Ecumenism is a hot topic right now, particularly dialogue with Islam. But whenever I consider dialogue and ecumenism with Islam I always come back to one question.
What is the point?
By this question, I don’t intend sarcastic commentary that any and all dialogue is fruitless. I mean it at face value. To measure the success of any endeavor, you must know what it is we wish to achieve by it.
So what do we hope to achieve with better dialogue with Islam?
First, may I suggest that it is not possible to have fruitful dialogue with Islam itself, but perhaps it is with some Muslims. This may seem like word games, but I think it is an important distinction. I will try to clarify.
Islam, as religion and as a movement does not dialogue, it conquers. If…
March 27, 2013 at 7:11 am
Outstanding!
March 27, 2013 at 7:52 am
Read the Koran in english if you want to know the Muslim Arab mindset..and don't say the Our Father Prayer in front of any of them.
That could get you killed for blasphemy!!!
You are spot on! There will never, ever be a dialogue between Islam and the rest of the world. Only a tentative tolerance that can turn on a dime at anytime! Go ahead and try, if you want to walk on eggshells for the rest of your life!!!!
It really is us or them!
How do I know? Let me introduce my adult, half Saudi, ROMAN CATHOLIC daughter!!
March 27, 2013 at 8:01 am
And it's taken a Catholic writer how long to come up with this? This should have been obvious for the last decade, if not earlier.
Patrick, you do realize that this essay repudiates JPII's policy of trying to reach a practical accomodation with Islam, don't you?
Of course, once the late pope's cult of personality erodes, truth can be more clearly seen.
March 27, 2013 at 2:02 pm
First of all there are a couple of things the need to be clarified- 1. There is NO ecumenical "dialogue" with Islam or any other non-
Christian Faith, because that only involves other NON CATHOLIC CHRISTIANS- Orthodox and Protestants. 2.The majority of Muslims in the world are NOT EVEN ARAB. They live in Indonesia and even in Africa. This is common stereotype. Muslims are being killed in Burma. Is that okay with you? Or the Radical Hindus in Orissa.
March 27, 2013 at 2:14 pm
Dialoging with Islam is impossible. Muslims are not allowed to think for themselves. They can only do the will of Allah as revealed in the Koran. Any thinking outside the Koran box is forbidden.
March 29, 2013 at 5:37 am
This notion of dialoging with a religion who has no tolerance of any other beliefs scares me, it really does. Being cordial is fine but really what is the point of dialoging?