Building Bridges In Discussion About Faiths

As we become increasingly aware of the debates and arguments around us - one of the most important points we should acknowledge, perhaps, is that holy scriptures serve as a meeting-point, a common resource and shared spiritual heritage that allows believers within a particular tradition to identity, support, and commune with others. When we encounter someone who treats a sacred text with the same reverence and respect that we do, we can usually, if we choose to, and if we are patient enough, begin to build a bridge with that person.

Often the question of, "So do 'their' scriptures make as much sense as 'our' scriptures?" is brought forward. Does it matter? Is the question even worth asking?

"Innocent" criticisms or "objective" analyses of another person's scriptural heritage can feel like direct attacks to the person you're talking to. Your own preconceptions can easily sabotage the conversation, even when you don't mean them to. Thus we should try to keep an open mind. Focusing on the "rightness" or "wrongness" of particular points of doctrine or questioning the "logic" of someone else's religious scriptures can undermine the most promising dialogue. We should take a neighbourly, rather than an intellectual, approach when discussing the scriptural traditions of others. If we are incapable of even trying, then what would the purpose of discussion be?