We have seen how doctrinal differences may sometimes develop through dialogue to the point where they are transcended by a higher order of truth. The theological issues that provoked the Reformation — justification by faith alone, purgatory and predestination, the priesthood of all believers — all turned on the interpretation of Pauline Scripture. None is now seen as an insuperable stumbling block by most Protestant or Catholic theologians. The question of salvation is central here, too: neither side now sees damnation as the price of error. These doctrinal differences have been transcended by ecumenical dialogue, stimulated by the mutual respect due to those martyred by the Nazis such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Edith Stein, to the point where five years ago a German Pope, Benedict XVI, could celebrate Martin Luther at the reformer's Augustinian convent in Erfurt.
So there are parallels with the Catholic-Jewish relationship. Such doctrinal differences have, however, been superseded by new truth claims: in the case of Protestants and Catholics, by sharply different attitudes to sex and the family or to the role of women in the Church; in the case of Jews and Christians, disputes over Israel and the Palestinians. These arguments are no longer about who is to be saved and who damned in the next world, but who is to be damned in this one.
Above all, we cannot leave Islam out of account. Whereas dialogue between Catholics, other Christians and Jews is generally conducted in a civilised way, attempts to reach out to the Muslim world have often been rebuffed. This is not for want of trying. Pope John Paul II visited the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, an ancient centre of Sunni Islam, in May 2001, and kissed the Koran — something that would once have been unthinkable. Four months later came 9/11. Then in 2006 Benedict XVI gave his Regensburg lecture, which quoted the Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Paleologus condemning Muhammad for imposing Islam by force. An unfortunate translation rendered the sentence thus: "Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find only things evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith that he preached." Even though the Pope had declared the Emperor's formulation "unacceptable" and the words "evil and inhuman" were swiftly corrected to "bad and inhumane", the reaction across the Muslim world was one of violence, not least against priests and nuns. The Pope's apology was not accepted by many Muslim authorities, but later there were overtures from Islamic clerics which have opened up the possibility of dialogue. When Benedict visited Turkey, he called for "authentic dialogue between Christians and Muslims, based on truth and inspired by a sincere wish to know one another better, respecting differences and recognising what we have in common." Pope Francis has continued the quest for authentic dialogue, but so far there has been little or no willingness by Muslim leaders to promote reciprocity of religious freedom. Under Islam, Jews and Christians continue to suffer legal discrimination, violent persecution and even genocide.
As long as truth is sought by the light of reason, doctrinal commitments and differences do not preclude dialogue between religions. Violence, however, renders impossible what Martin Buber called the Ich-Du ("I-Thou") relationship — a relationship that sees the image of God in every human being. The revealed truth that Jews and Christians in their different ways express in doctrine and practice is enriched by dialogue, because in the human encounter with the other faith we also catch glimpses of the divine encounter we all seek. Reaching out to Muslims is an imperative for Jews and Christians only in the absence of violence. Mutual respect requires mutual toleration; religious reciprocity is not a favour but a right. The only consolation is that persecution has drawn Jews and Christians closer than ever before. As the Prophet Amos says, "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" Jews and Christians should at least agree on this: that we like to walk together — so much, indeed, that we will never again be parted.
So there are parallels with the Catholic-Jewish relationship. Such doctrinal differences have, however, been superseded by new truth claims: in the case of Protestants and Catholics, by sharply different attitudes to sex and the family or to the role of women in the Church; in the case of Jews and Christians, disputes over Israel and the Palestinians. These arguments are no longer about who is to be saved and who damned in the next world, but who is to be damned in this one.
Above all, we cannot leave Islam out of account. Whereas dialogue between Catholics, other Christians and Jews is generally conducted in a civilised way, attempts to reach out to the Muslim world have often been rebuffed. This is not for want of trying. Pope John Paul II visited the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, an ancient centre of Sunni Islam, in May 2001, and kissed the Koran — something that would once have been unthinkable. Four months later came 9/11. Then in 2006 Benedict XVI gave his Regensburg lecture, which quoted the Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Paleologus condemning Muhammad for imposing Islam by force. An unfortunate translation rendered the sentence thus: "Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find only things evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith that he preached." Even though the Pope had declared the Emperor's formulation "unacceptable" and the words "evil and inhuman" were swiftly corrected to "bad and inhumane", the reaction across the Muslim world was one of violence, not least against priests and nuns. The Pope's apology was not accepted by many Muslim authorities, but later there were overtures from Islamic clerics which have opened up the possibility of dialogue. When Benedict visited Turkey, he called for "authentic dialogue between Christians and Muslims, based on truth and inspired by a sincere wish to know one another better, respecting differences and recognising what we have in common." Pope Francis has continued the quest for authentic dialogue, but so far there has been little or no willingness by Muslim leaders to promote reciprocity of religious freedom. Under Islam, Jews and Christians continue to suffer legal discrimination, violent persecution and even genocide.
As long as truth is sought by the light of reason, doctrinal commitments and differences do not preclude dialogue between religions. Violence, however, renders impossible what Martin Buber called the Ich-Du ("I-Thou") relationship — a relationship that sees the image of God in every human being. The revealed truth that Jews and Christians in their different ways express in doctrine and practice is enriched by dialogue, because in the human encounter with the other faith we also catch glimpses of the divine encounter we all seek. Reaching out to Muslims is an imperative for Jews and Christians only in the absence of violence. Mutual respect requires mutual toleration; religious reciprocity is not a favour but a right. The only consolation is that persecution has drawn Jews and Christians closer than ever before. As the Prophet Amos says, "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" Jews and Christians should at least agree on this: that we like to walk together — so much, indeed, that we will never again be parted.
Like this article? Share, save or print using the icons below:
More Features
- Migrant Crisis? Europe Hasn't Seen Anything Yet
- Why Palmyra Should Matter To The West
- Corbyn's Rise Makes Cameron Redundant
- No, Jeremy: Politics Is All About Borders Now
- Why 'Lady Chatterley' Still Provokes Us
- For Climate Alarmism, The Poor Pay The Price
- Will Putin's Empire Outlast The Soviets?
- British Witnesses To Lenin's Revolution
- Bibliophiles Beware: Online Prices Are A Lottery
- How Jeremy Corbyn's Coup Hijacked Labour
- Corbyn's Signpost Back To The Ghetto
- Unionists, Don't Despair: Scotland Is Not Lost — Yet
- Britain's Apologists For Child Abuse
- Lift The Fee Cap And Set Universities Free
- The Story Behind One Dead Man's Penny
- Hitler's 'Ecological Panic' Didn't Cause The Holocaust
- Meet The Montalvos: The First Global Family
- Mr Gove, Here Is Our Statute of Liberty
- A British Bill Of Rights
- Something For Nothing Just Won't Do Any More
Popular Standpoint topics
11:12 AM