The meeting in question is called; Beyond Difference. It draws together folk who want to participate in inter-faith dialogue and usually has a speaker from both the Muslim and Christian traditions followed by an open discussion that often has a Jewish presence as well. We’ve met at my church, the Chesham Mosque and on Tuesday a full house gathered at the Quaker Meeting House in Amersham.
Both speakers
reflected on places and people who have influenced their journey of faith. Irfan, our Muslim speaker who studied law at
Cambridge and has just been called to the Bar aged 30, told us not only of his
love for Pakistan but also his concerns for that ‘new’ nation. He also unpacked for us the notion that Islam
always has a cultural context and is never quite the same in any two countries.
The purpose of these Beyond Difference gatherings is that we LISTEN to each other. And in the listening we learn and explore. And in the exploring trust, respect and friendship grows.
I’m a big fan of this process because it seems to me that over the last quarter of a century, with so much ‘dumbing down’, Western Society has moved from an Age of Reason to an Age of Emotion. That’s lead to one Democracy after another experiencing a massive blow to reasoned argument because of the knee jerk pressure of the Popular Vote. This is the exact opposite of The Long View which values facts, history and the nuanced ability to calmly listen, analyse the complicated and come to a measured response.
This week the statistician Hans Rosling died. He is the man who brought facts and figures to life as he pursued his passion to make our understanding of the world an informed one based on reason and not emotion.
Jesus did the same I believe. He got behind the emotional smoke scenes of his day that were fuelled by prejudice and fear. He talked to the sex workers, mentally ill, and terminally incurables of his society rather than shouting about them. He took the long view and taught that forgiveness may be hard but ultimately it had to be explored and pursued throughout a lifetime. His views were never populist – his cross is a testimony to that.
It was dark, damp and cold on Tuesday evening – but in that gathering at Amersham’s Quaker Meeting House – as Muslims, Christians, Jews and people of no faith connection came together in mutual respect we experienced the light and warmth of our common humanity. Surely a ‘God Moment’ if ever there was one.
Best wishes,
The purpose of these Beyond Difference gatherings is that we LISTEN to each other. And in the listening we learn and explore. And in the exploring trust, respect and friendship grows.
I’m a big fan of this process because it seems to me that over the last quarter of a century, with so much ‘dumbing down’, Western Society has moved from an Age of Reason to an Age of Emotion. That’s lead to one Democracy after another experiencing a massive blow to reasoned argument because of the knee jerk pressure of the Popular Vote. This is the exact opposite of The Long View which values facts, history and the nuanced ability to calmly listen, analyse the complicated and come to a measured response.
This week the statistician Hans Rosling died. He is the man who brought facts and figures to life as he pursued his passion to make our understanding of the world an informed one based on reason and not emotion.
Jesus did the same I believe. He got behind the emotional smoke scenes of his day that were fuelled by prejudice and fear. He talked to the sex workers, mentally ill, and terminally incurables of his society rather than shouting about them. He took the long view and taught that forgiveness may be hard but ultimately it had to be explored and pursued throughout a lifetime. His views were never populist – his cross is a testimony to that.
It was dark, damp and cold on Tuesday evening – but in that gathering at Amersham’s Quaker Meeting House – as Muslims, Christians, Jews and people of no faith connection came together in mutual respect we experienced the light and warmth of our common humanity. Surely a ‘God Moment’ if ever there was one.
Best wishes,
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