All in Good Faith

Author(s): Jean Potter, Marcus Braybrooke
Publisher: World Congress of Faiths

Page 36

The Issues
Sunim of the Zen Buddhist Temple in Chicago read out a statement in which he complained about the theistic assumptions of many who spoke at the Parliament. "With great astonishment we watched leaders of different traditions define all religions as religions of God and unwittingly rank Buddha with God. We would like to make it known to all that Shakyamuni (Gautama) Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, was not God or a god. He was a human being who attained full Enlightenment through meditation and showed us the path of spiritual awakening and freedom. Therefore, Buddhism is not a religion of God. Buddhism is a religion of wisdom, enlightenment and compassion' (9).
Buddhists, however, do recognize a transcendent dimension to life and Buddhism is widely considered to be a religion. Acknowledgment of 'The Truth' may be acceptable. Ven Vajiragnana in his article in this book suggests that prayer may be thought of as meditation - a way of cleansing the mind from selfish desires and of developing spiritual qualities such as loving-kindness and compassion (10). At some interfaith services a prayer has been used based on the Buddhist 'radiating' prayer or meditation.
Perhaps, if Buddhists and Jains are willing to share in multi-faith services which avoid imposing theistic presuppositions, others who reject a theistic standpoint may also be willing to participate, especially if the emphasis is on human unity and shared moral values.
'The Uniqueness of Christ'.
A particular concern for some Christians is that interfaith services appear to deny the uniqueness of Christ and blunt the missionary command 'to make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit' (Mt 28 19). Linked to this may be concern for the feelings of converts to Christianity, who may wonder if the sacrifices that they had to make were worthwhile.
There is no single 'Christian' position on the relationship of Christianity to other world religions (11). The subject is a matter of vigorous debate. Many Christians, however, now recognize that, whilst for them God's definitive self-revelation is in Jesus Christ and that he is of universal significance, other religions have their own validity and are channels of divine revelation. Such Christians are happy on occasion to join in prayer with members of other faiths (12).
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