ACCORDING to TS Eliot “Humankind cannot bear much reality”. There is a hint of that in one of tomorrow’s readings which records the death of Stephen, the first Christian martyr. He was in trouble because he confronted the Jewish leadership for their part in the killing of Jesus. He argued that Jesus was the fulfilment of their history, that he was the One to whom all their scriptures pointed. They were furious and “they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him”. People can be very protective of their opinions, especially in matters of religion and do not react well to suggestions that they are wrong or mistaken. This can happen for a variety of reasons: an understandable attachment to the faith tradition of the family; satisfaction with the status quo, content to belong without questioning. It has been said that extreme fundamentalists cannot cope with any probing of their positions because rigid belief systems cannot handle stress.
At the heart of the Gospel is the promise of Jesus that “the Holy Spirit will guide you into all truth” – in other words none of our faith systems, none of our churches, have all the answers. We are on a spiritual journey, a journey of discovery not unlike that of Abraham the father of faith who set out “not knowing where he was going”. Prof Klaus Klostermaier, former head of the department of religion at the University of Manitoba is an expert in the study of comparative religion and in particular the relationship between Christianity and Hinduism. He has challenging things to say about interfaith dialogue.
“Dialogue [is] not mere talking about religion; that is very often pure babble, vanity [or] self-glorification. Real dialogue takes place in an ultimate personal depth; it does not have to be talking about religion. But something does distinguish real dialogue: the challenge. Dialogue challenges both parties, takes them out of the security of the prisons their philosophy and theology have built for them and confronts them with reality, with truth: a truth that cannot be left to gather dust in libraries, a truth that demands all.”
Earlier this month Dr Michael Jackson, the new Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin, was formally welcomed to his dioceses at a special ceremony in Christ Church cathedral. This newspaper’s report was headlined “Martin joins in Christ Church ceremony” – a reference to the presence of Dr Dermot Martin, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin who read the gospel. Also present were representatives of the Jewish and Muslim communities. Events of this kind where people from the various Christian churches and other faith groups gather are a sign of where good people want to be, witnessing together to what is best in all our faith traditions. No one is asked to surrender sincerely held beliefs; the important thing is to listen with respect to what others have to say. The late Archbishop Henry McAdoo, a committed ecumenist, had this simple approach: “This is my faith; now show me yours.”
The event in Christ Church was an important occasion, but we need to move beyond the occasional. We need real and continuing dialogue and a determination to move forward together in a common search for the truth that Jesus told us is waiting to be revealed. It is quite possible that, because we are trapped in our institutions and bound by things that do not matter, we are unable to enjoy and respond to truths already revealed.
“We are more likely to catch glimpses of truth when we allow what we think and believe to be tested.” – Choan-Seng Song.
– GL