This post is just too good to pass up!
The blog of the day, a link I have in my permanent column of links, for today is something so crucial that I want to call your attention to it. From Khanya- Steve Hayes
“I think I know what Cat means, and I hope Cat (or someone else) will correct me if I am wrong. In hoping that all pagans eventually end up as Christians, Christians display an arrogance and lack of humility in assuming that “my path is better than your path”, or “my lived spirituality is better than your lived spirituality”. And if that were so, it would of course indeed be a lack of humilty, and it is a lack of humility that Christians are often tempted with and into which they often fall.
But for Christians what is central is not “my path” or “spirituality”, but God.
The blog goes on to state the other side of the equation ; the side of how the pagans (those who do not yet believe in God), in not recognizing this fundamental reality for Christians, and trying to force them to act and speak in some pluralsitic way (as pagans),is expecting them to violate the very nature of who they are. The very same thing could be said substituting Muslim or Jew for Christian; it’s against who they are to deny the reality of God, and God, as my muslim friend Cyrus pointed out, is abosolute.
Understanding our blood relatives
The Bravehearts, be they Jew, Christian, or Muslim, must be committed to understanding their fellow human beings in the world today. Those that reach a level of faith (faith as it is in each of the respective Faiths) that they are comfortable in honest dialogue, will listen with the intent of learning about their fellow humans, their “blood relatives”, because they really do value and esteem them for who they are, not what they hope they will become. I hope to continue along this line for a while, because I’m encouraged by the rest of you who are moving along the same path, pursuing peace with justice and understanding in our ever shrinking world community.
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understanding the difference between ideology and faith
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understanding the hard work of wrestling with the big issues of life
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understanding that your contribution really does matter to the rest of us.
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understanding the sanctity of the conscience of the individual
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understanding will involve very real personal risk and due to the human condition, you will hurt and be hurt, there will be conflict.
Related post: Universal Questions that only Faith can answer!
April 18, 2008 at 12:25 pm
John,
It was very nice. I would like to also add these prayers by Ali Shariati:
My Lord, give me the capability to tolerate an opposing point of view.
My Lord, keep me wise and aware, so that I may not judge someone or some idea right or wrong unless I have understood him/her or it correctly and completely.
My Lord, help me so that I may be aware of the differences between humanity, thoughts, and relationships, and so that I may be capable of distinguishing each of them.
http://persia1.wordpress.com/2008/04/04/the-philosophy-of-supplication-by-ali-shariati/
April 18, 2008 at 4:04 pm
Cyrus,
There is great wisdom in all the world’s traditions, if we only knew how to listen across the barriers. Some Christians don’t understand this, they sincerely believe that for them to recognize any truth in the other system or tradition is to compromise their own faith. I very much respect that opinion as well.
Thank you again for being willing to share with me the wisdom from the Persian heritage. It is very rich indeed.
April 19, 2008 at 2:43 am
John,
Thanks for your attention to my comment. I guess anyone who believes in a religion, also believes that his/her religion is the best. This is okay as far as we also tolerate others, and believe that there is only one creator in the world who has created the whole human being and that all people are servants of God. Plus, there are always positive points in other cultures and religions that we should benefit from them.
I personally believe that God is capable of setting only one single belief for the whole people of the world. But why he is not doing that? Why there are so many different religions and cultures in the world. Are all of them “except mine” in wrong?!
Cultures as well as religions grow and become more beneficial when there are different numbers of them and not just a single thought. These differences not only are not bad but also they are productive. They are like different colors in our world. A colorful world has always been better than a single color!
April 19, 2008 at 10:43 am
Cyrus,
I want to continue this a little while, it is helping me so much. I couldn’t agree with your last comments more, but you express it so well. Yes, I believe that God, the all-powerful One, could have made us of all the same Faith, that because He is also the one who controls the world, did not do so for some reasons known only to Himself.
In the meantime I honestly believe that many of us form different faiths know we cannot go on clashing up against oneanother causing untold pain and suffering in the name of God. You are a worthy voice for your Muslim Faith, I hope I can be for my Christian Faith. But here we are understanding oneanother.
Only today I have added a worthy voice for the Mormon Faith to my blogroll. I already have great respect for her and for the wisdom that she has to show us who are not Mormons. Yes, I agree with you that our differences are real but they do not need to be destructive but productive. Perhaps this is one of the reasons that God permits, for now, the different Faiths in the world.