The Children of Abraham-Part IV

The Children of Abraham—Part IV

Genesis 22:15-18

What does this mean for civilization today?

            What does it mean that the three great monotheistic religions of the Middle East all claim the same man as their ancestor?  That they all claim to worship the same God?  That they were all spawned in the same bit of earth?

            I believe it means there should be no enmity between them.  They’re family.  Like brothers from the same parents, or at the very least cousins from the same grandparents, they have more in common than they have differences.  Surely they could find a way to honor the relationship while acknowledging and respecting the differences!  It seems logical that they would say, “Of course we have differences, but let us recognize our common heritage and strive to get along rather than fight each other.

            On the other hand, we know that no battles are as intense as family feuds.  No wounds are as deep as those caused by relatives.  No pains as strongly felt, and no wrongs so unforgiven as those between brothers and sisters.  We all know families where the original rift occurred generations ago.  Over time those situations have festered, deepened, and become infected until it seems nothing can ever bring the warring parties together.  How can there possibly be peace in those families?

And so we have Islam, Judaism, and Christianity—three religions stemming from the same source, alike in so many ways, but allowing their differences to keep them from celebrating their common heritage.  What does this mean for civilization today?

It seems to mean war.  Although most Muslims (including the vast majority in this country) practice their religion as one of peace, many in Islam want to see Israel and Judaism destroyed—if possible, wiped off the face of the earth.  Judaism seems willing to live peaceably alongside Islam if the practitioners of that religion will only recognize its right to exist and leave it alone.  But when attacked, Judaism’s practitioners retaliate on a level much higher than an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.  Their retaliation is never equal, but always more devastating.  There are also those who seem to goad Muslims to fight.

Christianity seems caught somewhere in the middle.  It recognizes its relation to Judaism, and feels the need to make sure it has a right to continue.  Christianity’s support of Judaism may not always have been what it should be, but today, with few if any exceptions, nations with a large Christian population recognize Israel’s right to exist, and Judaism’s value to the world of religions.  How do we remain friendly and supportive to peaceful Jews and Muslims while taking a stand against those on both sides who don’t want peace?

On the other hand, there is a significant part of the Muslim population that wants to see Christianity destroyed as well as Judaism.  It’s difficult to be supportive of those who want to do you in, and difficult to know how to respond.  Christians seem to be walking a very thin tightrope in this struggle.

Since most—if not all—who read this will consider themselves Christians, the majority of readers will remember Jesus Christ’s statement about being the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one can come to God except through him.  They will say Christianity should be the dominant religion, and that the others should recognize and accept the Messiahship of Jesus Christ.  That, of course, would put an end to the controversy.  It’s not likely to happen.

I suggest another solution—only a starting point, but at least a place to begin dialog.  In Genesis 22:18, God’s messenger says to Abraham, “and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed…”  Perhaps we could, as brothers and sisters, physical and spiritual descendants of Abraham, sit at the same table long enough to accept this statement as a way to begin a conversation.  Is it possible that, in this world that seems so hopelessly adrift, we, working together, could provide an anchor?  That together we could say to the world, “Turn to God:  let us meet under God’s banner and start to heal the planet?”

What could this mean for civilization tomorrow?