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this page Newsletters - Families at the Frontiers of Faiths
Editorial
Inter faith issues are difficult. There is no clear road map showing how to hold together conviction and commitment to one's own religious beliefs and openness to the spirituality of others. As the article from South Korea states, in the past some Christian missionaries attacked Buddhist temples and statutes. Other Christian traditions have been more ready to build bridges with different faiths, sometimes citing Christ's openness to those who were outside the religious code of His time and following an inclusive rather than an exclusive understanding of the Bible. Such theological problems become practical issues in the case of inter faith marriage and family life, and this newsletter deals with the real problems of couples and families who try to cross religious divisions. Frequently these divisions are made more difficult to negotiate because they also involve cultural differences. But the newsletter also tells of successes. Some marriages manage to achieve harmony and enable respect and tolerance for different beliefs. Children manage to embrace divergence and cross barriers which are stumbling blocks to adults. Many articles tell of how when young people meet together in small groups in a supportive environment, positive understanding and fellowship emerge across religious divisions: - a peace centre at Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salem, a swimming club in Jerusalem, young people in Leicester UK, youth groups in Sri Lanka. Here, a stimulus to the inter faith co-operation was the tragedy of the tsunami. Differences of belief for the young people faded in the face of such devastation, with the focus shifting to that of a common humanity. But tragedy and despair can aggravate religious divisions. In the aftermath of events such as September llth and the Iraq war, distrust between Christian and Muslim can only too easily intensify with religion becoming a spur - or a cover - for more violence. Inter faith issues are too important to ignore. This newsletter, with articles from many parts of the Anglican Communion, shows couples and young people reaching out and crosssing inter faith boundaries. As people of different faiths meet and grow together, many - despite the difficulties - find positive benefits and discover through the focus on families and children that they have much in common.
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