interfaith dialogue
Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 5:52 pm
hi folks, i just wondered what your thoughts are on the subject? what makes for good dialogue? what should such dialogue's aims and purposes be? any experiences you wish to share?
a bit of personal history...like a great deal of westerners coming to Buddhism, i was raised a Christian (growing up, my dad was a rector for the CoE)...when i finally became interested in pursuing Dharma beyond just my readings of it, my parents were nothing but encouraging to me. Last Christmas my mother visited the temple i attend for the first time - v. happy occassion for me - and when i was uhming and ahing about whether to say yes to an invitation of retreat in Japan, it was my dad and stepmother who encouraged me to say yes and go for it.
despite their encouragment i've not always been so reciprical. despite my mother's honest wish to share, i've often treated her own expressions of her faith with arrogant contempt and disdain. i guess i harboured a lot of ultimately unfounded anger towards the religious tradition i was raised in. it's only really been in the past year or so that i've come to let go of that anger and appreciate and be immensely grateful for the spiritual mileau my parents provided during my youth. i've begun to show an active interest in my mother's faith, borrowing from her the works of people such as Merton, Kempis and St John of the Cross and discussing with her the places of con- and divergence between our respective paths.
of course, Dharma means everything to me and i have no intention of rejecting it for the "Good News" but rather, in looking back over my religious upbringing with less anger and more open acceptance, sharing in and seeking to understand as much as possible...it feels like a weight has fallen that for a long time i wasn't even aware i was carrying. and this has only really been made possible through the support of my Dharma friends, teacher and family.
i guess the reason i mention all this is because often in cyberspace i come across a lot of that same anger (sometimes blatant, sometimes subtle) i had whenever the "C word" appears on Buddhist forums (and i'm not pointing fingers here, this is more just a general observation)... often conversation seems to be founded on restating one's belief about how superior Buddhism is to Christianity or sweeping generalisations about how all Christians are fundamentalist nutjobs at worst or at best (ironically enough) poor misguided souls. i don't really see an interest in open discussion and appreciation of similarities and differences which may lead to fostering greater understanding and harmony between the two.
anyway, i'm talking about Christianity because that's where my history lies but i wouldn't wish this thread to exclusively focus on it if people have experience of other faiths and religions. enough blathering! over to you folks...
a bit of personal history...like a great deal of westerners coming to Buddhism, i was raised a Christian (growing up, my dad was a rector for the CoE)...when i finally became interested in pursuing Dharma beyond just my readings of it, my parents were nothing but encouraging to me. Last Christmas my mother visited the temple i attend for the first time - v. happy occassion for me - and when i was uhming and ahing about whether to say yes to an invitation of retreat in Japan, it was my dad and stepmother who encouraged me to say yes and go for it.
despite their encouragment i've not always been so reciprical. despite my mother's honest wish to share, i've often treated her own expressions of her faith with arrogant contempt and disdain. i guess i harboured a lot of ultimately unfounded anger towards the religious tradition i was raised in. it's only really been in the past year or so that i've come to let go of that anger and appreciate and be immensely grateful for the spiritual mileau my parents provided during my youth. i've begun to show an active interest in my mother's faith, borrowing from her the works of people such as Merton, Kempis and St John of the Cross and discussing with her the places of con- and divergence between our respective paths.
of course, Dharma means everything to me and i have no intention of rejecting it for the "Good News" but rather, in looking back over my religious upbringing with less anger and more open acceptance, sharing in and seeking to understand as much as possible...it feels like a weight has fallen that for a long time i wasn't even aware i was carrying. and this has only really been made possible through the support of my Dharma friends, teacher and family.
i guess the reason i mention all this is because often in cyberspace i come across a lot of that same anger (sometimes blatant, sometimes subtle) i had whenever the "C word" appears on Buddhist forums (and i'm not pointing fingers here, this is more just a general observation)... often conversation seems to be founded on restating one's belief about how superior Buddhism is to Christianity or sweeping generalisations about how all Christians are fundamentalist nutjobs at worst or at best (ironically enough) poor misguided souls. i don't really see an interest in open discussion and appreciation of similarities and differences which may lead to fostering greater understanding and harmony between the two.
anyway, i'm talking about Christianity because that's where my history lies but i wouldn't wish this thread to exclusively focus on it if people have experience of other faiths and religions. enough blathering! over to you folks...