don’t use the word ‘mysticism’ much but the lessons found here do not escape me.  It starts with bridge building to God.

Then comes bridge building with other faiths.I have heard others coming from a solely Christian perspective speak of a difficulty for Christian/Muslim interreligious dialogue because there is in The Qur'an no reference to the essential teachings of Jesus, as outlined in the Christian Gospels.  There is no Lord's Prayer, no Sermon on the Mount, and none of the parables are mentioned. This said, I think it is critical to point out what The Qur'an actually does say about Jesus — herein we find the common ground for future dialogue:

"The angels said, 'Mary, God gives you news of a Word from Him, whose name will be the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, who will be held in honour in this world and the next, who will be one of those brought near to God. He will speak to people in his infancy and in his adulthood. He will be one of the righteous'. She said, 'My Lord, how can I have a son when no man has touched me? [The angel] said, 'This is how God creates what He will: when He has ordained something, He only says, "Be", and it is. He will teach him the Scripture and wisdom, the Torah and the Gospel, He will send him as a messenger to the Children of Israel: "I have come to you with a sign from your Lord: I will make the shape of a bird for you out of clay, then breathe into it and, with God's permission, it will become a real bird; I will heal the blind and the leper, and bring the dead back to life with God's permission; I will tell you what you may eat and what you may store up in your houses. There truly is a sign for you in this, if you are believers. I have come to confirm the truth of the Torah which preceded me, and to make some things lawful to you which used to be forbidden. I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. Be mindful of God, obey me: God is my Lord and your Lord, so serve Him — that is a straight path".(The Qur'an, Sura 3 — The Family of Imran, trans. M.A.S. Abdel Haleem, 2005, pp. 37-38)

 

"The Messiah, son of Mary, was only a messenger; other messengers had come and gone before him; his mother was a virtuous woman, both ate food [like other mortals]. See how clear We [Allah] make these signs for them; see how deluded they are. Say, 'How can you worship something other than God, that has no power to do you harm or good? God alone is the All Hearing and All Knowing.”  (The Qur'an, Sura 5 — The Feast, trans. M.A.S. Abdel Haleem, 2005, p. 75)

 

You can see the different perception that a Christian has with regard to Jesus Christ from that of a Muslim is great, but rather than making the world spiritually blind by spreading adversion and repugnance against other religions , and breeding prejudice, between one another, we must to understand one another, so that we can see in all people of good-will, that there is but one God, Who desires that we come to know not only Him — but to love Him and to love others through Him, and because of Him.  More quote from the Qur'an:

 

"'We believe in what was revealed to us and in what was revealed to you; our God and your God are one [and the same]'(Sura 29: 46) … We have assigned a law and a path to each of you. If God had so willed, He would have made you one community, but He wanted to test you through that which He has given you, so race to do good: you will all return to God and He will make clear to you the matters you differed about'". (Sura 5: 48).

 

I think this is pretty clear.  We are not required to deny who we are — as a Jew — as a Christian — as a Muslim — as a Christian Wiccan or any other faith.  We are instead invited to understand who others are in relation to us. The truest enemies of God, are not those who believe in the same, one God, but in different manners.  The truest enemies of God and our enemies are those who deny the existence of God, and seek to destroy, not only this belief, but replace God with a void of materialism, and a culture of spiritual death.

 

Moreover all of us should realize our greatest enemy is religious hypocrisy; with Christ often reproaching those who stood against him as hypocrites (cf. Luke 12: 56), and The Qur'an teaching quite clearly, that those who genuinely believe, who "are not given to arrogance" and "those who have attained to faith [in this divine writ], as well as those who follow the Jewish faith, and the Sabians, and the Christians — all who believe in God and the Last Day and do righteous deeds — no fear need they have, and neither shall they grieve". (Sûrah 5, trans. Muhammed Asad, 2008, p. 183). In our war against religious hypocrisy at least we find all of those who believe in the true teachings of Jesus fighting on the same side — true members of the same Faith and  believers in the same God.  In essence we are all of the same religion.

 

I will continue with this topic in the next message.

Blessings, Reverend Sharra