Studying other faiths, listening to people of other faiths, learning to interpret their Scriptures and dogmatic teachings based upon how they understand them (instead of how they are presented in polemical treatises by their critics), has helped me appreciate those faiths better. It has led me to see why people believe in them, and the good which has come out of such beliefs. I have seen that interfaith dialogue is better than apologetics, because apologetics looks at judging and condemning others, creating propaganda which misrepresents the belief of others. With apologetics, the goal is not to understand what others believe, but to try to show others that they are wrong. Apologists tend to want people to think poorly of other faiths because then it becomes easier to convince their audience to believe what they have to say.
Obviously, I do not agree with everything taught and believed by members of other religions, but one thing I have found out through my studies, the more I understand them, the more I see them as having much in common with my beliefs. I have also seen the more I understand them, the less antagonistic I view them (which is a common result of interfaith dialogues). And, of course, overcoming hostilities and coming to see how much they have in common allows people of different religions to work together to deal with the problems of the present age.
I have found much wisdom, much insight, from all the religious traditions I have engaged. Indeed, my studies have truly helped me to appreciate and show the positive contributions religion has given to the world. To be sure, some of the insight I have gained makes sense only in light of the religious faith from which it came, but most of what I have learned is something I find is adaptable and capable of enriching my own faith. Knowing the differences, and what needs to be done to properly adapt that wisdom, is what makes sure what I do does not end up becoming an erroneous syncretism. I am not trying to join religions together. I am trying to take the insight found in other faiths and see how it can apply in my own Christian theological and spiritual development. If it is not applicable, then I leave it aside. But, what I have seen is that what I am doing is something which is common in religious history because such adaptations have always had its part in the history and development of any religion. Certainly, I’ve seen it happen with Christianity, first, with its engagement with Hellenism, especially Platonism, and later, in the scholastic era, where the schoolmen engaged Jewish and Muslim theologians, taking insights from them and bringing them into Christian theology (such as seen in St. Thomas Aquinas’ proofs for God).
It is vital for the future of humanity for people of various faiths, and of no faith, to talk and listen to each other. They need to understand each other better. They must do what they can to encourage everyone to move beyond apologetical polemics, and all the biases and prejudices those polemics have generated. This means, they need to stop promoting and reusing all the dark legends and myths found in their own tradition that demonize other faiths. For Christians, this means they must stop and refute all forms of blood libel used to promote antisemitism, or all the false claims about Islam used to justify Islamophobia. This is why studying and interacting with people of other religions should be the norm, because it is a way to overcome the ignorance of the past which led to such hateful attitudes; it is especially important for Christians, as Christians should seek to follow Christ in loving their neighbor, including those of other faiths (like Jesus did with Samaritans and Romans).
Misinformation and lies, when not confronted and rejected, only lead to the spread of hate and fear. It is worse, of course, when such misinformation is purposeful, for then, there is always an ungodly objective behind such misinformation, such as encouraging people to embrace a militant or aggressive response to the other (which we see is happening with contemporary Christian nationalism, where it uses hateful polemics, especially against Muslims, hoping to promote a modern “crusade” aimed at the total eradication of Muslims in the world).
There are extremists in all religious traditions. There are also ideologues who want to use religion as a mean of controlling the world (sometimes without having any actual belief themselves). We must acknowledge this, and the more I studied religion, the more I have seen examples of such people in all religious faiths. We must accept that there are good and bad people in every faith tradition. I find it important we do not judge the best of one faith with the worst of another, but the best with the best. I certainly do not want Christianity judged based upon what Donald Trump and his administration says and does when it claims to represent Christianity. Similarly, I do not look to other religions (or atheism) on the basis of its worst examples. So long as we look at each other in that way, looking for the worst, instead of the best, we will not only talk past each other, we will only produce more hostility and fear in the world.
Studying other faiths, therefore, has confirmed in me the truth of Nostra Aetate (and of course, theologians and philosophers like Nicholas of Cusa and Marsilio Ficino who had a more positive approach to non-Christian religious traditions). Christians should not believe other faiths, and what they teach, are completely wrong. They are not. The more I studied other faiths, the more I realized how bad it is to look to other religious traditions as beliefs and practices which must be absolutely and completely refuted. Instead, we should believe other faiths have had elements of truth inspiring them; that is, we should really believe that the ray of truth, coming from God truly shines throughout world history. Studying other faiths should help Christians see this. It certainly has helped me do so. It has also helped me to conclude the diversity of faiths should not be seen as a problem. Different faiths do not need to fight each other to prove who is superior. Instead, they should find a way to come together, to work together, with mutual love and respect. And I believe, the more people come together, listen to each other, learn about what everyone believes, the more this is possible, which is why it is important we all find ways to engage other religions and religious beliefs in our lives.
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N.B.: While I read comments to moderate them, I rarely respond to them. If I don’t respond to your comment directly, don’t assume I am unthankful for it. I appreciate it. But I want readers to feel free to ask questions, and hopefully, dialogue with each other. I have shared what I wanted to say, though some responses will get a brief reply by me, or, if I find it interesting and something I can engage fully, as the foundation for another post. I have had many posts inspired or improved upon thanks to my readers.
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