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What's It All About?

24/8/2015

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At our Learning about Islam last weekend some of the participants were taken aback when a guest speaker from the Muslim community said he didn't really believe in interfaith dialogue. He would rather support interfaith actionhe said,  as this is what will change the world. Someone expressed regret at this but it's a view I hear with amazing regularity, usually at interfaith events such as last week's. Perhaps dialogue gives the impression of just sitting around talking but it's more than that. 

The Vatican in an excellent document 'Mission and Dialogue' suggests four different kinds of dialogue - the dialogue of life where we simply live as good neighbours; the dialogue of social involvement; the dialogue of religious experience and the dialogue of religious experts. I suspect there are even more kinds of dialogue than these but it does show that there's not just one approach. I do understand that interfaith dialogue is not everyone's cup of tea. Often like our speaker at the weekend some people's interest and energy is in educating their own community. This is important for all communities but hopefully it will be an education which will help young people and adults to form an educated and clear identity. But hopefully it will not be a closed identity but one that is open to other faiths and willing to enter into a relationship with them. And I suspect the only way to do this is to understand another faith by engaging with believers. I've often heard people say some things about Christianity that are just wrong, that could easily convey a wrong impression and if this is true of my religion it's certainly true of others.  It's important to speak of others with sympathy. As Diana Eck said we all hold the good name of one another as a sacred trust and depend on one another to interpret our religions fairly and accurately. Not to do this could be to spread prejudice and misinformation rather than sows seeds of peace and understanding. 

Lord Jonathan Sacks, the former Chief Rabbi, distinguishes between face to face encounter and side by side, preferring side by side himself. He thinks that it's by engaging in a common project that social cohesion is developed and we build a sense of common civic identity and a common home in which we all have an investment. This is certainly true and all faiths need to be involved in civic processes I think. There's much for us to look at together - social justice issues, common values, religious freedom but how do we arrive at the point of common action. Well, through dialogue. Otherwise one religion's agenda can dominate. Often organisations involved in social justice issues are keen to involve other faiths in their projects. Sometimes they're a bit taken aback when others are not as enthusiastic or happy with their own justice projects. So interfaith action is important but if it's truly an interfaith encounter then it's agenda has to have emerged from dialogue and be a truly common problem. 

And what about the face to face encounter? Is it really a useless activity?  How does one build relationships and friendships without talking and listening to one another?  At heart this is what dialogue is about - learning to understand one another's story, standing in one another's shoes, seeing life from a different perspective, establishing relationships that will survive conflict and tensions. In places like Bosnia and Rwanda people lived with one another and indeed went to bed with one another yet turned on one another at times of religious and racial conflict. Working together did not necessarily stop violence. For me interfaith relations has been a transformative experience - changed my view of others, opened me to the wisdom to be found in all faiths and traditions, helped me clarify my own faith but i can't see that this transformation would have taken place without encounter and dialogue. Sometimes it's easier to engage in common action which certainly can develop friendships but can stop the kind of conversation that is challenging and even disturbing. And it's this challenge that leads to transformation, a transformation which hopefully opens us to the mystery of God and promotes peace and unity in out world.

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Learning about Islam

20/8/2015

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I've just spent the weekend at the Conforti Institute learning about Islam. It's not that I didn't know anything about Islam before this but it was a chance to really explore some of it's subtleties and complexities. There's always a danger that any religion can be seen as monolithic, set out in tablets of stone, seeing life in black and white.  It's certainly how the media views Islam. But we were faced with some interesting facts. 

The words Islam and Muslim can be understood as a noun and a verb. For those who follow the way of peace set out in the Qur'an Islam is a noun - a religion to be followed and Muslim a member of a particular religious community. But as a verb others who are faithful to their chosen path could be said to be living in submission  to God and therefore  be muslim with a small 'm. I like this and immediately feel some connection with Islam's central concept, that I can be part of a world wide muslim family but am I submitting in the right way?  Do I need the religion of Islam to show me the right way?  Is it only Islam that knows the right way to submit to God? Does this make Islam superior to other religions?  Are the others living in ignorance and illusion?  Other faiths ask these or similar questions and it's this kind of thinking that leads to a disconnect between religions though the notion of any religion being understood as a noun and a verb could be a way to overcome this and be more  inclusive. 

Islamic law is not as monolithic as the media would sometimes have us believe. Rather it exists on a spectrum - some  actions are obligatory, others forbidden, some neutral and others discouraged or recommended. But there are 7 law schools with different ideas of what is obligatory and forbidden.  We were faced with a conundrum - is it permissable to own a non- halal leather wallet and given four possible answers. Well we did have a shot at guessing which one might be the correct answer but were told all the answers were possible, depending on context and school of law. So what does an ordinary lay person do when faced with a religious question or dilemma?  Not knowing the law they are likely to ask advice of a religious expert or cleric and the answer is likely to depend on their education and approach to law. It's easy to believe then that the given answer is the absolute truth, to live by that truth no matter what. What power religious experts have when they ignore the complexities of answers to religious questions, sometimes fearing ordinary believers will be confused. It shows that at heart religious dilemmas need discernment and education and thank goodness more lay people, in both Islam and other faiths, have access to scriptures and learning that they wouldn't have had in the past. 


There were so many interesting discussions over the weekend and one that interested many people was the idea that Islam had spread by the sword and that Mohammed had actually engaged in battles, so unlike a peace loving Jesus. Again context was highlighted.  What would Jesus have done if he had been born into a country in which the rule of law didn't exist and Mohammed into a country bound my Roman law?  Because of the political and cultural reality of 7th cy Arabia which was full of warring tribes and factions, Islam in fact developed a just war theory before Christianity felt the need to do so. And the Arab empire which spread after the death of Mohammed did not have a Mulim majority until the 12th cy so Islam spread, much like Christianity on the back of colonial expansion. 

This and so much more we learned.  One of the surprising comments of the weekend was from a Muslim academic when he said he didn't agree with interfaith dialogue. Perhaps he was trying to shock us. He was challenged on this and did exlain what he meant.  But that is a matter for a future blog, I think.  

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 Reconciliation and Peace

10/8/2015

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This week's interfaith journey took me to Inverness in the north of Scotland to an interfaith peace conference organised by Interfaith Scotland.  The theme had been suggested by a member who was tired of hearing about religion and violence and the terrible stories of religious terrorism and prejudice that the press seem to like so much.  What about peace, he suggested.  Does religion not have something to say about peace?  Are there not many religious people working for peace?  Should we not be promoting the work of peace to counteract the publicity given to religious violence?  Well, we had our conferece and it was a good one though it will remain unnoticed by the world at large.   

The keynote speaker was the director of the St Ethelburga's Centre for Reconciliation and Peace, an amazing place in the heart of London which brings together diverse groups for deep listening and dialogue, most of which take place in a lovely bedouin tent in the courtyard of a church damaged during world war II which is symbolic in itself.  The question was of course, how do we build a more peaceful world together? But before that we had to think what we meant by peace.  Cemetries are peaceful places but who wants that kind of peace. Sometimes it seems easier not to ruffle feathers, to keep the peace by agreeing with someone, refusing to speak out or air an opinion.  This is a passive kind of peace and while it might keep the peace in some circumstances it doesn't make peace and can in fact drive conflict underground.  This is a false kind of peace. My community  once had an injunction to be open to the Holy Spirit who disturbs our false sense of peace. Disturbance need not be bad if it helps us face up to truth and achieve true and lasting peace which comes from honesty and meaning, compassion and justice. 

What we are called to do is make peace, be peacemakers and this requires a lot more drive and energy. This is something active which sometimes demands challenging injustice, standing with the marginalised and oppressed, speaking out for truth. Common sense tells us that to do this might be the opposite of peace and result in conflict but this weekend we were told that it's important to change our perception of conflict.  We were encouraged to see it as an opportunity for growth and dialogue, a clash of opinions maybe but a clash that can be reconciled through deep listening and dialogue.  The secret is to ask what is really going on in any conflict, what is causing this conflict and where are the opportunities for learning and growth, what are the stories behind the conflict. This all takes time and requires commitment and honesty from both sides - something that Governments and nations are not willing to do. So often their attempts at peace are more draconian laws, more prohibitions which never get to the root and cause of the conflict and so make the situation worse. We see this in Britain at the moment with a Prime Minister who wants to strongly condemn Islamic terrorism and encourages the community to tell on one another without listening or analysing the root causes of an alienation that can lead to radicalisation. It all seems so simple - talk to people, listen to them,  get to the root cause of this problem but no, we would rather stay at the superficial and work for what we think is  peace but is in fact domination and control. 

Listening and dialogue are not easy, even for those of us who claim to be involved in it but more and more it is recognised as essential for the future of our world. At Assisi in 1986 Pope John Paul II said to the world leaders gathered there to pray for peace that they either lived together in peace or died together through conflict. Many religious leaders recognise this.  Religions have such wonderful resources of teachings and practices to promote both inner and outer peace. To pull these resources is a priceless gift to our world. We have no alternative. We need to listen to one another and dialogue with one another, we need to share our precious resources, we need to embrace our desire for peace and together become peacemakers. Thank God there are many many instances of this happening already - good news for sure but who wants to hear about that.

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The Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond

4/8/2015

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On Sunday I was able to roam by the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond - a most beautiful part of Scotland. I was meandering along the shore of the loch and on the foothills of Ben Lomond while a group of Christians, Jews and Muslims climbed Ben Lomond together. It was a great event and a wonderful opportunity to get to know one another. We travelled together by minibus and then the majority of the group set out to climb the mountain. It's a hard climb. I've done it twice and nowadays prefer flat walks and gardens for my exercise.  

The weather was bad - very wet which made the climb even harder but the group was not deterred. Facing the mountain was an equalising and inclusive experience as everyone faced the same daunting task and was equally challenged by the climb.  No thought of being Muslim, Jew or Christian as each one concentrated on the climb. But there was plenty of opportunity for talk and dialogue and for those of us in the foothills an opportunity to relax in a nearby hotel when the rain got too much.  Whether on the mountain or by the loch we all prayed for peace in our world. In that beautiful setting it's easy to drink in peace and beauty and to wonder at the scenery but we also carried sorrow at what we are doing to creation and the violence and conflict throughout the world ,often associated with religion.  So our walk which was a kind of pilgrimage was a hope for peace and a desire to send out peaceful energy into our world.  Would it make any difference to our world?  Well I believe it would and who knows who might have wondered or been impressed by such a group hill cimbing together. Certainly the couple from Belguim whom we met were. They didn't know such things happened. This is often the case when people realise that many good interfaith moments happen, such as our climb or the Eid meal we shared earlier in the week when fifty of us gathered in a public restaurent to share a meal and conversation. 

Mountains hold a fascination for people.  For some the call of the mountains is to climb them, become part of them and enjoy the success of having reached the summit. But achieving this goal is not necessarily the priority and it cannot be hurried if it is to be a transcendent or spiritual experience as the story of the sherpas who have to stop climbing to let their souls catch up reminds us.   I have on my desk a card which tells me that it's not the destination that matters but the glory of the ride - or the climb. 

For centuries human beings have associated mountains with transcendence and mystery and they have captured the religious imagination. For some they are the abode of the Gods as was Mt Olympus for the Greeks, for others they are places of revelation. Moses received the Torah on Mt Sinai;  Mohammed had his foundational revelation in a cave on Mt Jabal al-Nour and Jesus revealed something of who he was in the moment known as the Transfiguration on Mt Tabor.   For others, particularly eastern religions, mountains are places where holy men and women go to  practice intense meditaion and austerities. For Hindus, Buddhists and Jains the world itself is founded on Mt Meru which reaches from the underworld right up to the heavens and many temples are designed to reflect this so that entering a temple has cosmic significance. 

Our walk up Ben Lomond seemed very mundane but it was a moment of real encounter and dialogue - who is not to say that that in itself didn't have cosmic significance. 

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    I am  a Catholic nun, involved in interfaith relations for many decades.  For me this has been an exciting and sacred journey which I would like to share with others.

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