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Chapter 6:

INTERFAITH LIFE AND LIVING

HUMAN CONTEXT

Asia is a vast continent with more than two billion people, professing different faiths. There are innumerable humanists, atheists in addition to people professing Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Taoism, Shintoism and other belief-systems. Asia is the birthplace of many of these religions. But the same Asia has become a huge cauldron of communal clashes, particularly inter-religious. Hindus and Muslims in India, Muslims and Christians in Indonesia and more recently Hindus and Christians are at loggerheads with each other. Much of these inter-religious or inter-faith fights have been unduly politicised, resulting in unhealthy polarisation of different communities in a society. None of the societies in Asia are any more homogeneous or monolithic. By their very nature, the Asian societies are highly differentiated and diversified in terms of religions, cultures and languages. Thus the present religious conflicts and conflagrations threaten the plural character of Asia. There is a widespread impact of fundamentalism, fanaticism and religious communalism, resulting in fragmentation and even disintegration. Babri masjid-Ramjanmabhumi conflict has come to represent and symbolise such disruptive forces in modern India. Hindu revivalism, Islamic fundamentalism, Sikh extremism and Christian conservatism are posing a great danger to the future of Asia in general and some of the countries in particular. Many countries of Asia are constitutionally democratic but in fact are becoming theocratic in practise.

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In the midst of this religious bigotry, it is good to know that the reformist, Mohammadreza Khatami, won with a big majority in Iran, to continue to be its President. In March of this year, Pope John Paul II asked forgiveness for the sins of the Roman Catholic Church, specifically mentioning,

We are asking pardon for the divisions among Christians, for the use of violence that some have committed in the service of truth, and for attitudes of mistrust and hostility assumed toward followers of other religions.¹⁷⁵

In the light of this human predicament, it is necessary to turn to the Bible for guidance, principles and goals that can help us to develop models for interfaith living. Indeed it is time to put behind the sad saga of crusades for Christ or jihad for Prophet Muhammad. Authentic religion or dharma, must become again an exercise in morality, giving us the signals of transcendence. Instead of fighting, in the name of religion, we must live and work the way they tell us to live.

OLD TESTAMENT BACKGROUND

Basically, Old Testament is the story of the ancient Jewish people. Much of their ancient history is mixed with older mythologies. They were a proud people with a rich legacy. They thought themselves as a ‘chosen people’ but over the centuries they began to realise that their chosen-ness must be conceived in terms of responsibility and not just a power and a privilege. Therefore, even as an exclusive, closed people, they slowly but surely moved from ‘primitive’ tribalism, to particularism to universalism. Obviously, this shift was not a sudden event but a slow, gradual process. This is the very nature of revelation as contained in the Old Testament.

In their story-telling and historical narrations, they made a critical, creative use of older myths and integrated them very well into their own history. We could cite two good examples - one the creation myth and the other the story of the Flood¹⁷⁶. We cannot go into detail but mention that the Creation and Flood stories were taken over from the earlier Babylonian or Mesopotamian myth. Thus they were not

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175 Pope John Paul II

176 Genesis 6, 7 and, 8

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averse to borrowing openly and learning from other cultures and religions. But it is very significant to note that the ancient Jewish people did not borrow blindly and mechanically. They were not just copying but making an intelligent use of the earlier sources. They were willing to examine carefully other oral traditions, learn from them with sensitivity and sympathy and incorporate them in their story-telling. They show an open, inclusive mind and action. Thus we can safely conclude that at very crucial moments the ancient Hebrew people were inter-religious in concrete and specific ways. It was not just a feeling or an empty emotion. The earlier traditions were from the Mesopotamia, Babylonian, Assyrians, Acadian, Ammonites, Canaanites, Edofflies, Hittites, Phoenicia and others.

The ancient Hebrews had the intense experience of Egyptian slavery and Babylonian captivity - the former lasted about 100 years and the latter for about 50 years. In between they had forty long years of wandering in the wilderness. Such a nomadic life exposed them to different life-orientations and diverse belief-systems. They had quite a good inter-religious and inter-cultural experience. But what is important to note is that they maintained their unique faith and extraordinary life-style. The Persian king Cyrus, is considered an instrument in the hands of God, Yahweh.¹⁷⁷

The Hebrews were a committed people based on the several covenants made at critical moments of their history. They made many mistakes but ultimately they remained deeply faithful to the God of Abraham and Sarah; Isaac and Rebekah; Jacob and Rachel. In the midst of their fidelity, they realised the element of mystery. They began to realise that God cannot be limited, reduced and narrowed down. It is recorded,

For my thoughts are not your thoughts; nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.¹⁷⁸

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177 Isaiah 44:28; 45:1; mentioned in Ezekiel and Chronicles

178Isaiah 55:8

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Indeed, God is beyond, transcendent and objective; and cannot be exhausted in human formulations or articulations and rituals. They certainly help us to receive the signals of the divine. The Psalmist views God in terms of Depth, and consequently affirms, ‘Deep calls to deep’.¹⁷⁹ Any human being cannot comprehend this Depth. Prophet Hosea puts this idea in terms of love “ . . . for I am God and no mortal, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath”.¹⁸⁰ Prophet Isaiah had conformed to the same concept when he asserted, “The Egyptians are human, and not God; their horses are flesh, and not spirit”.¹⁸¹ Another author of the Book of Isaiah states more emphatically,

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?¹⁸²

This is the way the ancient authors declared the divine depth and mystery, God’s authority and power as compared to human weaknesses and limitations.

Therefore, on the one hand, in the Old Testament we read about the Hebrew hubris, pride and confidence but on the other hand we also become aware of their openness and willingness to interact and learn from other religions and cultures. They realised that God in love and justice, freedom and righteousness, could not be limited to the people of Israel. God is the creator of the heavens and earth, of all people everywhere. Of course, at some points in their history they tried to limit God only to their own history but gradually they realised that God is universal. God does not suffer from finitude and fallen-ness. God in sovereignty and freedom is everywhere and for all people. The Hebrews had to absorb this hard lesson through their various experiences.

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179 Psalm 42:7a

180 Hosea 11:9b

181 Isaiah 31:3a

182 Isaiah 40:12

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APOSTOLIC WITNESS

The ancient Jewish Christians had to learn a lot of things after they decided to follow Jesus. They were difficult but important lessons. They had to overcome their fundamental religious bias of prejudice, particularly against the Gentiles of those days, nearly two thousand years ago. Jews and the Gentiles were hostile towards each other. The Gentiles were like the Dalits of India, considered as untouchables, unapproachable to the Jews.

In that context, when the ‘primitive’ Jewish Christians gathered for the First Council in Jerusalem in 50 A.D., the issue of the circumcision and uncircumcision was the main item in the agenda. Obviously, this issue became quite a controversial issue, creating a conflict that divided the early Church. There was a sharp division between the Christians and the Judaisers. For the latter, circumcision was an indispensable sign of the covenant and therefore necessary for conversion. But Paul stood firm based on his faith in Jesus. And so also Peter, Barnabas, James and other key apostles and elders. Peter openly, publicly and directly declared,

My brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that I should be the one through whom the gentiles should hear the message of the good news and in cleansing their hearts by faith he has made no distinction between them and us. Now therefore why are you putting God to the test by placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? We will be saved through the grace of Jesus just as they will.¹⁸³

James joined with Peter Paul and Barnabas and said, “Therefore I have reached the decision that we should not trouble those Gentiles who are turning to God”. The ancient apostles and elders were willing to set aside their long-cherished practises and customs to break down barriers, cross into new territory and reach new frontiers of understanding.

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183 Acts 15:7b-11

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At this juncture, it may be useful to recall some of the immortal words of Paul propagating this openness and freedom in Jesus, in the spirit of God.¹⁸⁴ He strongly believed that it was God’s grace that ultimately saves and liberates¹⁸⁵. Consequently, Paul asserts that righteousness does not depend on circumcision. Circumcision, for the Jews even, ratified and confirmed their prior faith¹⁸⁶. His priority was right when he had stated that a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly. Authentic circumcision is not something external and physical but is a matter of the heart - it is spiritual and not literal.¹⁸⁷ That indeed is the strength and power of true religion. He makes it abundantly clear that in the ultimate analysis, what really counts is ‘a new creation’¹⁸⁸ or ‘faith working through love’¹⁸⁹. Obviously, his criteria for exclusion or separation are very different from the Judaisers.

Finally, in this section, we like to turn our attention to an interesting episode in the life of Paul. Acts of the Apostles record his many exploits and an itinerant life. He was on his missionary journeys accepting and advocating wholeheartedly and openly mission to the Gentiles. Some others were either very reluctant or openly refused to go to the Gentiles. They were narrow-minded and closed. He arrived in Athens rather unexpectedly. But while waiting there Paul begins his own exploration and orientation. He meets all kinds of people, getting to know them, their belief system and their philosophical framework. This was ancient Athens, the headquarters of Roman religion and culture.¹⁹⁰

He enters into a serious dialogue with the Athenians, professing a completely different faith. Initially, he was disturbed but gradually, he began to appreciate their point of view. He had very good and long conversations with ‘some Epicureans and stoic philosophers.’¹⁹¹ The ancient author of Acts, Luke the doctor, also takes note of the fact that quite a number of people of Athens were also eager to know what Paul had to say or teach. They were practising their own kind of free-

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184 Romans 8:9; Galatians 3:1-5

185 Romans 4:1-8; Galatians 3:6-9

186 Romans 4:9-12

187 Romans 2: 25-27, 28-29

188 Galatians 6:15; I Corinthians 7:19

189 Galatians 5:6

190 Acts 17

191 Acts 17:16-21

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dom of speech and expression particularly with regard to other religions or philosophies. Thus Paul becomes a reluctant preacher, standing before the Areopagus in ancient Athens, he begins, “I see how extremely religious you are in every way”.¹⁹² Then he goes on to refer to their objects of worship, their spiritual quest or groupings¹⁹³; quotes from their poet and philosopher¹⁹⁴ and finally establishing a link and builds an inter-religious bridge. In his sermons he does not reject them or exclude them from the economy of God’s salvation or liberation. He makes a strong theological affirmation, mentioning explicitly that God is one, who is Lord of heaven and earth.¹⁹⁵ Thus Paul endeavours to demonstrate the unity or harmony of religions based on ethical monotheism, meaning the one righteous God. Paul is not afraid but with an open mind and in the freedom of the Spirit of God, he is able to enter the ‘alien’ Athens and declare the good news without offending, insulting or humiliating his august audience. He shows his deep respect and love for the people of Athens, although they were different, belonging to a different faith-affiliation. He did not say what he did not mean. He practised it quite effectively in his short sojourn at Athens. He opened his mouth and preached only on their request and after getting to know them quite well. That is authentic inter-faith life and living. Dialogue was deed for Paul.

GOSPEL TRUTH

Jesus, the Jewish rabbi, son of a carpenter from Nazareth, was a person of wisdom and understanding, of love and justice, of radical freedom and responsibility, He refused to conform or compromise with anything or anybody that fall short of the kingdom of God. He did not come to establish a religion but show humanity, a way of life, a way of the kingdom of God. The early Christians were designated the people ‘of the way’.¹⁹⁶ According to the gospels, Jesus began his ministry of salvation and liberation only from the age of thirty. This means that the preceding period was one of preparation - for thirty years he was under training and nurture, growing in

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192 Acts 17:22b

193 Acts 17:27

194 Acts l7: 28 and 29

195 Acts 17:24

196 Acts 9:2; 22:4; 24:22

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wisdom ‘and in divine and human favour’.¹⁹⁷ This period gave him time to learn from the Torah (Jewish Law) and the Talmud (oral instructions) from the Mishna (interpretation) and other religious traditions. So when he commences his ministry, Jesus makes a definitive statement, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfil”.¹⁹⁸ Consequently, it is not surprising when Jesus affirms, ‘I tell you many will come from east and west and sit at table with Abram, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven’.¹⁹⁹ He is at ease in his inter-religious, inter-racial actions with the Gentiles, the Roman centurion²⁰⁰; the Syrophoenician woman²⁰¹; the Samaritan woman²⁰²; the Samaritan man in his parable²⁰³ and other such examples.

In the incarnation of Jesus, God enters into a direct dialogue with humanity in general and the Jews in particular. In this sense, for God dialogue is not word but the Word made flesh.²⁰⁴ God’s dialogue is real, concrete and particularised. Jesus had said, “God is the God of the living, not of the dead”. As we affirm a living, loving Lord, we have to conceive of Christ, not only in terms of the past, but more important in terms of the future - the Coming Christ, the Christ who is ahead of us, beyond and before us. Thus Jesus himself introduced to the disciples the Holy Spirit, the Paraklete.²⁰⁵ This Holy Spirit cannot be confined to Christianity alone. She is beyond and above and therefore Jesus had uttered,

The wind (spirit or breath) blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it. But you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the spirit.²⁰⁶

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197 Luke 2:52

198 Matthew 5:17

199 Matthew 8:11

200 Matthew 8:5-13

201 Mark 7:26

202 John 4:7-26

203 Luke 10:29-37

204 John 1:14

205 John 14:16 and 26; 15:26

206 John 3:8

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This spiritual power is pervasive and all encompassing, all embracing. It cannot be a personal possession or a private property. It is available to all religions. God’s grace and love cannot be imprisoned. There are several stories from the life and work of Jesus that demonstrate this fundamental truth. There is a wonderful dialogue between Jesus and a Canaanite woman that is recorded in the gospels.²⁰⁷ He was in a foreign territory of Tyre and Sidon, confronted by a foreign woman - a gentile person. Jesus seems to be clear about his mission to his own people. He seems to refuse to help the gentile woman and cure her daughter. But the woman persists and Jesus retorted, “It is not fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs”.²⁰⁸ Was Jesus showing his deep-seated Jewish prejudice against the Gentiles? Or was Jesus testing the woman or trying to be humorous? Obviously, Jesus was confused. He was grappling with himself about his future mission and ministry. As such, when Jesus uttered those unkind words to the gentile woman, he was speaking more to himself rather than to her. Jesus became acutely aware of human suffering when that woman replied to him. She refused to give up and Jesus yielded. Finally, Jesus had to recognise her deep faith and was compelled to state,

“For saying that, you may go - the demon has left your daughter.” So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.²⁰⁹

Thus Jesus had healed a gentile woman’s daughter, of Syrophoenician origin. But more important Jesus had learnt from this gentile woman to include the gentile mission and ministry. He could not stay any more exclusive and closed.

In concluding this section, we would like to look at another story from the life of Jesus - the great banquet.²¹⁰ According to the story, the rich and the mighty refuse to come to the dinner although a general invitation had been sent to them earlier. But when the specific invitation was given after preparing the banquet, they offered many excuses. Therefore the host decided to summon ‘the poor, the

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207 Matthew 15:21-28; repeated in Mark 7:24-30

208 Mark 7:27; Matthew 15:26

209 Mark 7:29; repeated in Luke and Matthew 15:28

210 Luke 14:15-24; Matthew 22:l-14

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crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ The word, ‘compel’ poses a problem in the story but we must understand that this is not forcing people to come for a meal. The point is that the outcastes, the marginalized cannot believe that they have been invited to such a grand dinner. Indeed, it is the grace of the host and grace is always unbelievable. Therefore, they have to be ‘compelled’, cajoled and gently encouraged. The kingdom of God by its very nature is inclusive and open. It is not an exclusive club, homogeneous and monolithic. Its plurality and diversity have to be appreciated and appropriated. This is what Jesus came to advocate and act upon.

The Mathean narrative of the story poses another problem - one of the guests is thrown out! Obviously, Luke, the doctor, understood the mind and spirit of Jesus very well. The second part of the story in Mathew is concerned with decorum and decency, with dress and uniform for the wedding feast. But in fact that is not the main thrust of the story. Jesus was witnessing to the all-inclusive character of the kingdom or the realm of God. Therefore, it is necessary to be selective in our reading and use of the Old and the New Testaments. It is possible to misuse or even abuse the Bible by misreading it. That indeed has been the bane of the church for centuries. So sometimes, such parallel passages are helpful to capture the basic significance of a story. It is possible to lose our priority and perspective based on the vision of the reign and realm of God, determined by love and justice, freedom and peace. We must not lose sight of this fundamental message.

THEOLOGICAL-ETHICAL AFFIRMATIONS

The Bible on the whole, is open and inclusive. At certain moments in the Hebrew history, they were exclusive and closed. But slowly and surely they began to comprehend the magnitude of the divine deeds and the magnanimity of God’s grace. Fundamentally, God of grace and God of glory is a loving, living God as portrayed in the Bible. Conversion is not proselytism²¹¹, but radical reorientation of priorities and perspectives. New life, new creation is the thrust of the Bible as a whole. There is a direct and indirect indication of plurality of religions in the Bible.

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211 Matthew 23:13-15

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Captivity of Christ in Christianity and the churches is a serious problem for Asians in particular. We must realise that God is at work in all religions, cultures and histories. We cannot restrict God’s action in the world. We must look for convergence of religions in terms of justice, freedom and love. Religions are learning from each other. We have already realised the impact of Christ, which has been variously described as ‘Christification’ or ‘mass modification’. At the beginning of this millennium, it is necessary for Christianity and Christians in particular to learn from other religions and incorporate those lessons in our formulations or articulations. We have no reason to be arrogant and aggressive any more. As truth cannot be the monopoly of one religion, mistakes also cannot be the monopoly of the Christians or Christianity. With humility and love we recognise ‘God has not left himself without a witness’.²¹²

Christ does not belong to us in an exclusive way. We belong to him. God is reconciling all people everywhere²¹³ and summing up all things in him ²¹⁴. On the Cross of Calvary, God was vulnerable and open. In the light of this reality, we need to develop a ‘crucified’ character rather than go on entertaining a ‘crusading mentality’. Indeed that is the way to an interfaith life and living; dialogue and action.

QUESTIONS FOR GROUP DISCUSSION:

Have you tried to make friends with people of other faiths? Have you tried to know them deeply in terms of their faith-affirmations? What are the privileges’ and problems of such a venture?

How does your Pastor and your congregation respond to an inter-faith dialogue and living? Have your congregation and Pastor invited leaders of other faiths in your church to listen and learn from them?

How does your church look at inter-faith marriage? Do they permit solemnising such a marriage in your church? Why and why not?

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212 Acts 14:17; Hebrews 1:1

213 II Corinthians 5:18

214 Ephesians 1:10; Colossians 1:20

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FIELD EDUCATION

Try to make an empirical study of the inter-religious atmosphere in your neighbourhood in terms of actual inter-actions among them. Are they just tolerated or actively promoted? Ask questions to young and old; women and men; religious leaders and followers dominant in your neighbourhood.

QUOTATIONS FOR PERSONAL AND GROUP REFLECTION

A religion that is expected to put people right with God and with one another, . . . puts them wrong with God and one with another. It rules its adherents with unreasonable demands and controls their life and faith with fear. The Jewish regulations, for example, “demand that the tithes be paid on even the small flavouring herbs of which a family might grow a few, such as mint, dill, and cumin.” ... All such religious minutiae must have proven burden some, especially to the people who had to eke out their living with difficulty . . . Religion, instead of lightening the burdens of people bear both physically and spiritually, loads them with even heavier burdens . . . They remind us that religious authorities can betray God in the name of God and can do disservice to people by giving them a distorted experience of God - an angry God, a vengeful God, an autocratic God, a God who makes endless demands.

Commitment without tolerance becomes fanaticism. Tolerance without commitment slips into indifference. Questions emerge in the critical space between commitment and tolerance. Is it possible to be committed to one’s faith without being intolerant of other faiths? Or, is it possible to be tolerant of other faiths without diluting one’s own commitment? In a pluralist society every religious community faces this dilemma. At this time particularly, when the politicisation/religions threatens the unity and integrity of the nation (India), Christians cannot afford to ignore this matter.

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A helicopter Christology, in its attempts to land on the religiously plural terrain of Asia, makes such a lot of missiological noise and kicks up so much theological dust that people around it are prevented from hearing the voice and seeing the vision of the descending divinity. A bullock cart Christology, on the other hand, always has its wheels touching the unpaved roads of Asia for without continual friction with the ground, the cart cannot move forward at all. Moreover, a bullock-cart Christology has the advantage of having its bullocks move on with a steady pace, even when the driver sometimes falls asleep.

The Aristotelian Christ is put in dialogue, or even in heated argument, with the Ashokanized Christ. This is a theological ‘traffic’ between the two ‘dim’ Christs. . . Why have we kept the ‘living-room theology’ more or less at a distance from the hot ‘kitchen theology’ . . . Is it possible to have an unseasoned and raw Christ? Isn’t it true that the incarnation of the Son of God means his ‘in-culture-ation’? . . one must not simply reject the ‘pepper and salt’ of any culture, but attempt to see what kind of pepper and salt is seasoning Christ and try to present a well-seasoned Christ in co-operation with the local pepper and salt.

REFERENCES

Jaisingh, Herbert, My Neighbours of Other Faiths

Koyama, Kosuke, Water Buffalo Theology

Song, C.S., Jesus and the Reign of God, Jesus in the Power of the Spirit

Samartha, Stanley J., The Pilgrim Christ: Sermons, Poems and Bible Stories

Braybrooke, Marcus, The Undiscovered Christ

Somen Das, Dharma of the Twenty-First Century