Once I was asked to take a business trip to Morocco. I
did not speak any of the local languages, so I arranged for an English-speaking
guide. We traveled together to several cities ----- Casablanca, Rabat,
Fes and Marrakesh. He was the driver, but he also knew much about current
events in Morocco and its history, so we had interesting conversations. I
was glad I had some time to become well-acquainted with him and with that
country.
On one of our long drives between cities we found ourselves
talking about religion. He said he was a Muslim, an adherent to
Islam. I told him I was a Christian, and we started to compare notes.
It turned out we had a number of things in common.
Both faiths value prayer, worship (humbling ourselves before God) and
fasting. Both faiths shun the worship of idols. We both honor and
remember Adam, Noah and Moses. We both believe we are descendants of
Abraham, the patriarch of both our faiths, as well as of the Jewish
faith. For the Jewish people it was through the line of Isaac, and for
Muslims through the line of Ishmael. However, today Islam has two main
denominations (Sunni and Shia) because of disagreement over the choice of
Muhammad's successor. Christian beliefs also vary somewhat by
denomination.
In fact, my Moroccan guide said, Christians and Jews are
recognized within the Qur'an (Koran), the Muslim Holy Book, as "people of
the Book. Muslims even honor Jesus Christ as a great Prophet," he
continued, "and so we also believe that Jesus will return to earth."
I was surprised and pleased that there were so many
commonalities between the Muslim and Christian faiths. But now the
conversation became a little more difficult. Remembering my guide's
reference to the Qur'an, I asked him what he believed about the Bible.
He paused a moment, and then said that for Muslims, God's
revelation came in their holy book, the Qur'an, a complete code of laws,
rules and regulations of behavior given by Allah (their name for God) to govern
all life and society. I responded that Christians also submit ourselves
to a Holy Book. We believe that the Old and New Testaments are the Word
of God with the power to change lives. However, I emphasized that
Christians believe that God's full revelation in our lives came in the life and
death of Jesus Christ. I said the Bible's purpose is to lead us into an intimate
relationship with God. Throughout the Bible, the God of the universe is
portrayed as seeking relationship with us, as well as seeking to cultivate warm
personal relationships with one another.
My Muslim friend wanted to respond with the Muslim view of
man's relationship with God. The Qur'an, he said, describes our
relationship with God in terms of master and slave. But, while Allah is
distant in his relationship with mankind, the Qur'an also describes Allah as
merciful and compassionate to mankind. This latter point pleased me,
because Christians also seem to affirm this view of God ----- our Scriptures
describe God as merciful and compassionate to mankind, but also as being
an intimate master.
Even though Jesus holds a high place in Islam as a Prophet,
surprisingly the Qur'am teaches us the Jesus was never killed. God is
sovereign, the Qur'an teaches, and therefore God would not have allowed Jesus,
His son and the great Prophet, to die such a violent death.
"Because Muslims don't share the Christian belief in
original sin," said my Muslim friend, Muslims wonder why Christians even
need the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross." I told him that from the
Christian point of view, the pain and death of Jesus (the Son of God) on a
Cross provides us with the greatest gift from God we can imagine. Jesus'
humanity and suffering demonstrate the extraordinary lengths to which our
Creator goes to lavish great love and forgiveness on us, in spite of our sinful
ways.
"Well," my friend asked, "why don't you obey
the teachings of our great Prophet Muhammad"? I had to be careful
here. I said Christians believe that Muhammad's teachings contain much
truth, but they are not part of our Biblical tradition. "Don't be
offended," my friend said, "but Muslims believe that in his teachings
Muhammad corrected texts in the Bible."
The prevailing view in Islam apparently is that everything
that Muhammad said and did was inspired by Allah (their God), even though
unlike Jesus, Muhammad was totally human. The Qur'an claims that Muhammad
has God's seal of prophet-hood, Muhammad being the last and final messenger to
Islamic humanity. "But, while Muslims venerate and imitate the prophet,"
my guide continued, "they stop short of worshiping him or regarding him as
divine."
My Moroccan friend had one more great question: If
salvation is an "automatic" gift through God's grace (the Christian
view) why do we need to do good works? Muslims and Christians share a
linear view of history, a belief that our destiny in Heaven or Hell depends on
how we live our lives on earth. We both believe in individual death,
judgment and the resurrection of the body. My friend continued: "In
Islam, those whose good deeds to others outweigh their bad deeds, will attain
salvation. Those whose bad deeds to others outweigh their good deeds will
abide in Hell."
Apparently, it is love for Allah and a desire to please Him
that motivates the faithful Muslim to keep striving for good. Paramount
among the good behaviors to which Muslims aspire are the Five Pillars of
Islam: confession of faith, prayer, tithing (giving
to the poor and helping in other ways people who are in need), fasting
and (for some Muslims) pilgrimage to Mecca.
While Islam calls men and women to submit to their God's
law, Christianity understands that Jesus has already fulfilled God's law on
behalf of the world. Muslim's submit to God's law with the passionate
belief that their actions are working to bring the reign of God.
Christians believe that God's kingdom has already come. That Jesus Christ has
already accomplished the ultimate reign of God, and therefore we strive as
hopeful heirs of the promised kingdom.
"The Christian emphasis on God's grace could be seen as
an easy pretext for personal and societal lawlessness," continued my
Moroccan friend. He certainly had a good point. History provides
many examples of people who claimed to follow Jesus and yet were perpetrators
of evil. On the other hand, the Islamic emphasis on absolute submission
to God's law could be interpreted as unforgiving legalism, from a Christian's
perspective.
These conversations left me with the hope of some greater
harmony between our two faiths, or at least greater mutual tolerance and
respect. What forms could this greater harmony take? For our Muslim
friends perhaps some movement toward believing in grace and forgiveness.
For Christians, greater obedience to the teachings of Jesus as our
greatest example of living by God's laws.
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These thoughts are brought to you by CPC's Adult
Spiritual Development Team, hoping to encourage you to pursue some personal
spiritual growth this Spring at CPC.
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