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Hoosier United Methodist News Archives
| Hoosier United Methodist News |
October 2001 |
Commentary:
Christians, Muslims need to understand each other
By Bruce Robbins
I have been surprised at some responses to a recent article in which I said Islam, a great living faith tradition of this world, is growing faster than any other with more than a billion adherents.
Some objected to my comments by pointing to Islam's holy book, the Koran, as a book of "hate and evil." These reactions reflect widespread misunderstanding that can have terrible consequences upon the needed relationships between Christians and Muslims in the United States.
Imagine if someone decided to portray Christianity as a religion of hate and violence. Do you think he or she would have trouble using the Bible to prove it was so? Many who don't know Christianity would believe it.
Were I to try to characterize Christianity in that hateful way, I might start with the words of Jesus, "I have not come to bring peace but a sword" (Matt 10:34). Then I might turn to one of the countless Old Testament passages that speaks graphically of violence against the enemies of God.
Anyone who knows the Bible could portray an awful picture and leave out the message of love and reconciliation.
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'Reactions reflect widespread misunderstanding that can have terrible consequences' |
Our communities across the U.S. have changed dramatically in recent years. At one time, we assumed nearly everyone was Christian. Today, Christians are still predominant, but there are Jews, Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists in nearly every community. As staff executive of the UM Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, I recognize that we need to provide assistance and guidelines for our relationships with other faith communities, especially in times of trial like the present.
Here are suggestions of where to begin:
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Do not bear false witness against your neighbor. Today, the test case is the Muslim. In response to the bloody attack against civilians in the United States, one prominent Muslim leader said, "Our hearts bleed for the attacks that have targeted the World Trade Center as well as other institutions in the U.S." He also said Islam, a religion of tolerance, considers the attack against innocent human beings a grave sin.
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Do not judge another tradition by its worst practitioners and yours by its best. When many of us think of Islam, we think of fundamentalists in Afghanistan or some other part of the world. When we think of Christianity, we hold up our saints. Without dishonoring Christianity, we can recognize that our own religion has been used to further hate and violence. Islam is no more about attacking the World Trade Center than Christianity is about bombing abortion clinics.
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Remember Jesus' teaching calls us to a "ministry of reconciliation." The call goes beyond an "eye for an eye" and beyond toleration. It asks us to search for understanding of the deepest needs of humans. We can never ignore injustice, and should always call people to account for their evil actions. But we can seek to understand the forces that may have caused them to hate so much. A ministry of reconciliation involves hearing and responding in love to the other, even the other who is an enemy.
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Establish contact with Muslims and Arab Americans in your community. UM congregations could help heal wounds we all feel by reaching out and talking with those targeted by anger resulting from the terrorist attacks. Could your church send a group to a mosque to learn more about Islam and to hear the concerns and hopes of people there? So many do not realize the bonds between Christianity, Judaism and Islam. We all worship the same God of the Abrahamic tradition, yet with different perspectives and understandings.
Through Bible study, preaching and discipleship, United Methodists can join others seeking to live into the new world, changed dramatically by the treacherous acts of Sept. 11. May we learn enough about other faith communities that we will proclaim the best of one another, even when we don't understand. And may our prayers for compassion and understanding be answered.
Last updated on 01/14/2004A UMNS Commentary -- The Rev. Bruce Robbins is staff executive for the UM Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns in New York.