Seeing That of Christ
"Mohammed and I were talking about our mutual friend Joe. Joe is a very giving person who frequently goes out of his way to help someone in need. 'Joe is the best Muslim I know,' said Mohammed, much to my surprise. 'But Joe is a Catholic,' I replied. 'The definition of a Muslim,' Mohammed said calmly, 'is to be submissive to God, and I don’t know anyone more submissive to God than Joe.' The essence of interfaith work is to create such a level of mutual respect and trust that individuals can see the best aspects of their own faith tradition in the lives of their neighbors who are of other faith traditions. And then, they can learn from one another.
I know that I am a much better disciple of Jesus because of my many years of involvement with Jews, Baha’is, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists and other faithful people. Many times, I have been encouraged to revisit my own beliefs in order to reach a deeper and more meaningful understanding because of something I’ve heard or observed in the lives of my friends and neighbors from other religious traditions. Muslims have taught me much about obedience and submission. Buddhists have taught me much about the importance of silence and 'emptiness' in prayer, so I can listen to God and not just talk to God each day. Baha’is have taught me about the power of inclusiveness and multicultural community. Jews have taught me much about the foundations of my own tradition which cannot be fully understood apart from that tradition in which it was born. Over and over again, my capacity for worship and praise has been strengthened by the time I have spent in synagogues, mosques, temples and gurudwaras.
There are some who fear exposure to other faith traditions. Such fear is rooted not so much in a lack of respect for others as it is in a lack of true faith in one’s own tradition. Because I have absolute faith in the way of Jesus, I not only do not fear exposure to other religions but go into such encounters in the knowledge that my own faith will be enriched by such experiences. Because I follow Jesus, I do hope that some devout Muslim will see something of Islam in me, and perhaps a Buddhist will recognize that of Buddhism in me as well. Indeed, because I follow Jesus, I believe that I can be at home in any house of worship, and can be in true fellowship with any person of faith. And when I see a Gandhi, or a Thich Nat Han, or even a Dr. Seuss, I not only see a deeply devout Hindu or Buddhist or Jew, but also that of Christ.
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By Rev. Dr. Mark Sills, Executive Director, FaithAction,
Greens
boro
