shalom, salaam, peace part 1
When I was young we used to sing a song that made little sense. The lyric was …
Father Abraham had many sons,
Many sons had father Abraham,
I am one of them and so are you …
Then you would have to wave an arm, a leg, spin around. It was about as meaningful as the Hokey Pokey. Recently, however, the phrase “sons of Abraham” has taken on new meaning, not just for me, but globally. For it is the “sons of Abraham” that represent the three largest monotheistic religions. Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.
It is well known that there has been mounting tension in recent years between the sons of Abraham. The religions themselves have been cloaked under the banner of nations. Israel. The United States. Afghanistan. We use other words to minimize the religious overtones of the conversation. Words like terrorist, military, security. This has become a conversation about politics, national security, and war.
But underneath it all there are the “sons of Abraham.” Staring each other down, guns locked and loaded, all ready to defend or attack in a moment’s notice. The passion behind this tension is more than political. It goes to the very foundation of life for billions of people worldwide. It goes to religion.
As I view this religious hostility being played out on the world’s stage under the banner of nations, I have been interested in the Christian response. This is because I am a son of Abraham, I am one of them, and so are you … I am a Christian. Admittedly I do not know the breadth and depth of the Muslim faith and tradition, nor the Jewish faith. I do however, know a little about the Christian faith and our tradition.
It is my scant knowledge of the Christian tradition that has led me to write about the Christian response to all of this. And, since we are all sons of Abraham, I ask those of Jewish faith and Muslim faith if we can once and for all lay down our guns for the pursuit of shalom, salaam, peace.
I am not so naïve as to believe that I have the perfect answer to the tension that exists that will once and for all solve the problem. I do however, believe that systemic change begins one person at a time. And so for me, I wish to take the first step.
Father Abraham had many sons,
Many sons had father Abraham,
I am one of them and so are you …
Then you would have to wave an arm, a leg, spin around. It was about as meaningful as the Hokey Pokey. Recently, however, the phrase “sons of Abraham” has taken on new meaning, not just for me, but globally. For it is the “sons of Abraham” that represent the three largest monotheistic religions. Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.
It is well known that there has been mounting tension in recent years between the sons of Abraham. The religions themselves have been cloaked under the banner of nations. Israel. The United States. Afghanistan. We use other words to minimize the religious overtones of the conversation. Words like terrorist, military, security. This has become a conversation about politics, national security, and war.
But underneath it all there are the “sons of Abraham.” Staring each other down, guns locked and loaded, all ready to defend or attack in a moment’s notice. The passion behind this tension is more than political. It goes to the very foundation of life for billions of people worldwide. It goes to religion.
As I view this religious hostility being played out on the world’s stage under the banner of nations, I have been interested in the Christian response. This is because I am a son of Abraham, I am one of them, and so are you … I am a Christian. Admittedly I do not know the breadth and depth of the Muslim faith and tradition, nor the Jewish faith. I do however, know a little about the Christian faith and our tradition.
It is my scant knowledge of the Christian tradition that has led me to write about the Christian response to all of this. And, since we are all sons of Abraham, I ask those of Jewish faith and Muslim faith if we can once and for all lay down our guns for the pursuit of shalom, salaam, peace.
I am not so naïve as to believe that I have the perfect answer to the tension that exists that will once and for all solve the problem. I do however, believe that systemic change begins one person at a time. And so for me, I wish to take the first step.