Dear Mr. Spencer,
Having read your weblog’s "About" page, I am now
acquainted with your clear and admirable opposition to jihad theology, though
not to the religion of Islam, itself. Previously, I was unacquainted with your
voice or cause. But in the last 48 hours, my church’s office administrator and
I have received a series of protest messages from readers of your blog, based
on your July 21 post which features a photo of our church signboard with a seasonal greeting in it. We are now, of course, more than well-acquainted with
you… and some of your apparent devotees.
Please be assured, Mr. Spencer, that not only I but my
friends across the religious landscape agree with you in your opposition to jihad theology. In particular, I venture to say that my Muslim friends agree
with you strongly in this regard. They and I have had numerous conversations
about the blasphemy practiced by militants who pervert the meaning of jihad,
that great spiritual struggle which is so common to our religions. I tell you
nothing new when I identify jihad as the wrestling of the faithful person with
doubt, despair, and the discipline required to maintain a life of faith. It is never
holy war with others but only with oneself.
Christianity, as you know, has many examples of the
misapplication of our principles and beliefs which resulted in
violence toward innocents and some death as well. My own religious tradition within Christianity offers
numerous illustrations of this sinful application of religion as a defense for
intolerance and cruelty. So, it is reassuring for me to discover your stated, common
purpose with our own, of encouraging dialogue and cooperation.
In keeping with our common purpose, let me assure you, the greeting is not one way, as you presume. Our church’s most recent signboard message was composed, preliminary to
the announcement of an iftar we would host with a nearby Muslim faith
community. Unfortunately, this traditional breaking of the daily fast could not be scheduled during Ramadan as
needed and will be replaced by another time together in the near future. Your “fine”
support of our attempt to increase interfaith conversation is much appreciated,
even if you do seem a bit doubtful about our potential for success.
For example, although you begin with saying, “This is
just fine,” you mitigate your congratulations, with your conclusion:
Since Muslims consider the
Christian confession of the divinity of Christ to be an unacceptable
association of a partner with God, this verse is saying that the “common word”
that Muslims and the People of the Book should agree on is that Christians should
discard one of the central tenets of their faith and essentially become
Muslims. Not a promising basis for an honest and mutually respectful dialogue
of equals.
These are very cautious words on your part. I appreciate your concern.
Since you do
not know us yet, and we are only just becoming acquainted with you, please
allow me to say that I do hope that you do not by your conclusion indicate any genuine disrespect for
the “common word” between Christians and Muslims which we are attempting to
engage.
Surely you know, the purpose of interfaith discussion cannot
be to reach an agreement on every point discussed, nor to convert the infidel, but to conduct that “honest and
mutually respectful dialogue” you clearly crave.
For if we are to live together, and we must learn to live
together, it will be necessary as well for us to find new ground on which to
live, the renewing ground of respect and cooperation. Religious absolutism
cannot be an option.
Thank you again for your endorsement
of our work, albeit an endorsement with qualifiers. Please be assured that we do not approach our interfaith partnerships naively or without
appropriate discernment. We are intelligent people and realistic ones, and we respect the intelligence and realism of our partners.
Please receive my encouragement for your efforts with my
church’s own toward changing perspectives and affecting lives and hearts of enemy,
stranger, neighbor, and friend.
Very sincerely,
Rev. David Denoon, Pastor
First Congregational Church of Webster Groves
I hope that I am lucky enough to be able to join a synagogue as open and welcoming as the churches you have lead and continue to lead. :)
ReplyDeletePastor Denoon:
ReplyDeleteThe thoughts and conclusions you express in this post should be heart-warming to those who prefer equitable coexistence to hate and exclusiveness. I especially like how you highlight that theological differences (and surely they exist between Muslims and Christians as well as between different Christians denominations) should not be an obstacle for peaceful and even loving caring coexistence.
Faith is a personal choice. It is based, in the hearts and minds of those who consciously and intellectualy adopt any particular faith, on what path they beleive would lead them to being righteous. I strongly believe it is what they do with their faith, and how true they are to their own hearts and conscience, that would save them on the Day of Judgement. Such understanding is supported by many verses in the Quran.
More importanlty, righteous people are characterised by what they do, not by what 'religious label' they fall under. They exist in all faiths and ideologies, and this, again, is explicitly mentioned in the Quran. And I would like to share that with you and with your readers.
3:113-115
[But] they are not all alike: among the followers of earlier revelation there are upright people, who recite God's messages throughout the night, and prostrate themselves [before Him].
They believe in God and the Last Day, and enjoin the doing of what is right and forbid the doing of what is wrong, and vie with one another in doing good works: and these are among the righteous.
And whatever good they do, they shall never be denied the reward thereof: for, God has full knowledge of those who are conscious of Him.
Our duty to God is to live this life doing the best we can to our fellow humans with all the talents and resources God made available to us. Those resources and talents are a trust from God, and we will be held accountable to how we used them before Him. God and God ONLY is in charge of judging his creations on the first day of the life after. And as He tells us in this verse, it is deeds that will count.
5:59
for, verily, those who have attained to faith [in this divine writ], as well as those who follow the Jewish faith, and the Sabians, and the Christians - all who believe in God and the Last Day and do righteous deeds - no fear need they have, and neither shall they grieve.
Thank you my friend for you efforts, and may God be always by your side.
khaled
Thank you for your support with interfaith and particularly this issue. Hopefully, many others of all religions will see this and want to follow your example of acceptance and compassion.
ReplyDeleteI admire your well written and thoughtful response. Carefully chosen words as if they are divinely inspired. May God bless you. As I cannot be as articulate as you are, I am quoting from an article I read a little while ago, which touches upon the same strings. "Prophetic concerns during their lifetime were to reconnect people with God , no matter how bad the spiritual times they had fallen on. Their objective were not to just condemn, but to rectify. Unfortunately, many of us have forgotten that model. We often act on our perceived religiosity by quickly condemning others, as if it somehow comes with the territory. We become the judge, jury and executioner of other's spiritual life. God warns us of this attitude in the Qur’an when He says:
ReplyDelete“So do not claim yourselves to be pure; He (God) is most knowing of who fears Him.” (53:32)
It was narrated that during the time of Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) two men had passed away. One was considered to be righteous, the other to be a sinner. God revealed to Moses that the perceived righteous man was in damnation while the sinner had been forgiven. Moses decided to investigate the matter, visiting the widows of the men to see what they were like at home.
The widow of the “righteous” man said he was just as good inside the house as he was outside, except he would sometimes strangely say, “We will be successful if Moses is really telling the truth.” The widow of the “sinner” said he was just as bad inside the house as he was outside, except every so often he would cry himself to sleep saying, “Oh God, what level of punishment will you place me in?”
One man showed sincerity in his belief even though he fell short in action, earning him God’s mercy, while the other man showed doubt in his belief even though his acts were many. The realm of spirituality belongs to God. Our goal is to call people to Him in the most beautiful of ways while taking ourselves into account first.
Modified from:
Beware of Zombies. Or Are You One?
By Moutasem Atiya Source: suhaibwebb.com "
Dr. Anjum Hassan