Is anybody else a little wary, if not tired, of all this interfaith and ecumenical stuff. I think we should treat everyone with respect and we should certainly acknowledge the baptism of our protestant brothers and sisters, but I think we often go to far these days.
Kendy
Hi Kendy!
I don’t know if you wanted a non-Catholic response, but here goes mine:
I personally believe good things come out of interfaith dialogue. The more people talk about their similarities and their differences, the better understanding takes place.
When people don’t talk, the problems that arise are:
- lack of knowledge about the other faith
- lack of religious spirit between faiths
- lack of honest, inward searching within the parties own faiths.
Often, when people are confronted with an opposing viewpoint they must dig deeper into their faith and see what they really believe. The more your faith is attacked, the more defense you give and the more you have to put forth really good, solid answers.
That helps your own faith and you can provide good answers to the “other side”. Which reminds me…once people sit across from each other (metaphorically) and begin to talk about their faiths, the person sitting across from you becomes less and less of a combatant and more and more like a human being.
I personally find ecumenism and dialogue extremely important for the future of all religions. That doesn’t have to mean compromise of anything. It simply implies a spirit of openness and respect for others.
I have found many friends from the whole spectrum of religions through dialogue and have greater respect for the individual and their faith at the end of the day. I hope you will see the positive side of this.
Peace and blessings…
Woody
