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The law of the United States should not “make room for sharia,” any more than it should for any other religion. But I can understand why the Archbishop of Canterbury was shocked by the reactions to his lecture from the British Prime Minister and many commentators. Their remarks cause me to wonder if they read his statement in its entirety.
As an Anglican, my tradition held from our beginning that the language of the liturgy should be in the language of the people. The words and meaning must be accessible.
So my worship has always been in the only language I speak, English, as was true with my ancestors. I cannot imagine either saying or hearing the Mass in images I do not understand. That said, we Anglicans say the Mass in whatever language a people speak, and the Book of Common Prayer is printed in that tongue.
For me, questioning one’s faith is essential, non-negotiable. Faith is not a proof; rather it is conviction in that which you cannot prove logically.
In the first place, there is no proof of God. Second, I understand that for one to think or believe that she or he completely knows the mind of God, in whom one puts one’s faith, is idolatry: for that is putting one’s self on an equal plane with God and thus violating the First Commandment. Third, on an existential level, I question most days. Why do innocent children die of cancer?
I went to seminary, in large part, to seek an answer to both human and natural evil. Why do such horrific acts occur? I received no help from the theologians.
As a Christian person and an Episcopalian by tradition, my faith, based on scripture, tradition and reason, leads me to believe that all believers in the risen and ascended Christ are members of Christ’s body; no exceptions.
In the Book of Genesis, we are told twice, that God created humankind in God’s image, male and female God created them. In the second telling, the female is given the name Eve and the man, Adam and the story says that Eve is Adam’s counterpart, different yet equal.
No, America is not a Christian nation. Some people fervently want to rewrite history to create a state religion, so long as it’s their interpretation of one religion. But our founders wisely prevented that when they guaranteed freedom of belief and the separation of religion and government.
I am haunted by one of the great prophets of Israel, Micah, who wrote long before the British came to these shores: “and what does the Lord require of you, oh human, but to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with your God.” I think too often most of us, religious or non- believers, content ourselves by feeding others on Thanksgiving Day and think we are doing justice. We reverse the verbs the prophet wrote. We love justice, but in only feeding the hungry we are doing mercy. We need to start this Thanksgiving Day in making a difference in our common life by obliterating hunger from the richest country in the world. For both the Bible and the Declaration of Independence call us to doing justice.
I learned some years ago that for some folk, knowing they have The Truth is essential for their salvation. And furthermore, they need to bring that Truth to others in order to secure their own justification.
What Islam Really Says About Violence, Rights and Other Religions
Gomaa, Fadlallah, Mubarak, Khan, Siddiqi, Ellison, others | On Faith
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