Against the franchise

Deuteronomy 12:1-12
2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1

Here are two extremely non-ecumenical passages. In the Old Testament one, God commands the Israelites to “demolish completely all the places where the nations who you are about to dispossess served their gods…Break down their altars, smash their pillars, burn their sacred poles with fire, and hew down the idols of their gods, and thus blot out their name from their places.” Paul tells the Corinthians not to be “mismatched with unbelievers. For what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness.”

The first passage reminds me of the Taliban destroying the Buddhist shrine in Bamiyan. These monumental statues were carved into a sandstone cliff in the 6^th Century A.D. in March 2001. It was an outrageous act, and one of the things that made me shed no tears at seeing them expelled from power, not that more reason was needed than the government’s role in abetting the attacks of Sept. 11.

All religions claim an exclusive franchise, and most go through periods where their sense of priority becomes active hostility to the others, in its most extreme form inspiring violence. I’m afraid I can’t accept that. I do not want to dissociate from non-Christians. I don’t believe the prayers of others are not heard. I know so many people outside the church, and they give me so much. It’s beyond counting. And Christianity has a lot of work to do to get its house in order.

In my view, the proper approach to other religions (and non-religion, less bureaucratic or informal spiritual practice, diehard secularism, atheism) is to learn from them, and help them pursue grace on their terms. If Buddhists are trying to preserve statues, help them. Don’t be afraid to participate in non-Christian ceremonies. I had the great good fortune to attend the Maha Shivaratri observances this year at Sri Ganesha Temple. When the priest brought the oil lamp out of the shrine, I did not back away. He did not ask about my beliefs. I accepted the blessing—without understanding it I admit. I don’t think the Bible in any way condones this. I’ll chalk it up to historical growth of the church, differences in conditions that emerge as the church becomes powerful and dominant, not the small tribe of people trekking through the desert or meeting in the shadows of the Roman Empire. I acknowledge I could be on thin ice, but it’s the only way I can do this.