Memo
To: New Christian congregation church
From: The leader
Date:
Subject:
Due to the request received from the religions of Muslims and Buddhists and the consideration that the most critical goal of all religions is to promote humanity, there are reasons to cooperate with any of the religions of faith. Muslims, Christians, and Buddhism own great wealth based on moral spirit, which is the major source of mutual sustenance. The major factor affecting the cooperation of any religion is the lack of educational balance, which affects how human beings achieve their human nature while enjoying the spiritual life meant to help in acknowledging and recognizing the creator of everything. The possession of moral, spiritual wealth promotes happiness, progress, integration amongst different religious groups.
The extent to which the truth of religion is exclusive to the tradition of another individual. There are several reasons for decreasing interest in the issues of religious truth. The acknowledgment of positive facets in the religious plurality of culture diminishes sensibilities on aspects of religious life. In my opinion, the reason that determines the degree of the exclusivity of the religious truth as far as traditions of other people is concerned is that the religious empirical studies promote the positivistic descriptivism ideal, which is related to the phenomena of the set religion. In my view, a good analysis of religions needs one to have a neutral about religion. The question of religious truth includes hard relations problems amongst the belief and the reasoning, religion, and science.
In my view, the question of religious truth is also measured from an axiological perspective such that it is still significant to its respective believers. The fact remains that Christianity, Islamic, and Buddhism have outstanding developed doctrines. The truth of religion accepting other religions’ traditions is also determined by the Western concept and every religious perspective of religion. Beliefs are the core aspect that defines any given religion despite religions also defined by the liturgical, moral practices, and contemplativeness. Thus, the degree to which the truth of religion is exclusive to our one tradition.
In my opinion, there is a need to embrace religious pluralism, which is one of the truths of religion that allows accommodation of any other type of religion. Most of the religious groups have engaged for a long in promoting peace, justice, and self-development. Thus, religious pluralism can be weakened by an individual prioritizing or focusing on one denomination where there is the presence of several and varieties of Religions. Secondly, our members should consider another aspect that promotes religion’s truth since it reminds everyone that all religions are equal according to their value and the fact remains that no religion is superior to the other. In an extreme form of inclusivism, no religion allows access to the absolute truth. The fact that the new Christian congregation is practicing ecumenism where it is uniting different religions is a way of promoting interreligious dialogue.
Despite the need to promote religious pluralism and relativism, it is hard for Buddhists, Christians, and Muslims to share worship places for several reasons. One of the reasons Christians, Buddhists, and Muslims cannot share a worship place is that Christians preach God’s salvation and creation. On the other hand, Buddhists hold they believe in reincarnation, enlightenment, and nirvana. Thus, the beliefs are incompatible in any given circumstance. Another reason that makes the three major dominions fail to share worshiping places is that Muslims do not consider images in their worship place. The worship place must face a certain given direction, which really makes them compatible with any other religious group. Christians consider the images of the cross in their place of worship. Similarly, the Buddhist worship buddha, which is an image, makes any Muslim believer consider sharing a worshiping place with any of the two dominions.
There is a need to stress the primary values that are commonly shared amongst all religions, including compassion, solidarity, and the aspect of respecting human beings, emphasizing the notion that one should not do what cannot be done to the person. The religions share the attempt of disciplining an individual’s mind, which is evidenced in the three major dominions that God is watching us of whatever we, thus creating the notion of adherence. They all emphasize the diabolical character of ego, grounded on the interesting account of the encounter of a man with Gautam Buddha, which is also found in the bible and Quran.
In my opinion, there is a need to acknowledge any cooperation that indirectly supports the progress of any other tradition. Any other religion needs to be respected as far as their values are concerned. Exercising relativism and pluralism on religious matters is one way of promoting peace and justice amongst any tradition. Thus, I would support any cooperation amongst any religions simply because it helps expand our faith and beliefs. The reunion with any religion helps promote diversity of knowledge and understanding about the existing religions, and cooperating with them can attract their help when in need, especially on ideological and financial assistance.
In my opinion, it is challenging to develop the Buddhist perspective about Jesus on several grounds for a variety of reasons. However, there are little concerns about the perspective created by the Buddhists about Jesus. Buddhists view Jesus as the Bodhisattva since Jesus of Nazareth is termed to have similar traits to those of Boddhisattva. Some Buddhists have a belief in Jesus based on the practices of Buddhists by comparing the time Jesus lived, and their Bodhisattva lived. Buddhists view Jesus as a prophet by agreeing on most of the biblical philosophies of the prophets in the bible of Christians. The Buddhists view Jesus as a historical figure; thus, they acknowledge the existence of Jesus Christ. Similarly, Christians view Buddha as a representative of the biblical prophets and Jesus Christ.
The two dominions have different views on Human problems. According to Buddhism, human problems are a result of human desire and selfishness. Buddhists argue that selfishness in human beings can be overcome. On the contrary opinion, according to Christians sets, they believe that their sins create human sufferings against God. In my own opinion, Muslims cannot cooperate with the Buddhists since Buddhism is based on idolatry, and the aniconism of Islamic does not allow Idolatry. The Islamic exercise aniconism, which avoids sentient beings’ images drawn in any Islamic art. Thus, most Muslims are obligated to avoiding drawing images for worship in the form of Muhammad.
My Christian congregation does not have problems with images; thus, it can live comfortably with it. The reason as to why the new Christian congregation can live with images is because Christians use the images of Jesus as representations of the real Jesus. Christians view Muhammad as a man who came to rule insincerity but lost his integrity of prophecy in the process. On the other hand, Muslims acknowledge Jesus as a prophet of God referred to as Messiah in the Quran even though Muslims do not worship Jesus in any way and do not recognize Him as divine. There has been an existing conflict between Christianity and Islamic. According to history, the conflict between Islam and Christianity began in the year 1995 in Indonesia. The disagreement resulted from the feeling of not being satisfied from Muslims’ side; the issue of Christianization also triggered the bureaucracy and military, and the introduction of several policies by the Indonesian government promoted the conflict.
Muslims can cooperate with Christians in several ways and for various reasons. The two dominions can cooperate to give responses and issues affecting them by changing the context globally to provide new ethics and provide solutions to the global crisis. The emerging global context of the conflict between the two dominions attracts the two dominions’ cooperation in the twenty-first century. In my opinion, since Muslims do not recognize idolatry, they would have too much negativism towards Buddhism.