alternate approaches ?

Submitted by ravi (United States), Jul 5, 2005 at 13:08

This refers to author's last paragraph. "Muslims must first recognize the validity of alternate approaches to the one God."

How often do we find that mainstream Christians agree that the Non Abrahamic world religions like the Indic family (Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Sikh) have VALID approaches to the question of the Supreme Being, Supreme Reality, or God, as they call him / it? This approach is about a Monistic God manifested everywhere in everything that exists.(as opposed to the Abrahamic Dualistic God, which divides the world into Creator & Created). But the Abrahanic mindset prefers to argue about Monotheism vs Polytheism.

Mostly it is a matter of political convenience if / when they do, because all Abrahamic religions have an Exclusivist mainstream interpretation in today's world, with forever concerned with "stealing other shepherds flock" as it were. Jews excepted in this matter.

The Pope, Southerm Baptists, and numerous other branches of Christianity, refuse to even consider that what they consider "prosyeltization" has strong elements of spiritual & cultural violence built into it. Even when the targets vehemently do not want a particular brand of "being saved".

---

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".