Talkin' with Christians

The Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hahn is an energetic supporter of inter-faith dialogue and has written articles and books about what Christians and Buddhists can learn from each other, it is because of his openness to the sharing of ideas that I have just returned from a discussion group arranged by a local Anglican church. If you had told me a year ago that I would be sitting in a coffee house with a Professor of Evangelism and a Priest, chatting and eating brownies, well, forget about it! But the truth is I actually had a wonderful time, even through my extreme case of jitters. The topic of discussion, culled from questions the church received from the public at large, was meant to be "Why is God such a jerk?". But since there were only four of us (myself, the Professor, the Priest and an extremely well-travelled gentleman of Muslim heritage thinking of converting) talk ranged from the firm belief in Jesus as a saviour of mankind, Judgement Day, parables about belief in the unseen, St Francis of Assisi and just why is that repulsive image of Jesus all bloody and broken representative of faith. Needless to say that last one was mine. While, as is typical of spiritual discussion, there were no firm answers to be had but just having the chance to ask the questions and listen to others share there experience was more than enough. I walked home with a new respect for the followers of Christ.

Having only seen (or only allowed myself to see) the fanaticism of Christianity and having painted all Christians with the same colour of "close minded, prejudice, busy-body, Christ on a Cross red", my ideas seemed firmly set. I didn't like them and couldn't comprehend what the attraction was, other than a sense of superiority and the right to tell others what to do and how to live. Not qualities that I have ever, or will ever find appealing. But these gentlemen had some qualities that I could admire: intelligence, patience, open-mindedness and faith in something bigger than themselves. Granted we didn't talk about gays or abortion, so I won't put my rose coloured glasses on too soon, but they definitely broke the stereotype I had of what it means to be a Christian. And when the professor mentioned how un-religious Jesus was, that he spoke against the organized religions and churches, well that was enough to open my mind to a glimmer of respect and interest in the big JC. I have no problem thinking of Jesus as a spiritual teacher, an example of goodness, enlightenment, service and humility just as the Buddha was, but the idea of him being the only son of God...that's where it all falls apart for me. Approaching him as a Buddha makes it easier for me to take a closer look at the life and teachings of Jesus, though I will always prefer the "Buddy Christ" to the Crucifix.


J.