It seems to me that the time has come to reexamine our Christian Education curricula. Our students have many questions about competing belief systems around the world (e.g. Islam, Hindu, Shinto, etc.) yet few of our churches are able to provide a reasonable articulation about what they are and how they compare to the Judeo-Christian theological paradigm. Is it necessarily sacriligous to critically examine the Holy Quaran or the writings of Confucius during Church School time or Bible Study? In light of recent events both here in the US and abroad, I think not. QED

-- Anonymous, September 27, 2001

Answers

I agree.

-- Anonymous, September 28, 2001

I agree, Christians should never ever compare their beliefs with others. Sometimes we become so educated that we loose focus of the purpose of our belief and being. God. Keep it simple.

-- Anonymous, September 28, 2001

I believe there is nothing wrong with interreligious dialogue but, in it's prpoer context. Thinking people of faith need to able to examine the belief system in a non-punitive way. Thinking people need to shout and shouting people need to think. Any persons of faith that believes in a higher moral and ethical code that will bring justice and peace must be in dialogue. Look at Ghandi and King.

-- Anonymous, September 29, 2001

We in the Body of Christ must proclaim the exclusivity of Christianity. in this pluralistic overly politically correct society we live in, we must be tolerant (rightly so) of other beliefs but be clear and non compromising in teaching sound biblical doctrine to our children at home, workplaces and in our churches. I do agree, however, we should be aware of the things other major religions/cults teach for the purpose of demonstrating the truth of scripture and how and why it differs from their assertions.

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2001

I agree Bill...we must transcend religion and return to G-d! I discovered many similarities when studying world religions. It also strengthened my strong belief of G-d. I learned that G-d is multi- lingual. A religious affiliation depends largely on physical environment, which influences a person's culture. Islam in its purest form is very peaceful; however has evolved into foolishness. This also happened in Christianity. I believe it was called the Christian crusades.

In Love and Light, Brenda

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2001

I believe that if we are to be an informed people that we can study other religions. After all, the first thing they teach their people is how to challenge us in our practice of our faith. Most often, people of other religions know theirs and ours better than we do. we should know what and in Whom we have believe. We should also try to know what others believe and why.

-- Anonymous, October 08, 2001

Brother Bill, On what basis do you make the assertion: "yet few of our churches are able to provide a reasonable articulation about what they are and how they compare to the Judeo-Christian theological paradigm."? The bishops under whom I have served, bishops Mayo, Pruitt, Bryant, and Young all emphasized the need for an educated clergy with the goal of Seminary for all pastors. That in itself will lead pastors who are able to compare and contrast what we believe with the beliefs of others. I respectfully disagree with the assertion: "few of our churches". Perhaps we need to do a study to determine just how many of our churches fall into this category.

Blessings,

Pastor Paris

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2001

Rev Paris:

You raise an important point regarding my general assertion about the inability of our churches to provide a reasonable articulation about competing belief systems. First, I don't profess to have any empirical data to support my generalization. I am basing my conclusion on a finding of fact from visiting AME churches from California to Florida and discussions with fellow members. I am aware that our clergy is seminary trained but that doesn't translate into the pastors sharing those theological skills with the congregation. Case in point. Many of our Christian Education activities revolve around the topic of "What AMEs Believe". This is a recurring topic year after year. I have never seen anything in my District which looks at "What Muslims Believe" or "What Hindus Believe". My position is that Christian apologetics should play an important role in articulating our faith. It is also important to understand the contributions of other competing belief systems in order to sharpen one's witness and testimony. QED

-- Anonymous, October 10, 2001

Thank you Bill. I think we ought to compare, contrast, and examine what we and others believe. Studying what others believe will not diminish but rather strengthen our faith. Many have set out to disprove Christianity and became converts instead. When one examines the various faiths with an open mind, seeking truth, the result is that they will accept Christ. The evidence is there and cannot be refuted. Christ is alive, risen from the dead. No other faith can say that.

Blessings,

Pastor Paris

-- Anonymous, October 10, 2001