Building Hope: The Final Statement

Here is the Final Statement from the 10-day Building Hope Conference of the Reconciliation Program at the Center for Faith and Culture at Yale Divinity. It was a significant, transformative, "intercultural" and "interreligious" time.

Deeply Committed Yet Open to The "Other" - Jews, Christians and Muslims Seeking the Common Good

The “Building Hope: Muslims, Christians and Jews Seeking the Common Good” conference has come to an end. What an amazing time.

Normally, “interfaith” activities tend to attract more “liberal” or “progressive” people, in any of the faith traditions. Because of that, many of the more “conservative” people in each of the faith traditions tend to look on these gatherings and activities with suspicion – suspicion that the participants are acting as if “all roads lead to God” or all religions are the same or everything is relative; i.e., that we are “giving away the farm.”

In a way, at the heart of this conference was the question, can we as people of faith be deeply committed to our own faith, but yet relate to others – equally committed to their faith – with respect, and even beyond that, build relationships where we understand each other, can discuss our differences (even deep ones) frankly, and even become friends (in spite of our differences)? Can we experience transformative relationship with “the Other” - transformative, not in that we lose our own faith or distinctives, but in the sense that we grow as human beings with “large hearts,” able (like God) to embrace others whether they agree with us or not, to care for them as human beings, and to work together to seek the “common good” (the good of humanity), and not just look out for our own interests (hmm, that makes me think of the statement in the New Testament, “do not just look out for your own interests” - could that possibly include people of other faiths?).

For me as an Anthropologist, this is very much about what I often write about, growing from an Ethnocentric perspective on life, the world, faith, God – i.e., where the worldview and ways of my people are the only one I know – to an Ethnorelative (or Ethnosensitive) experience, recognizing that there are other worldviews and ways, and being able to enter into the life, the world, the perspectives of others, and learning to appreciate them as they are (different from me). This does not mean losing oneself, but rather, growing, expanding.

I think this conference was a smashing success. I am astounded, really. We were Christians (including evangelical, Catholic, and Oriental Orthodox, and several different countries), Jews (mainly Orthodox, but including Reform and Conservative, and both Ashkenazi and Sephardi, and again from different countries including Israel), and Muslims (both Sunni and Shiite, and from different countries) – all deeply committed, the kind of people you might expect to clash. And yet, from the start, there was respect, a desire to know and understand, an openness to listening and learning and changing, in the context of sharing with each other our deep commitments, and asking each other some hard questions.

A highlight, which I've written about, was visiting each other's places of worship. For many of us, it was the first time in one of the settings (or both). And everyone, as far as I heard, considered it a deeply meaningful and impactful experience. Openness to “the Other.” Wow.

Another highlight, probably the heart of the time, was the meals together and the opportunity to just “hang out,” getting to know each other. We all discovered, I think, the great power of personal relationship to transform our experience and perspectives. We tend to live with stereotypes of “the Other.” Only through relationship with real people can we break those strereotypes. (Something else that helped us greatly was humor – I'm not sure I knew that Orthodox Jews and Muslims could be so funny! Maybe we should start a new comedy tour?)

Last night as we reflected back on the 10 days, we used the metaphor of seeing through different glasses. I would probably sum up this experience for me by saying, developing new friendships with other Christians, Orthodox Jews, and Muslims, has helped me to see Jesus more clearly. I am more thankful than ever, personally, for who he is and what he has done and daily does for me, for the fact that he came to give life and freedom.

I look forward to continuing to develop the relationships with my new friends, learning about myself, others, and God along the way.

For more reflections, from a perspective of Peacemaking, see http://salemshalom.blogspot.com/.

Culture Quote of the Day - Through the Eyes of the Other

“if we are to move forward [e.g., in better relationships between Christians, Jews and Muslims], we need to understand what the world looks like through the eyes of another person” 

(participant in the Building Hope Conference)

This pretty much applies to every in every domain, whether Muslims, Jews and Christians toward each other, or men and women, or whites and people of color, or different nationalities, etc.

Quotes of the Day - Jewish, Christian and Muslim texts re. Who is my Neighbor? and What does it mean to love my Neighbor, including the poor?

Some quotes from today (we're talking Orthodox Jews, committed Muslims including a Shi'ite Imam, and committed Christians from all main branches, talking together about our faith and issues like love of neighbor, peacemaking, and more):

"We're not talking about Christianity, Islam and Judaism, but about Christians, Muslims and Jews, and how we're going to live together; and we have to live together with Sikhs, Hindus, and others."

***

A gentile approached Shammai and said to him: "Convert me but teach me the entire Torah as I stand on one foot." Shammai, feeling that he wasn't serious, chased him away. This gentile then approached Hillel with the same request but was met with a very different reaction--Hillel agreed. The entire Torah on one foot that Hillel taught him was "what is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor: that is the entire Torah while the rest is commentary. Go and learn it."

Talmud [Shabbos 31A]

Do not hate a fellow Israelite [your brother] in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in their guilt. Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.

When foreigners reside among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigners residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.

(Leviticus 19:17-18; 33-34)

***

“Whoever believes in Allah (S.W.T.) and the Last Day, let him treat his neighbor well...” (Bukhari and Muslim) According to a report given by Bukhari, he (s.a.w.s.) said: “Whoever believes in Allah (S.W.T.) and the Last Day, let him not harm or annoy his neighbor...”

***

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" "What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"

He answered, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'

"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"

The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."

Jesus (Luke 10:25-37)

***

“My concern is not that we don't love our enemies, but that we don't love anyone; that we just love ourselves and those who it is convenient to love. … In the West, now, we are lacking even a sense of community, what it means to have literal, actual neighbors. … What would it look like for us to take our literal neighborhoods seriously?”

“in order to love anyone, you not only need empathy, but you also need a great deal of forgiveness”

“if the religious leader is the leader of community organization, it doesn't last – need to get it to the grassroots level”

“We all have poor neighbors. We live with them as if they don't exist.”

Amos 5:24, “let justice fall down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty flowing stream”

"we are to love our neighbor, but sometimes I don't love my wife"

“If poverty were a man, I would have killed him,” and “every time a poor person starves, it is because of the accumulation of wealth by the wealthy” (Imam Ali; i.e., poverty is not from God, but is a human problem).

“Don't claim to believe in me [Muhammad], when you sleep with a full stomach, while your neighbor is hungry” (Hadith) - “social justice and helping the poor is considered a primary responsibility for every Muslim.”

“the best image of love is the image of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples” - “love does not look down, but looks up (from a position of humility)”

“charity for those in your community, and justice for all” - “there has to be room in our bigger world for particularism”; “we are all human beings created in the divine image, and every human being has worth and dignity, but how do you put that into a program? Do you make no distinctions?” Or do you take the view that “you exist in a world of concentric circles of obligation” (family, neighborhood, tribe or caste, etc., country, and world)? “But is this model satisfying? Doesn't there need to be room for giving charity to our own people first?”

*****

You can see that interacted over some very heavy and significant issues, among them, the question of “who is my neighbor?” and “what does love of neighbor mean?” spilling into particularism versus universalism, i.e., the question of whether we are right in looking to some extent after the needs of our own community first, and then for others, or whether we need to be practicing love of neighbor (including charity) to all people equally.

Let me say, very clearly – talking about all of these issues is significant and meaningful; but spending time building relationship with different others – in my case, with Orthodox, Conservative and Reform Jews, with Sunni and Shiite Muslims from different nations, and with Catholic and Oriental Orthodox Christians – is by far the most significant aspect of this time at the “Building Hope” Conference.

Who do we love? Who do we do good to? What is our mandate?

An interesting question came up yesterday, as we were talking about peacemaking and tolerance in our (Christian, Jewish and Muslim) traditions.

A Jewish presenter shared the text,

The reason Adam was created alone in the world is to teach you that whoever destroys a single soul, Scripture imputes it to him as though he had destroyed the entire world; and whoever keeps alive a single soul, Scripture imputes it to him as though he had preserved the entire world.

But someone pointed out that there is another version,

FOR THIS REASON WAS MAN CREATED ALONE, TO TEACH THEE THAT WHOSOEVER DESTROYS A SINGLE SOUL OF ISRAEL,³⁹  SCRIPTURE IMPUTES [GUILT] TO HIM AS THOUGH HE HAD DESTROYED A COMPLETE WORLD; AND WHOSOEVER PRESERVES A SINGLE SOUL OF ISRAEL, SCRIPTURE ASCRIBES [MERIT] TO HIM AS THOUGH HE HAD PRESERVED A COMPLETE WORLD.⁴⁰ 

This raises the question, are Jews encouraged not to destroy / to save, Jewish life, or all life?

Similarly, a Muslim presenter shared the Hadith, 

"None of you truly believes (in Allaah and in His religion) until he loves for his neighbor what he loves for himself,"

but another pointed out that this is "weak," that the "strong" version is 

"None of you truly believes (in Allah and in His religion) until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself,"

with the understanding that "brother" means fellow Muslims.

And for Christians, does Jesus' teaching to "lover your neighbor as yourself" mean fellow Christian, or all others? (Note, for example, that in Matthew 5:23-24 it says, "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to that person; then come and offer your gift." - does "brother or sister" mean fellow Christian, or everyone?)

I do not approach this from the position of arguing what Islam or Judaism teaches (e.g., some Christians argue that Islam teaches only love of Muslims). One question is what the texts say; another is, how do we interpret and apply them, what do we emphasize.

My perspective is that in any of our traditions we are faced with the question, how do we relate to people (The Other) outside our tradition, outside our community? What are our commitments? Are we committed to doing good to all people, loving all people, saving the life of all people? The potential is there, in each of our traditions, for inclusivity or exclusivity, for narrowness or breadth.

As a Christian, I believe that our mandate, from Jesus, is to love all people. After all, when he taught that the second great commandment is to “love your neighbor as yourself,” the example he used to illustrate this (to his Jewish listeners) was the dispised, “half-breed,” “false religion” Samaritan.

Concerned About Understanding and Peace? Familiar with the Common Word?

Do you desire better Christian-Muslim-Jewish understanding, and peace between these communities? (If not, why not?) If you are, are you familiar with the Common Word initiative - http://www.acommonword.com/ - and the Christian response that issued from the Yale (the Center for Faith and Culture at the Divinity School) - http://www.yale.edu/faith/acw/acw.htm? This is the kind of initiative that is needed, if we are to have better relations between Christians, Muslims and Jews in the world today, and more peace. If you are a person of religious conviction (or not), I would encourage you to look at and think about this (and other) initiative.

To Protest on the Sidewalk, or Eat Falafal in the Mosque?

One of our Muslim speakers talked about an American Christian leader who brought a group of Christians to protest outside his mosque (protesting against the Muslims wanting to "take over America and impose Sharia."

The Muslim leader invited the Christian leader, rather than sitting outside on the sidewalk, to come into the mosque, eat falafal with them, and talk. The Christian leader, he said, refused. "He was not interested in talking - he just wanted to protest" (and, when asked what his idea was of Sharia, didn't have any idea - he was protesting what he did not know).

This strikes me as a believable but sad comentary on Muslim-Christian (though it could include anyone) relations in these days. And again we are forced to consider, would I rather react and protest, or am I willing to step out of my comfort zone, enter the mosque (or whatever the space), share a meal, and get to know The Other?

Understanding, Image, and Self-Awareness - the impact of Interfaith Relationships

We are talking about a wide range of fascinating topics, at the "Building Hope" Conference. We have started out with all three groups - Muslims, Jews and Christians - sharing about our beliefs and practices, with questions and discussions.

A theme, so far, that I find myself thinking about, is that of understanding and image.

More than one person has said something like, you (the other two groups) have a certain image of us. I would like it if you would let me explain myself (our group, our beliefs, etc.), and replace your image of me (us) with our image of ourselves (i.e., see us as we think we are).

This, of course, makes total sense, but how easy it is to forget. How easy it is to relate to others based on my image of them, rather than learning to know them as they are (this movement, I would say, is at the heart of what it means to move from relating to people ethnocentrically to relating to them ethnorelatively or ethnosensitively).

But an issue arises, of course - to what extent can we really understand "The Other"? Someone pointed out an author (I forget who), who said that we really can't fully/deeply/truly understand other peoples' religious faith. I seem to remember Wilfred Cantwell Smith saying something of the sort. This could be true not only between religious communities (how can I as a Christian, for example, know how a Muslim feels about the Qur'an, or the depth of the impact of saying the Shahada, in/on his or her mind, heart, soul?), but also within a religious tradition (can I really know the reality of another person's faith, what's going on in their heart and mind and spirit?).

Of course, we can work in the direction of understanding, but we need to observe, ask questions, listen carefully, and push ourselves to go deeper, not to stop at the surface. It strikes me how often our relationships with and understanding of each other, remain relatively superficial, either assuming we "know" the other, or perhaps not even thinking about it.

One other thing - self-awareness comes, in part, through coming to understand how others perceive us. If a Muslim or a Jew tells me as a Christian, "honestly, I tend to think of you Christians as polytheists," that can be a cause for interesting self-reflection, learning about myself as well as the Other. I find myself thinking, for example, what really is monotheism? what does it mean to worship God monotheistically? and how can I express my conviction of the fact that I am monotheistic, in a way that can make sense to Muslims and Jews in light of the different understandings we have of God?

I'm reminded of a classic statement of anthropological experience, that we "journey into (or among) the other, only to returned changed to ourselves" (to find ourselves, to know ourselves, in a new light).

Muslims, Christians and Jews on the path to understanding?

The "Building Hope" conference has begun.

There is too much to reflect on coherently at this time, but a couple of thoughts about how to relate to the Other, in a way that might lead to something positive:

* We were encouraged last night that for deeper understanding, we must go beyond study of texts (history, etc.), and focus on developing friendship with others (the others we might be suspicious or afraid or ignorant of, in conflict with, etc.). In fact, that's why 30 of us - Muslims, Christians and Jews - are spending 10 days together, sharing life, sharing meals, sharing faith, and discussing difficult issues.

* We were also encouraged that the path to understanding usually leads through times of non-understanding. If we think we "understand" the Other from the start, what we really understand are just our own stereotypes of the Other, relating to an image rather than reality. 

* Today, one of the Jewish speakers reminded us that Muslims and Christians both tend to think they understand Judaism, but what we really understand are our own versions of Judaism, based on our textual traditions. If we really want to understand Judaism (and Jews), we need to let them speak, and listen, to come to know them, and their version. The challenge, the speaker pointed out, is to hold our texts and images in one hand, and to create space for understanding Judaism on its own terms, at the same time. 

What we experienced, today, was Muslims and Jews sharing about their beliefs and practices, and significant question and answer times (that were too short, but very significant); and lots of relational time, as well, over meals and breaks, interacting, getting to know each other, and - I hope - moving toward more of an understanding of Each Other as we really are (not as images). 

And we still have 8 more full days of this! I'm hopeful...

Building Hope - Muslims, Christians and Jews Seeking the Common Good

Can Muslims, Christians and Jews - especially those with deep faith commitments, and who are more "conservative" within their respective traditions - work together for the common good? What might it take? What barriers must be overcome? This is where I'll be, the next two weeks. We'll see what happens.