Kesher Talk

Attempts at interfaith dialogue continue. Lynn B has a reaction to Joe K's further comments on Mark Shea, and exhibits her usual mercilessly clear thinking. Ronnie Schrieber also weighs in here and here. I disagree with Ronnie that different religions worship different gods (I know that's one way to interpret some Jewish teachings). Although we take different paths, we are winding our way up to the same peak, which is by definition awesome and unknowable (and at the same time fleetingly accessible now, not just when we die). Every religion with some ethical content that has allowed it to continue for generations provides instructions for glimpsing that peak. But that doesn't mean the same instructions are right for everyone. Mark Shea wanted to superimpose his view of the peak on Abe's journey, which came across to some of us Jews as arrogant and disrespectful.

Joe's error, which Lynn nailed, is the blurring of distinctions in a quest for harmony. Certainly, differences between religious paths can be over-emphasized, but universal truths can only be learned through particular applications. Attempts to jump right to universalism tend to produce spacey faux-Buddhist faux-Native American hippies, or Big Brother.

Speaking of distinctions, over at lgf's comment section some of us try to make one between assigning passages from the Koran to college freshmen and forcing them to sit through a Muslim religious service. No one is yet suggesting that the students are really good Muslims who won't realize it till they get to heaven. But everyone is upset anyway.

posted by Judith @ 8/13/2002 03:49:48 PM