REFLECTIONS ON "SAME" GOD
Thoughts generated by a challenge to this resolution
To Encourage Words as Bridges, not Walls
Resolution of Northern Illinois Conference United
Methodist Church
June 2006
Whereas, words can be thoughtless, engendering
alienation; or compassionate encouraging reconciliation.
Whereas, civil discourse and problem solving has been
swamped by intolerant speech, or inflammatory metaphors of "clash, war,
crusade, jihad," and parochial narratives of events.
Whereas, since 9/11 a climate of anxiety about world
events and relations between religions has promoted a fight or flight mentality
- circling the wagons against "them."
Whereas, even Robert Frost's poem "Mending
Wall" gets misread as if it advocates that "good walls make good
neighbors," instead of its real message that "Something there is that
doesn't love a wall."
Whereas, bridges are anchored in the identity of each
bank, but recognize the common purpose of common good and truth in crossing the
separation.
Whereas, we discover, in the crossing, that the same
God is worshipped on both sides of the bridge.
Therefore, be it resolved
That Northern Illinois Conference Churches will be
conscious of the overt and covert messages in their communities; constantly
challenging alienating words, and moreover speaking the healing words.
Be it further resolved
That Northern Illinois Conference churches are
encouraged to use the resources of bridge-building dialogue provided by the
General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns such as
Building New Bridges in Hope (on Christian Jewish relations) and Our Muslim
Neighbors available on the NIC-CCUIC web site
http://www.gbgm-umc.org/interrelig/
Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious
Concerns
Catiana McKay - chairperson June 10, 2006
SAME
How do I respond to a challenge to the above
resolution: "No we do not worship the same God?"
First off, this final "whereas" is the
central premise in the resolution. Some have suggested, pragmatically to get
the "be it resolved" why not compromise on this? Or one could imagine
a motion to refer it back to the Commission on Christian Unity and
Interreligious Concerns for a more winnable wording. I contend that the issue
raised here is so central that if there is any referral, the prophetic thing
would be to refer it to the churches where the people need a solid encounter
with the issues of Biblical interpretation, and the work of the Holy Spirit,
viz. a viz. the diverse religions with whom we are global and local neighbors.
Next, let me say I too struggle with reservations
about applying the word "same" to the God concept and religious
practice that seems unlike the God that was incarnate in Jesus Christ., and the
ideal of discipleship God calls us to in the mission of reconciliation and
peace.
A god of jihad or crusade is equally an affront to a
God of mercy, and a command to love one's enemies. A Joshua obeying an herem
against a city and destroying everyone does not fit with "I tell you, love
your enemies," nor do Muslim suicide bombers fit with the Qur'an statement
that killing an innocent is the same as killing the world. When one thinks of
Old Testament stories of God stopping the sun so more enemies could be killed
by Joshua, it is no wonder that the heretic Marcion (144 C.E..) said get rid of
the Old Testament – it is not the "same" God. But that was declared a
heresy. http://www.christianorigins.com/marcion.html. The picture of Jephthah
(Judges 11) killing his daughter because of a vow to YHWH to kill the first
person through the door trumped his love of his daughter is just too similar to
the status of women doing sati, or subject to "honor" killings.
And maybe it is a heresy too, when within the United Methodist
Church, there is a spirit of schism in 2006, that violates koinonia, because
contentious caucuses left and right say, "I can’t believe THEY belong to
the SAME church.
But while I commiserate with those disturbed by giving
credence and honor to a "same" God that violates the higher values of
what God should be like, it seems to me that now is the time for those who
believe in one God to help one another claim the highest values of faith in
each other’s religion. By saying "same" we declare as monotheists
that the Spirit of God that we know in Christ, has been experienced in some way
among people all across the earth.
The view that religions channel a basic human response
to the One God, that calls upon the higher moral values, is a faith and hope of
many people, including the President of the United States. George Bush, Nov.
20, 2003, when questioned whether the Muslims worship the same Almighty, said
"I believe we worship the same God." This is an important statement
to enhance the position of those who do not want their religion hijacked to be
a weapon of separation and hatred.
There is one philosophical stumbling block to using
the word "same," which may also behind the reluctance of some to use
it describing God. The philosopher Heraclitus would be the extreme, saying
"all is in flux, you can never step into the SAME stream twice. On that
slippery slope common sense language disappears along with the word
"is" and "same" because the river of experience has moved
on. One person’s "Experience" (part of Wesley’s quadrilateral) of God
would always be different from any other person’s experience. So there seems to
be a human agreement that language is metaphorical. We agree to the fact that a
metaphor is always limited, in the sense that while parts of a metaphor apply
to likeness, other parts push the envelope too much. So there is always a like
and an unlike to a metaphor. We agree that we can even use the word
"same" knowing its inherent limitation within any radical
empiricism.. But we agree that we can talk about, and discern within community
the nuances, connotations, differentia, essential parts, of the experiences
that are on both sides of the metaphor.
This is why the resolution above has whereases that
are blatantly metaphors. The step of saying, "same," and to resolve
to use language carefully and sensitively, grows out of the image of a bridge
anchored on two banks which represent the experiential world, including
perceived revelation. It is in the process of going over the bridge, experiencing
each others banks of experience, that one finds not only the "unlike"
but the "likeness;" one finds that the One God Holy Spirit was on the
banks, and on the bridge itself.
The bridge crossing must be done time and time again
and on many bridges, because neither bank (the various religions and movements
and sects within them) is monolithic nor unchangeable. The choice to cross is
not an easy task either. While applying math logic of objects to God may seem
easy (i.e. things = to the same thing are = to each other, therefore GOD = YHWH
= ALLAH = SAME), emotionally it means trusting analogical imagination.
Trust is not easy in the midst of varied views and
hermeneutical traditions in relation to our holy books. For United Methodists
saying the "same" means taking a risk to be ahead of the curve of
cultural history. Such a stance amid the bridge-crossing will open up important
dialogue concerning how God / Spirit has moved/is moving in the world, and how
we unpack that movement in scripture, experience, tradition and reason. Like
Pentecost, we are called into God’s mission to risk saying "same" as
a proleptic word for all to hear in their own language.
Ed Hiestand
In 2004 Christian Century had a series on "Do
Christians and Muslims worship the same God?
Edgar Hiestand
