Interfaith dialogue: principles and contemporary practices

Interfaith Dialogue

Common Ground in a World of Growing Fundamentalism and Controversy: The Importance of Interfaith Dialogue

The geopolitical situation of the world today is heavily influenced by matters of faith, and specifically by the adherents to certain specific major religions. Despite what appears to be an increasing secularization in much of the world and in the hearts and minds of more and more people as science and is increasingly seen as a replacement for faith rather than an enhancement to it, and as cynicism comes to replace hope and a sense of interconnectedness and higher purpose in the face of the woes of this world, religion is actually playing a more important role in shaping direct political affairs today than it has in much of the modern era. Perhaps it is even because of the increased secularism and cynicism of certain portions of the world that religion has again become so influential and prominent.

Regardless of the reasons behind this growing influence, it is clear that certain of the world's major religions are now at the center of prominent and profound changes in the world's power structures and perspectives. The importance of Islam is perhaps the most obvious example of religion's renewed importance in the world, creating (through many complex mechanisms) a great deal of violence and political instability in a substantial part of the world that is important both from modern economies sensibilities and from historical and theological viewpoints. The fundamentalism and reactions to it have been the most prominent effects of Islam on the world, but the religion is highly influential in the Middle East even in milder (and truer) forms.

Islam is not the only religion to again rise to an increasing prominence and level of political influence in today's world, however, nor is it even the only religion of significant influence in the Middle East region. Judaism and Christianity, the other two prominent monotheistic religions of the world, are also significant influences on the Middle Eastern world and by extension on the rest of the globe. The contentions and hostilities regarding the state of Israel has not really died down despite more than sixty years of the nation's existence and ongoing warfare with various neighbors and internal groups, making an understanding of the Islamic ad Jewish relations that currently exist very important. Christians and Christian advocacy groups are often left out of the public attention that this region and its issues receive, but there are sizable Christian minorities in many countries of the Middle East and a great deal of Christian historical and religious importance is attached to many sites throughout this region.

Christianity is also having an increased impact on the political atmosphere and perspectives in the United States, where a growing secularization amongst much of the population is being met with increased evangelical and even fundamentalist Christianity in other areas and population segments. Spurred on in part by the reach of cable news and other forms of media given to hyperbole and hyperactive intensity, certain religious views are again becoming prominent and valid arguments in the making and interpreting of laws, presenting certain dangers to others' civil liberties and even potentially to the free exercise of religion. As this Christian segment becomes louder and more forceful, other religions are largely being left out of meaningful debates.

All of these issues make the need for interfaith dialogue and understanding more important than at any other time in the modern era, and arguably more important than at any other time in human history as the effects of religious disturbances and conflicts are more far reaching and effect more individuals given the level of interconnectivity and density that exists in the world's population. Exploring the nature of various religions' beliefs and their support and impact in the modern world is not simply an exercise in academic open-mindedness, nor are its effects limited to the building of better interfaith connections and growing levels of acceptance and tolerance. Such interfaith dialogue can have a very real, direct, and practical effect on the shape of the world today, and developing greater understandings of and appreciations for the current era's most influential religions will help to support such interfaith dialogue and lead to a more stable and supportive global population.

Judaism and Christianity

In light of how prominent the Islamic religion has become in the Middle East and the increasing influence of the Christian religion in the United States, Judaism might not seem like the most important or impactful religion in the world and one not necessarily involved with major geopolitical events. Indeed, the state of Israel itself is not governed as a Jewish theocracy, but is in fact a largely secular government and nation on the whole. This does not mean that Jewish leaders and Jewish issues are not important, however, and the relationships between Jewish and Christian leaders and theologies are of immense importance in the modern era.

The Biblical union of the Jewish and Christian peoples extends back to the creation stories found in the earliest chapters of Genesis, and the human roots of division between these groups can in some ways be traced back to the stories Noah and his descendants, followed by Abraham and his descendants (though the beginnings of Jewish-Muslim differences are more explicitly reflected in these stories and periods) (Chittister et al. 2007). It is with these generations that the real divisions between humanity at large begin to emerge, and indeed there have been different emphases seen by Christian and Jewish theologians, scholars, and followers in the various tales from this period and from throughout the Bible (Chittister et al. 2007). Still, these common tales can provide common grounds for the building of interfaith dialogues, providing a foundation of shared histories that are still highly relevant in the modern era despite that many millennia that have past and the lack of a literal belief in the truth of these stories even by many adherents to the Christian and Judaic faiths.

The stories of Abraham are themselves directly and pragmatically concerned with divisions of land and the ability for dissimilar peoples to coexist in the same geographic area -- problems that are encountered again and again throughout the Bible and throughout human history. They are also problems that have occurred again and again specifically between various religious groups, including Jews and Christians, creating both some of the barriers to interfaith dialogue and one of the major reasons for its importance in the modern era (Chittister et al. 2007). Abraham's struggles are thus the struggles of modern day.

It should be of no surprise, then, that there are lessons to be learned from reading about Abraham that can be directly applied to today's conflicts and interfaith struggles. In many ways a simple history of what we would consider a primitive people, the Book of Genesis -- and especially the human chronology and genealogy that includes Abraham and his descendants in a very significant way -- represents a true common origin for Christianity and Judaism, as well as Islam (Chittister et al. 2007). It is in Genesis that God promises each will "become a great nation," and this seems to indicate not only that these different peoples will be great, but that they will be great together (Chittister et al. 2007). This provides a direct textual and theological basis for the improvement of Christian and Jewish interfaith dialogues on a meaningful and widespread basis, if for no other reason that that the destinies of these two peoples have always been linked by their common histories.

Judaism and Islam

The story of Abraham also has specific implications for the origins of and relationship between the ancient Hebrews and the Arabs, many of whom would become today's most ardent followers of Islam (Chittister et al. 2007). The general framework of the Book of Genesis and the specific issues dealt with by Abraham and his immediate descendents are also highly applicable to the dialogues that must occur between these religions today (Chittister et al. 2007). This is not the only common ground that is shared between these two religions, however, and in fact there is a rich network of similarities between these religions.

Both Islam and Judaism place a great deal of emphasis on the unity of God as a central theme to theology and religious belief and practice, deriving their entire philosophy and understanding of the world from this specific and all encompassing view (Firestone 2008). As expressed perhaps more explicitly in Islamic theologies and dogmas, though still with a great deal of resonance in the texts and tenets of Judaism, this unity of God translates to a unity of that which God has created, which is in reality part and parcel of the same God (Firestone 2008). That is, everything is God or Allah, because God/Allah is all encompassing, and it is a fundamental heresy in Islam and really in Judaism as well to conceive of God/Allah as somehow separable or divisible, or to assert that any part of the universe is somehow apart from God/Allah or of another essence or origin (Firestone 2008).

In light of this, it would seem to be the same heresy to assert that one religion or another is somehow against God or Allah, or that the adherents of either religion are themselves un-Godly or outside of Allah's will and design. All peoples and all thoughts that these people hold, in other worse, must be seen as part and parcel of the same eternal and all encompassing divine being that is the source and substance of all creation, and thus the supposed divisions and differences between the adherents of Judaism and of Islam must be recognized as superficial and ultimately insignificant in face of the larger theological and divine cohesion that exists between them (Firestone 2008). Coming together for interfaith dialogue and action is a natural and holy endeavor within this perspective.

This is not to say that there are not differences in the theologies and beliefs of Islam and Judaism, of course, and there are in fact certain beliefs and conceptions that are significantly and fundamentally different (Firestone 2008). These differences do not make the mutual existence and prospering of the adherents of these two religions an impossibility, however, and there have been many periods and places of peaceful coexistence based on the foundational similarities of the pursuit of knowledge and the emphasis on proper behavior that is common to both Jews and Muslims (Firestone 2008). Building on these basic and extensive similarities rather than focusing on the differences in belief and practice as barriers to interfaith dialogue will lead to more effective and united interfaith dialogues that occur from the perspective of a truly shared origin and purpose, not simply borne out of the pragmatism and practical benefit of modern cooperation and tolerance.

Islam and Christianity

Many of the roots that are common between Judaism and Islam are also shared by Islam and Christianity, though this is more true of the histories shared by these two newer religions than their theologies (Chittister et al. 2007). The same histories of Abraham and tales of Genesis are foundational elements of both Christianity and Islam, even if Christianity is ultimately more concerned with belief than behavior in some of its central tenets (Firestone 2008). There are also other fundamental similarities between certain aspects of Islam and Christianity that make the bonds between these two religions and peoples even tighter.

Both Mohammed and Jesus spent periods of time alone in the wilderness before developing and delivering their ultimate views of truth and faith to their followers (Ayoub & Omar 2007). This shows a basic similarity in key points in the narratives of the Christian and Islamic religions, where revelations were arrived at and/or cemented during periods of isolation for the central human figures of these religions, through their direct and personal relationships with God/Allah (Ayoub & Omar 2007). This has several profound implications on both the shared narratives and the shared perspectives of Christianity and Islam, which are solid grounds for building interfaith dialogue and increasing the cooperation and collaboration between these religions. These fundamental similarities can also be used in a direct manner to overcome the barriers to interfaith dialogue that exist in the modern world. Such as disputed territories and less religious and historically-based conflicts.

Just as Judaism and Islam share a common view of God/Allah is individual, eternal, and all encompassing, Islam and Christianity share the concept of a very individual and personal connection with God/Allah to be achieved through introspection, solitude, and reflection (Ayoub & Omar 2007). This level of reflection and the feelings of personal guidance that it can contribute to can help to build bridges of shared introspection and the openness of being able to truly listen to and commune with what the external and internal divine impulses are (Ayoub & Omar 2007). The common solitude of both Jesus and Mohammed can thus resonate through their followers to this day in a way that enhances their mutual growth.