Spiritual Forums

Home


Donate!


Articles


CHAT!


Shop


 
Welcome to Spiritual Forums!.

We created this community for people from all backgrounds to discuss Spiritual, Paranormal, Metaphysical, Philosophical, Supernatural, and Esoteric subjects. From Astral Projection to Zen, all topics are welcome. We hope you enjoy your visits.

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest, which gives you limited access to most discussions and articles. By joining our free community you will be able to post messages, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload your own photos, and gain access to our Chat Rooms, Registration is fast, simple, and free, so please, join our community today! !

If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, check our FAQs before contacting support. Please read our forum rules, since they are enforced by our volunteer staff. This will help you avoid any infractions and issues.

Go Back   Spiritual Forums > Religions & Faiths > Interfaith

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 01-09-2021, 02:30 PM
The Cobbler's Apprentice The Cobbler's Apprentice is offline
Deactivated Account
Join Date: Jul 2021
Location: Somewhere in the Pure Land
Posts: 585
  The Cobbler's Apprentice's Avatar
Has Inter-Faith dialogue got any purpose?

"The more I am able to affirm others, to say 'yes' to them in myself, by discovering them in myself and myself in them, the more real I am. I am fully real if my own heart says yes to everyone." (Thomas Merton, from "Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander")
(Regarding the various Faiths, Merton emphasises that the above will to say "yes" to others does not mean "syncretism, indifferentism, the vapid and careless friendliness that accepts everything by thinking of nothing. There is much that one cannot 'affirm' and 'accept,' but first one must say 'yes' where one really can.")
Therefore, as Merton sees it, the purpose of dialogue is simply to become "more real" and who could argue with seeking such? Has "Reality" simply revealed itself fully in just one Faith, one book, one orthodox interpretation?
Comparative religion is full of pitfalls to the unwary. Before any correlations can possibly be made there is a need to have a reasonable understanding and knowledge of any Faith Tradition. A simple example of false comparisons would be one found in certain discussions between Islam and Christianity. Broadly speaking, for Christianity the fallible Bible reveals the Word, Christ, made flesh. For Islam, the fallible man, Mohammed, reveals the Word, an infallible book. Yet often, Bible and Koran are set side by side, and Mohammed set beside Jesus Christ; awkward comparisons that simply create confusion.
Anyway, maybe others see some purpose?
__________________
When a scholar is born they forget the nembutsu
Reply With Quote
Reply


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 01:24 PM.


Powered by vBulletin
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
(c) Spiritual Forums