Know your neighbours, love your neighbours
When news broke this summer of plans to build an Islamic community centre and mosque near the site of the former World Trade Center in New York City, the media gave ample voice to the sorts of tensions that can arise in democratic societies when values differ.
The debate quickly focused on freedom of religion on one side, and calls for sensitivity and decency on the other, but it was the reality and needs associated with increasing religious pluralism in the United States that gave rise to the dilemma.
Religious pluralism is a fact of life throughout the Western world, including here in Canada. And while statistics tell us our nation still adheres predominantly to the Christian faith, other religious groups are growing in terms of both size and influence.
According to recent projections from Statistics Canada, by 2031 the number of people having a non-Christian religion in Canada is expected to almost double from eight per cent of the population in 2006 to 14 per cent in 2031.
The non-Christian population is expected to experience unprecedented growth between 2001 and 2017 especially. Among non-Christian faiths, the Muslim, Hindu and Sikh religions are expected to see their membership increase by 145 per cent, 92 per cent and 72 per cent respectively.
According to the projections, the proportion of the Canadian population with a Christian religion will decline from 75 per cent to about 65 per cent. The share with no religion will rise from about 17 per cent to 21 per cent.
So as communities representing religious minorities become more visible, the need to reflect on how we are interacting with them becomes more pressing; in order to love our neighbour, it is helpful to know our neighbour.
It's also important to remember that from the earliest days of church history, Christians have lived, worked and ministered in pluralistic environments.
"The Roman Empire covered a huge area, making it a society with many different social, racial and religious groups," says Hans Foerster, a specialist in New Testament and early church history at the University of Vienna. "Christian missionaries had to understand the society and intellectual climate they were working in. There was no 'one size fits all' solution for spreading the good news."
While the percentage of Christians in Canada is likely to continue its decline, and there are aspects that will be problematic for us, it doesn't mean that we should lose hope.
Christians can operate in pluralistic contexts; contexts which Dallas Willard describes as "not a bad arrangement … [and] a social expression of the kind of respect and care for the individual that is dictated by trust in God and love of neighbour."
Pluralism does not have to mean relativism. It is possible to bear witness to Christ, while still caring deeply for those with whom we might fundamentally disagree. How do we know this to be true? Jesus' teachings to "do to others as you would have them do to you," and to "love your neighbour as yourself" provide a solid foundation on which to build interfaith efforts.
One of my heroes—and favourite devotional authors—is E. Stanley Jones. A world evangelist and missionary to India, his relationship with Gandhi was an intriguing one.
One of the most poignant conversations he had with Gandhi saw Jones ask India's pre-eminent political and spiritual leader of the time what it would take for Christianity to grow in India. Gandhi is reported to have replied, "First, I would suggest that all Christians…begin to live more like Jesus Christ. Second, practice it without adulterating it or toning it down. Third, emphasize love and make it your working force, for love is central in Christianity. Fourth, study the non–Christian religions more sympathetically to find the good that is within them, in order to have a more sympathetic approach to the people."
Ghandi's words could be taken as a prescription for living our Christian faith well in any pluralistic context. They remind us that all human beings are God's children, and if God loves people of other faiths or of no faith at all, then we must do the same.
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