Reconciliation of Religions

The idea of adhering to more than one religion is a unique idea, one that Peter Sutton (2010) touched briefly on. A Presbyterian Reverend who combined Christian beliefs with Aboriginal spirituality is one example of combining religious affiliations. Most religions have similar essential teachings and differ on details that may seem trivial when contemplating the difference between "good" and "bad".  For example, consider the idea of the "Golden Rule" which is found in most religions. There is no difference between a good man who believes in God and a good man who doesn't. Both act in a good way because they know it's the right thing to do.

Combining ideologies from different religions may result in a richer experience of faith. I believe it's a step towards understanding and reconciliation. In my public primary school, we had RE - religion and ethics class, which I was allowed to skip. This was because my parents, as Muslims, were worried at the idea of me learning about Christianity, which was of course, the religion part of RE. I remember one day watching through a window as the other kids watched an episode of Veggietales (http://veggietales.com/vtmain/) (which is the most ridiculous thing ever)  and wondering what on Earth vegetables had to do with religion. Now when I look back on it, I'm forced to realise that a secular school was teaching a religion class based on Christianity while completely neglecting the other major religions. But, while ruffling my feathers, I also realise the essential things were still the same: these shows and many of the RE lessons, were teaching how to be "good" and how to act in the right, ethical way. 

This is a little off topic, but as children we looked to Captain Planet and the Ninja Turtles (well I know I did) as heroes. My Dad had a different "hero" (a great emphasis on the inverted commas) growing up in Egypt: Goha, the wise fool. I own the picture book now and it is hilarious and clever. Here's one of Goha's tales:


Goha and his son ride the donkey 

Goha and his son were on their way to a nearby village. The son rode the donkey whilst Goha walked alongside. 
On the way they passed some people who pointed at Goha and his son. “Look at that boy, they said.” He is riding the donkey and his poor old father is walking.” 
When he heard this, Goha said, “You get off the donkey and I’ll ride.” 
“Look at that man. He is riding the donkey and his poor young son is walking,” some other passers-by said, pointing at the two of them. 
Goha thought about this. “Get on the donkey, we’ll both ride it,” he said. Again Goha and his son passed by some people who pointed at them. “Look at those people riding that poor donkey. How 
cruel,” they said. 
Goha thought about this as well. “Let’s both get off the donkey,” he said to his son, and so they both walked alongside it. The people they passed by looked at pointed. This time they said, “Look at 
those fools, walking along when they have a donkey they could ride!” 
After some thought, Goha said, “I have a good idea. We’ll carry it!” 
As they walked on another group of people looked at them staggering along under the weight of the donkey. They pointed. “Look at those fools,” they said. “They are carrying a donkey instead of riding it!” 
Goha turned to his son and said, “See, my son, how hard it is to please everyone?” 

Donkey 1: Did you just see what I did?

Donkey 2: That is the last time I eat those mushrooms.

I think this is more of a social teaching, but my point is that different religions have tales to tell. For children especially, a well grounded moral base established in many religions has the promise of leading to greater understanding between those of different religious faiths in adulthood. Primary schools, television programs and other influential aspects of children's lives should branch out to incorporate stories of other religions. After all, what is a religion if not a really long story?

References:

Sutton, P. (2010). Aboriginal spirituality in a new age. The Australian Journal of Anthropology, 21: 71-89. Doi: 10.1111/j.1757-6547.2010.00068.x

Johnson-Davies, D., & Fattouh, H. M. 2005. Goha the Wise Fool. Philomel Books: Reno, Nevada.

Picture: http://pixabay.com/en/donkeys-animals-forest-trees-woods-105718/