Worldly Wisdom and Foolish Grace. Barbara Carnegie Campbell
of malicious and hateful messages. In the absence of appropriate and rational explanations, the intellectual confusion causes people to drift further away from God and reject religion.
I have similarly researched the origins and commonalities among the Semitic Faiths and attempted to find evolving and common threads between scriptural prophecies. This research started after a Christian colleague in Australia—where I lived for three years—started emphasizing the superiority of Christianity over Islam.
Having studied at a Catholic high school, I was familiar with Christianity but, like majority of Muslims, lacked the knowledge and confidence to start a meaningful discussion on Islam. He accepted my proposal that we agree on common questions regarding our respective concerns about the other faith and attempt to find answers to these questions from our respective scriptures. The resultant literature search resulted in the publication of my first book.3
Surprisingly, and consistent with Barbara’s approach, this research showed a strong evolutionary trend among the prophecies in the Semitic scriptures—the Old and New Testaments and the Qur’an.
My premise for this research was to explore two possible options: Either believe that there are several Gods in the world, each guiding their chosen group of people in different directions or believe that there is one God Almighty who has revealed Himself to all people at different times, but that the message of this one God has been misinterpreted.
The first assumption is absurd and is unanimously rejected by all major religions. For this assumption to be valid, it must be accepted that humans are involved in a “War of Gods”, the resolution of which is beyond human control. It is simply inconceivable to visualize a multitude of Gods controlling competing sections of humankind.
The second assumption appears reasonable; I followed this approach to determine any connection between the Semitic scriptures. The validity of this assumption entails that: (1) God is Almighty, All-knowing, Just, Wise, Compassionate, Merciful, Forgiving, Loving, and the ultimate power in every matter, and (2) the basic laws of nature are perfect, uniform and consistent. Our understanding of these laws is imperfect, has evolved with time and our understanding of science. The Perfect God does not need to break, bend or modify His laws to reveal His presence to humans whom he created out of compassion. That compassionate God cannot send conflicting messages to humankind.
Today, while religion has become a mere tool for gaining political control and is exploited by opportunists to achieve personal and political goals, the common message of all religions is to gradually elevate human behavior from the basic instinctive–stage to moral, and ultimately, the spiritual–stage. Religious practices can be regarded as training tools for disciplining human thought and behavior to become peaceful and loyal citizens, and serving disenfranchised members of the society.
In broad terms, the UN Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948, essentially summarizes the teachings of all religions. The Declaration is a statement of ideals which each faith tradition should aspire to attain. This is the only approach to usher in peace to the world. Interestingly, I have seen a publication where each article of the UN Declaration has been referenced to the Qur’an.4
I thus see Barbara Campbell’s book as an attempt to demolish the destructive dogmatic silos and enable the reader to broaden their understanding of comparative religion within the Semitic faiths. Bridging this intellectual divide is critical for transforming societies and making religions serve humanity to minimize suffering and usher peace into society.
Arif Humayun
Amaddiyya Mosque, Portland, OR
1. Vartan Gregorian, “Islam: A Mosaic, Not a Monolith”, Brookings Institution Press, 2003, pp. 26–38 ISBN 0-8157-3283-X
2. Islamic Radicalism and Multicultural Politics. Taylor & Francis. 2011-13-01. p. 9. ISBN 978-1-136-95960-8. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
3. Arif Humayun, Islam: The Summit of Religious Evolution, Islam International Publications (1992). ISBN Number: 1- 85372 505 6
4. Muhammad Zafrulla Khan, Islam and Human Rights, Islam International Publications, ISBN: 978-1-84880-862-1
Foreword
There is something rare and remarkable about two diverse communities who operate with one heart. This was the story of P’nai Or of Portland, a Jewish Renewal congregation, and St. Mark Presbyterian Church. P’nai Or, like many small congregations, did not have a building of its own so rented various sites until it found St. Mark. But what began as a landlord/tenant arrangement transformed into a true spiritual partnership.
Both congregations were involved in the Interfaith Council of Greater Portland, congregants from both communities often attended the same events, but when P’nai Or lost their beloved rabbi in an accident, there was a shift. We were not just casual friends sharing the same building. it was the congregation of St. Mark who helped to hold P’nai Or up, who brought them food, who cared for the grieving community. It was the beginning of a transformation that bonded the two communities as spiritual family.
P’nai Or hired an interim rabbi, Rabbi David Zaslow, who came up from Ashland once a month to lead services, teach, and minister to the still grieving congregation. In one of those awkward but ultimately happy coincidences, he came to Portland to lead a Friday night service only to discover that it was Good Friday. What occurred then was nothing short of remarkable, given the trepidation and anxiety with which Jews approach the Easter season.
St. Mark held their Good Friday service and Reb David and the P’nai Or congregation attended, witnessing the grief of the Christian community as that community had witnessed theirs. It was an extraordinary moment, and changed the relationship between the two congregations in their souls. It was impossible for anyone to remain “the other.” There were no strangers. There were only brothers and sisters on the same spiritual journey with different experiences and vocabulary.
There were classes, dialogues, shared services and events, a kind of intimacy of spirit that even in the interfaith community is not often shared. And from this collaboration of heart and spirit, Abraham’s Tent was born, created and mothered by Pastor Barbara Campbell and Maggidah Batya Podos. (A maggid is a storyteller and teacher in the Jewish tradition).
The idea was simple. We should extend the interfaith spirit into a day camp for Jewish, Christian and Muslim children. We already worked with the Ahmadiyya Muslim community and others through the Interfaith Council, why not bring all of Abraham’s children together?
After seeking out volunteer teachers from the three communities, and many months of planning, in the summer of 2013 Abraham’s Tent was launched. It was a revelation.
The theme was our shared ancestors in the line of Abraham. Held in the Sanctuary, classrooms and on the grounds of St. Mark, each day presented a rotation of learning and experiences from each of the three faiths. As we learned about Abraham’s hospitality, snacks were provided by each faith group. As we began to understand our shared roots, we designed paper mural of a massive family tree. As we explored the stories of Isaac and Ishmael, older students created a play about fathers sacrificing their sons. Everyone learned songs in English, Hebrew and Arabic. We played games together. We formed friendships.
On the Friday, we went to the Mosque for a presentation to the Interfaith Council, Friday prayers and snacks. The children got to show what they had learned and created during the week together. The response from the adults was overwhelming.
What we had not expected during this process was that parents needed Abraham’s Tent, too. Parent volunteers would gather and talk intensely with each other, so much