Andrew said that a dichotomy of two religions “may run the risk of sectarian pessimism (the Empire, it seems, is ever striking back), but that the risk is countered by a joyful mysticism and paradox: the more deeply Christian I become, the less it matters my being Christian”. This may, indeed, be a paradox but when we explore it we can recognise its profound truth.
Some people would see strong Christianity as holding to a very defined faith, one which is based on a fundamentalist view of Scripture and which calls them to try to convert everyone to that point of view. Because they see people of other faiths, or no faith, as those who are not “saved” they have no reason to listen to them, relate to them with respect, let alone learn anything from them. For them, strong Christianity leads to rejecting people who are not “believers” on their terms.
On the other hand, we could begin by reflecting on a Christ who said that the two greatest commandments were to love our God and our neighbour as ourselves. When we deeply love the God of all creation, we are invited to see the wonder and grandeur of all that is around us, including that in people who have travelled on differing religious and life journeys. They are our neighbours and Jesus told his friends to look at the fruits of people’s lives, rather than what group they might belong to. When we dare to do that, we demonstrate that we are open to listen to who they are and why they make the choices they do.
Then we may be inspired to see things differently, to gain new wisdom and to open our hearts and minds to ongoing searches for truth – rather than simply learning rules for faith and life. Part of that searching is, of course, related to wrestling with the ancient writings of many different groups of people in the Bible itself. None of this leads to a diminishing of our Christian faith. It rather adds to its depth and breadth and inspires us to feel safe and enriched in relating respectfully to others and to the journeys of people down the ages. The fact that we are not threatened by differences gives the message that our own faith is quietly secure and is something which can go on growing in many relationships and every day of our lives.
It could encourage us to believe in a living God who goes on inviting us to new truth and to be eternally curious about the nature of truth. This doesn’t mean that we can’t live from the truth which we understand at each point in time but that, as we live from it, we may discover a new aspect of it. It encourages us to live in respectful relationships with many people, offering them what lies beneath our own living and sharing in what inspires their choices and lifestyles.
Imagine what the world could be like if people of every faith and none believed that there is always more to learn from each other and from life itself – that we could enjoy sharing ideas with each other, acknowledging that we are all really ordinary human beings, who will never know the whole truth. We could cross all sorts of lines of judgment and difference and add deep peace to the whole creation as we celebrate our discoveries and open our ears and eyes, minds and hearts, to what we might receive from each other. That would be nothing short of a miracle! But miracles are, indeed, always possible.
