Into the Wardrobe

I was going to add a seventh point though it does not really belong with the others because it is more philosophical rather than theological.

7. Much of the difference between religions is like the difference between languages. A great deal of it is simply the aribtrary use of a different set of sounds or symbols for the same thing. This does not mean that the differences are not real or that they are somehow all saying the same thing -- far from it -- for it is my experience with languages that you simply cannot say the same thing in different languages. Furthermore I think that different language have different premises about the world built into them. Nevertheless despite the differences, different languages do perform the same function of communication.

Insisting that everyone be the same religion in order to be saved may be a lot like insisting everyone speak the same language in order to communicate. To some degree, insisting this is thinking that others can only be saved the way that we have been saved and doing that puts ourselves in the position as the author of their salvation, which is a foolish thing to do. However I do not intend this number 7 to be taken in any absolute sense as if a person in one religion cannot learn anything from a person in another relgion. For that is not the case. But I think that we must understand that this requires a translation process like that between languages so that what people learn from religious dialog is not going to anything like what the other participants intend to teach. We must let God be the architect of this process.

Another aspect of this analogy, however, is that it does not advocate trying to embrace all the religions at the same time or trying to mix them all together any more that you would do that with different languages. On the contrary it suggests that although we might broaden our horizons by learning the ways of different religions, there is no reason why we should not continue in our commitment to our own religion in the same way that we continue speaking (and thinking in) our native language.

Hey Mitch & Postodave,

I'm crazy busy at my job at the moment, so I won't have time to answer these posts until (possibly) late tonight. However, Mitch, I notice you quoting me as saying:

"Basically the only reason I can imagine someone taking an attitude like that is in order justify their own exclusivist attitudes no matter..."

And the quote breaks off there. That doesn't sound like me--can you put the whole quote down so I can see what the heck I wrote--or am alleged to have written? I don't remember that one...

~Rose