HAL BRADY: Peace among religions would lead to peace in the world

Brian D. McLaren, author, activist and public theologian, has written a book called “Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road?”

In that book, he describes the hostility that abounds in the world and points out that we must move toward solidarity. And if that solidarity is to happen, the religions of the world must better understand one another and work together. McLaren pointedly concludes by saying, “It will either be human kindness or human extinction.”

Catholic theologian Hans Kung, reminds us that “until there is peace among religions, there can be no peace in the world.”

According to the latest data I’ve seen, there are 6 billion people in the world — 2 billion Christians, 1.3 billion Muslims, 900 million Hindus, 360 million Buddhist and approximately 14 million adherents of Judaism. All total, these five religions represent about 4.5 billion people — more than two-thirds of the world’s population. Again, we can see the importance of the words of Hans Kung: “Until there is peace among religions, there can be no peace in the world.”

So, how can we stop religious folks from hating, persecuting and killing one another? How can we move beyond our old segregated prejudices that have caused such discord and unrest? For sure, we can reject the mutual hostility by which we have defined ourselves in the past, and continues even in the present.

Since I am Methodist minister, I will write from one person’s Christian perspective, but I am sure that much of what I say, with the exception of Christ, represents the thinking of people of other religions as well.

What keeps us, as Christians, from creative dialogue with other religions? First, fear. Fear has long been the felon of turning good religion into bad. We tend to feel safer if the world is populated by folks like us and who think like us. Fear is responsible for the rejection of other faiths.

A few years ago, shortly after 9/11, one of the best things our local church did was invite a Muslim speaker to address our Wednesday night congregation. Without doubt, that effort promoted understanding and eased fears.

Second, arrogance. Arrogance is based on that false sense of certainty that we alone have received the whole truth. That kind of conviction patronizes others as being less-informed and enlightened. The renowned writer Flannery O’Connor helps us here. She said, “Don’t expect faith to clear things up for you. It is trust, not certainty.”

Now, as Christians, we must hold our own particular and peculiar beliefs with determined conviction, not pretending that all religions are the same. They are not. But we must also be ready and willing to learn from one another, not claiming that we alone possess all the truth and know all about God.

So where does dialogue begin between our various faiths? Initially, listening. Someone suggested that the reason we have two ears and one mouth is to emphasize listening over talking. Listening does not mean capitulating to someone else’s vision. But listening to a different point of view does mean that we value the other person and often gain a greater insight.

According to Dr. R. Kirby Godsey, former president of Mercer University, another excellent way of starting a dialogue with people of other faiths is to acknowledge that God is greater than any of our claims on God. Dr. Godsey stated, “God is not the possession of Christians or Jews or Muslims, not the possession of Hindus or Buddhist or Confucians. God is greater than all our gods. God is the ground that makes all other gods possible.”

As I stated, I am a Christian, but I also believe God is calling us to transform the hostility of the world into solidarity. And the best way to do that is to work together with people of other world religions. As Brian McLaren, observed. “It will either be human kindness or human extinction.”