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Knowing about faiths of others would further peace
By DAVID WATERS
Scripps Howard News Service
September 01, 2004
- What I don't know about Judaism could fill two Talmuds.
What I haven't read about Islam could fill the streets of Mecca.
What I have yet to learn about Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism and all the other faith-based-isms in the world would fill many lifetimes.
And yet I still know more about those faiths than most Protestant clergy do. Maybe you do, too.
How scary is that?
According to a new survey of Protestant ministers, only 47 percent claim to be familiar with the core beliefs of Islam, 28 percent with Buddhism, 27 percent with Hinduism, and 5 percent with Sikhism.
Methodist clergy were the least likely to be familiar with other faiths. But the good news, fellow Methodists, is that they also were least likely to be familiar with Satanism.
Pentecostal and charismatic ministers were most likely to be familiar with Satanism. It pays to know the competition, I guess.
The survey by Ellison Research will be published in the next edition of Facts & Trends magazine, a Southern Baptist publication. Southern Baptists are notorious for their interest in other faiths.
A few years ago, Southern Baptist leaders were criticized for publishing a condescending prayer guide about Hinduism. The misguided guide referred to Hindus as "slaves bound by fear and tradition to a false God."
When it comes to such misinformation, you could argue that the less Christian ministers claim to know about other faiths, the better for other faiths.
But we shouldn't be so cynical. The more we genuinely understand about one another's faiths, the better for the planet.
And who better to help us understand other faiths than the preachers and teachers of our own, people who are deeply committed to and immersed in the study of God?
For instance, there are three accredited post-baccalaureate schools of religion in Memphis, Tenn. Only one - Mid-America (Southern) Baptist Theological Seminary - requires its master's degree candidates to take a course on world religions.
Every Christian seminary should have a similar requirement.
Every Christian minister should require himself or herself to learn as much as possible about other faiths.
But let's not stop there. We shouldn't lay this entire burden on the ordained among us.
Every person of faith has a responsibility to know something about other faiths.
Every person of faith should learn about the mindfulness of Buddhism.
The justice of Judaism.
The brotherhood of Islam.
The diversity of Hinduism.
The equality of Sikhism.
The unity of Baha'i.
The compassion of Christianity.
Why learn about other faiths?
"Our times require it," religion historian Huston Smith wrote in "The World's Religions," a good place to start.
"Daily the world grows smaller, leaving understanding the only place where peace can find a home."
Learn and live.
(Memphis columnist David Waters may be reached by e-mail at waters(at)gomemphis.com or by mail at The Commercial Appeal, P.O. Box 334, Memphis, TN 38101.)
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