Christian-Muslim Episcopalian Priest

[spiritually inclined]

Religion is definitely changing.....

Christian-Muslim Priest

James

[TashaN]

Well, i heard many people who started like that then ended up believing in one of the religions. But i really don't know about this case in general. Anyway, i think she should be free to practice whatever her heart is moved to.

[spiritually inclined]

Anyway, i think she should be free to practice whatever her heart is moved to.

Me, too. I don't know that Christianity and Islam are reconcilable in a literal sense, but if she draws truth from both sources I don't see why she shouldn't be able to pray Islamic prayers and read the Koran, too. Lots of people draw inspiration from various sources. I think that's what she's doing.

James

[Jordan St. Francis]

I too believe we could all do well to learn from one another's religion. Yet, that does not mean the sacrifice of the integrity of our own.

I myself learned much from Buddhism and Advaita Vedanta before my conversion back to Christianity. In a sense, I still carry these traditions in my heart, despite that my beliefs are quite different today.

Muslims and Christians can respect one another, but one can not be both a Muslim and a Christian at the same time. This is as plain as the sun in the sky.

Religious syncretism like this will be the death of religion.

[YmirGF]

Originally Posted by Jordan St. Francis

Religious syncretism like this will be the death of religion.

I agree. Unlike Christianity, you cannot really "cherry pick" what you wish from Islam. It doesn't work that way. While her bishop might find it "exciting" I deem it as disrespectful to both Christianity and Islam to claim to follow both paths. My guess is that, if she is sincere, she will eventually drop one or the other.

[spiritually inclined]

Yet, that does not mean the sacrifice of the integrity of our own.

How is she sacrificing integrity? She has both Christian and Muslim devotions.

Religious syncretism like this will be the death of religion.

History shows otherwise. Christians have taken A LOT from the pagans.

James

[spiritually inclined]

I agree. Unlike Christianity, you cannot really "cherry pick" what you wish from Islam. It doesn't work that way. While her bishop might find it "exciting" I deem it as disrespectful to both Christianity and Islam to claim to follow both paths. My guess is that, if she is sincere, she will eventually drop one or the other.

If the religions are interpreted in a rigid way, they are not compatible. However, there are many that do not consider their religions literal or infallible. That is why some people can be comfortable with religious elements from various traditions.

James

[a_student]

Originally Posted by spiritually inclined

If the religions are interpreted in a rigid way, they are not compatible. However, there are many that do not consider their religions literal or infallible. That is why some people can be comfortable with religious elements from various traditions.

James

But the problem here is that she is choosing 2 very distinct paths. Where Christianity and Islam have a lot of similarities, they differ in the most important way: their basic belief. I believe one can be a Christian and follow some Islamic teachings or vice versa, but it is impossible to be both. What are her feelings about Jesus Christ? If she believes he is the son of G-d, she is a Christian, if she believes he is not the son of G-d, she is Muslim. It's that simple. It sounds to me like she is a Christian who is in the process of converting to Islam. I know a lot of Christians who converted to Islam and they all say the hardest concept for them to fathom was the Islamic understanding of Jesus.

[spiritually inclined]

What are her feelings about Jesus Christ? If she believes he is the son of G-d, she is a Christian, if she believes he is not the son of G-d, she is Muslim. It's that simple.

But it isn't that simple. There are both Muslims and Christians who interpret their religions differently. Some Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God in that his life showed that he was a child of God, devoted to the will of God. In that sense, they say, others are the sons and daughters of God as well. For some Muslims with Christian leanings (or vice versa) this is compatible with the idea that Jesus wasn't the Son of God in a literal sense.

Other conflicting theology becomes less important when rigid interpretations are laid to rest and a person begins to relate to Christianity and Islam in a personal way. The different religious traditions become not infallible truth, but a source of truth.

James