Letter from the Vicar (April 2010)
Dear friends,
During Lent this year we have been learning about other faiths. I believe this has been a very useful and important exercise in its own right. We live in a world of many different religions and it is very important that we should have an understanding of them.
We are increasingly likely to encounter people of other faiths on our own doorstep and it is far better to have an informed understanding of them, rather than a prejudiced or slanted view. The religions of the world have contributed an enormous amount to human civilization and in many ways Christians have much more in common with adherents of other faiths than they do with those who do not espouse any particular religion. But as well as being good in its own right, it is also the case that understanding other people’s beliefs helps us to understand our own better. I have certainly been feeling this way during Lent. This works in two different ways, by similarity and by difference.
There are many similarities between Christianity and other faiths. Those who adhere to the so-called Abrahamic faiths, Christianity, Judaism and Islam, obviously share a good deal in common. All of us believe in one God, the God who revealed himself to the great figures of the Hebrew Scriptures. Those scriptures are important to all these great religions. What is sometimes known as ethical monotheism is the basic outlook of these faiths. We all believe in a good and holy God who requires that his goodness and holiness be reflected in the lives of those who worship him. Our roots and histories are intertwined, though sadly there has been a terrible record of intolerance among us, something that in our age we must work on to overcome.
When we move to the eastern faiths it would seem at first glance that there are fewer similarities. In the case of Hinduism there is a pantheon of gods. But for sophisticated Hindus these are but faces or facets of the one ultimate reality, Brahman. This is not far from our idea of God. What is more Hindus have their trinity, equivalent to ours, of Brahma, the creator, Vishnu, the preserver and Shiva, the destroyer. The many gods of Hinduism are not so far different from the many saints of Catholic Christianity through who we glimpse different facets of God. What is more Hindus believe in something close to the Christian idea of incarnation, through the concept of the avatar which refers to the descent of a deity from heaven to earth and their appearance in an earthly form. Buddhism and Christianity are comparable principally in terms of their ethics and spirituality. Both emphasise the centrality of the ‘golden rule’ – do to others as you would have them do to you. Both also give a fundamental place to love. In the sphere of spirituality both reject extreme asceticism.
So there are many similarities between the great faiths of the world which serve to illuminate Christianity. But the differences also help us to understand our own faith better. At the heart of the differences between Christians and Jews is, of course, the figure of Jesus. Jews neither believe that he is the Messiah, nor that he or anyone can die for the sins of others. It follows that they reject the doctrine of the Trinity. Jews also have a more positive view of human nature than Christians and are generally more universalistic about our destiny. Muslims also reject the divinity of Jesus and give a place to Muhammed and the revelation received through him which Christians cannot accept. Both Judaism and Islam are, from a Christian perspective, much more rooted in obedience to the law and doing good works than is Christianity. For most Christians faith is utterly central and good works, though important, is secondary.
Turning to the eastern religions, with Hinduism the acceptance of the pantheon of gods is ultimately inimical to Christianity’s essential monotheism and the Hindu belief in avatars is different to the Christian belief that there was only one incarnation. The understanding of life and death in the two faiths is quite different, with Christians believing in one life followed by death and ultimately judgement and Hindus believing in rebirth. Our ultimate destiny is again quite different according to the two faiths, heaven (or hell) for Christianity, moksha (release from the cycle of rebirth) for Hinduism. These last two differences are also evident when we compare Christianity with Buddhism, but a bigger difference which distinguishes that religion from most other faiths, is that in its pure form Buddhism has no place for God or the gods. Another big difference is that in Buddhism one has to work for one’s own salvation, and therefore, cannot blame or depend on others for salvation. In Christianity, however, salvation is not based on one’s works, but is a free gift to all those who accept Jesus Christ as their saviour.
The similarities and differences between Christianity and other religions help us to understand our own faith better. As a follow up to the Lent course at the once-monthly Thursday Emmaus meetings we will be doing some work on inter-faith dialogue. I believe this will help us to sharpen our appreciation of what is distinctive and valuable about our own faith while continuing to learn from the important insights of other faiths. Please do join us for these meetings.
Richard Franklin
April 2010
