Faith Meets Life: Christianity, Islam and the quest for peace
A few columns ago I began to take a look at the relationship between different faiths. I included secularism as a kind of faith, which might seem odd. But secularism, or its more radical form, today's “New Atheism,” can be as much a faith, even a blind faith, as any other core belief.
I suggested that any approach to life that is worth our attention seeks converts and that that holds true for Christianity, Islam and secularism. But when adherents to such approaches come together, the result is the formation of “in groups” and “out groups.”
In and out groups are not necessarily problematic. Many people are not students of Fanshawe College. They are an out group with respect to the student body. And that's ok, unless the FSU organizes student marches under a motto such as, “enroll or face the consequences.” So, it is possible to accept that there will be Christians and non-Christians, Muslims and non-Muslims, secularists and non-secularists.
Difficulty arises when each group believes that it is so important to generate converts that all methods are acceptable. Thus communists in Vietnam created “re-education” camps, to stamp out elitism and kill elites themselves. Nazi Germany brainwashed its young leading up to World War II. Stalin created the Gulag, a vast prison system where millions were terrorized and killed.
Today, it is widely acknowledged that the Christian crusades to drive Muslims out of the Holy Land in the Middle Ages were fueled of this kind of intolerance towards the out group. At the same time, it has been said those crusades would not have happened if, a few centuries earlier, Muslims, under the military leadership of Mohamed and his successors, had not overrun the Middle East. As some have noted, the once Christian heartland was forced to become Muslim.
Is it possible for secularists to claim the high ground and say that because they reject the ultimate validity of all religious belief that they stand the best chance of creating a tolerant society? The examples of secular leaders in Vietnam, the former Soviet Union and Nazi Germany suggest otherwise. More examples are easy to find. And, at the same time, many would question any Islamic claim that it can produce a peaceful and just society today.
As for Christians (and Jews too) their respective Bibles contain accounts of battles commanded by God. They took place 1500 years B.C.
But what about Jesus himself? Did he offer a resolution to the quest for a peaceful society?
A Jewish man who was publicly active for three years when he was about 30, Jesus “founded” Christianity. Traditional Jews of his time rejected him. Many other Jewish folks, however, accepted his teachings and this — an over-simplification — was the beginning of the Christian movement.
Mohamed, founder of Islam rejected the traditions of Jesus as he understood them. One important question is how much Mohamed really knew of Christianity, it's Bible as well as of the Jewish tradition. His depiction of biblical characters such as Abraham is confused by Jewish and Christian standards.
Actually, there was no translation of the Christian Bible available to Mohamed. The Bible was translated into Arabic not until the late 1800s. It is an open question of how an Arabic translation of the stories of Jesus' life and of his teachings could have completely changed the relationship of Christians with the Arab world.
But here's the thing concerning in and out groups. Jesus famously taught that one must love her neighbours, even enemies — maybe especially enemies. As far as I can tell that teaching was violated by the Christian Crusades. And also, this teaching easily eclipses the earlier instances of Jewish holy wars.
Jesus' teachings can eclipse the holy and secular war traditions of our own time. Those teachings are for all people, for secularist, for Jewish people, for Muslims, and yes, for Christians too.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
I suggested that any approach to life that is worth our attention seeks converts and that that holds true for Christianity, Islam and secularism. But when adherents to such approaches come together, the result is the formation of “in groups” and “out groups.”
In and out groups are not necessarily problematic. Many people are not students of Fanshawe College. They are an out group with respect to the student body. And that's ok, unless the FSU organizes student marches under a motto such as, “enroll or face the consequences.” So, it is possible to accept that there will be Christians and non-Christians, Muslims and non-Muslims, secularists and non-secularists.
Difficulty arises when each group believes that it is so important to generate converts that all methods are acceptable. Thus communists in Vietnam created “re-education” camps, to stamp out elitism and kill elites themselves. Nazi Germany brainwashed its young leading up to World War II. Stalin created the Gulag, a vast prison system where millions were terrorized and killed.
Today, it is widely acknowledged that the Christian crusades to drive Muslims out of the Holy Land in the Middle Ages were fueled of this kind of intolerance towards the out group. At the same time, it has been said those crusades would not have happened if, a few centuries earlier, Muslims, under the military leadership of Mohamed and his successors, had not overrun the Middle East. As some have noted, the once Christian heartland was forced to become Muslim.
Is it possible for secularists to claim the high ground and say that because they reject the ultimate validity of all religious belief that they stand the best chance of creating a tolerant society? The examples of secular leaders in Vietnam, the former Soviet Union and Nazi Germany suggest otherwise. More examples are easy to find. And, at the same time, many would question any Islamic claim that it can produce a peaceful and just society today.
As for Christians (and Jews too) their respective Bibles contain accounts of battles commanded by God. They took place 1500 years B.C.
But what about Jesus himself? Did he offer a resolution to the quest for a peaceful society?
A Jewish man who was publicly active for three years when he was about 30, Jesus “founded” Christianity. Traditional Jews of his time rejected him. Many other Jewish folks, however, accepted his teachings and this — an over-simplification — was the beginning of the Christian movement.
Mohamed, founder of Islam rejected the traditions of Jesus as he understood them. One important question is how much Mohamed really knew of Christianity, it's Bible as well as of the Jewish tradition. His depiction of biblical characters such as Abraham is confused by Jewish and Christian standards.
Actually, there was no translation of the Christian Bible available to Mohamed. The Bible was translated into Arabic not until the late 1800s. It is an open question of how an Arabic translation of the stories of Jesus' life and of his teachings could have completely changed the relationship of Christians with the Arab world.
But here's the thing concerning in and out groups. Jesus famously taught that one must love her neighbours, even enemies — maybe especially enemies. As far as I can tell that teaching was violated by the Christian Crusades. And also, this teaching easily eclipses the earlier instances of Jewish holy wars.
Jesus' teachings can eclipse the holy and secular war traditions of our own time. Those teachings are for all people, for secularist, for Jewish people, for Muslims, and yes, for Christians too.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
