Interfaith dialogue can become a path to enlightenment, wonder and healing
“From the cowardice that dare not face new truth,
From the laziness that is contented with half truth,
From the arrogance that thinks it knows all truth,
Good Lord deliver me.”
—a Kenyan prayer, from “The Catholic Prayer Book”
This past weekend, I spoke via Zoom to a Lexington group called the Christian-Muslim Dialogue, which, as its name implies, is made up of Christians and Muslims who meet regularly to discuss religion and related matters.
I made a presentation to the group, and that was followed by discussion among the members and me.
I found the experience inspiring, and it reminded me why it’s important for people walking different paths to stay in touch with each other. Living in a fairly homogeneous corner of Kentucky, I don’t get to have interfaith conversations often.
In my presentation, I offered four observations about interfaith (and also interdenominational) dialogues that I think make them important.
First, if we hope to grow spiritually, it’s helpful to be able to hold more than one thought in our head at the same time. Getting to know people from other belief systems—whether we’re Muslims meeting Christians, or evangelical Protestants meeting Roman Catholics, or Mormons meeting Buddhists—introduces us to ideas, personal histories and theological traditions we might not have encountered before.
We get a chance to see the universe through others’ eyes. This doesn’t require us to sacrifice our own beliefs or even decide that an alternate way of worshiping is as good for us as our own. If we think our path is best, we’re free to stick with it.
But interfaith dialogue does inevitably make us think. It reminds us that no matter how fervently we believe what we believe, other people of good will may see things differently. And they could be right. That insight alone can awaken a profound sense of humility, and humility is a virtue necessary for our growth.
Second, as we encounter and listen to people of other faiths, our vision of God gets enlarged. We find that nobody believes anything in a vacuum. Muslims are Muslims and Methodists are Methodists and Mormons are Mormons for reasons that appear to them as valid as our faith appears to us.
As we listen to people from other traditions, as we slowly become friends, we behold God’s image in them, too. We catch a glimpse of how big and magnanimous and inscrutable the Almighty must be. We find we don’t have God all to ourselves. We don’t have him completely figured out. He’s not confined to our theological box.
As St. Augustine reportedly said, “If you understood him, it would not be God.”
Third, in faith and in all of life, our goal should be to find and embrace truth, wherever it leads us. We shouldn’t simply dig in our heels and defend tenets we’ve always held just because they’re ours. At its best, religion is a way of seeking transcendence, even though as feeble humans we pursue that transcendence feebly. That we’re imperfect doesn’t mean we shouldn’t learn and grow to whatever extent we’re capable of.
As we talk to people from other traditions, we may see the errors of our own ways, and learn from those folks ways that are better. Hallelujah for that. I just want the truth. If your road is superior to mine, count me in.
Fourth, as cliched as this is, as we talk and listen, we find we have more in common than separates us. We all want to experience peace with God. We want to live in peace with our neighbors. We want tranquility in our souls. We want the best for our children.
As we meet each other and honestly discuss our hopes and fears, we recognize that we indeed are brothers and sisters.
If there’s any hope for our troubled faith groups, our troubled country or this troubled world, it’s that we might quit screaming at each other and demonizing each other, that we might start listening. That we might at least grant each other the benefit of the doubt. We must show each other a little grace, a smidgen of trust, an iota of good will.
Interfaith dialogue is one step in that direction.
Paul Prather is pastor of Bethesda Church near Mount Sterling. You can email him at pratpd@yahoo.com.
