From the Rocky Mountain News:
The Thanksgiving interfaith service that has drawn Coloradans for more than 100 years will be held Thursday at the University Park United Methodist Church, 2180 S. University Blvd.
It's the first time the church has hosted the event, which changes locations every year.
What hasn't changed is the time, 10 a.m., and the brisk pace of the service, which is designed to last about an hour so people can get home for their family celebrations.
Three faith communities that founded the event in the 1880s - Congregation Emanuel, Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church and the First Universalist Church - still participate. They have been joined by seven more, including the Tri State Buddhist Temple, Christ the King Catholic Church and a representative from the Muslim community.
I called to confirm that this was an actual 'worship' service, and [not] just a regular community meeting. A woman calling herself "Clarise" confirmed that it was. A pity that this church's leadership is confused about basic tenets of the Christian faith. Someone remind me: why do we want to remain a "United" Methodist Church?
As I recall, ancient Israel also had interfaith worship services -- there were idols to false gods in the Temple. And, if I remember correctly, God had a low opinion of the practice.
UPDATE: Tsk, tsk. Sloppy grammar on my part. I have inserted the word "not" into my first paragraph of text.
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
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18 comments:
THanks-giving is a part of practically every faith tradition. As long as it is not being billed as a "Christian" worship service (which would obviously be false advertising) I see no problem with it.
Mind you, I also don't believe that Christianity is the one and only true path to GOd, if one believes that then interfaith gatherings could well pose a problem.
Mind you, I also don't believe that Christianity is the one and only true path to GOd, if one believes that then interfaith gatherings could well pose a problem.
To say the least. Alas, the unitarian heresy has deeply permeated the UMC.
I am not 100% sure about what an "interfaith worship service" would look like, but I am sure that the big world events of the new millennium indicate that people of different religions need to be talking to one another to promote peace. Whether that means we should be worshiping together is perhaps a question for further discussion.
More than one heresy has infiltrated the UMC, including Eutychianism - ignoring the humanity of Jesus and focusing exclusively on His divinity.
i think occasional worship/gatherings to promote unity within each "particularity" is a wonderful thing. the world needs models of how we are to live with our brothers and sisters who are different than we.
now i definitely have a problem with the idea that all relgions are just as valid as the other and that all lead to God. i'm not going to condemn another relgion (although i might critique certain practices within that religion).
but if all religions hold on to their particular beliefs but come together in unity, what is wrong with that? in fact, it seems to me that it is in the "spirit" of christ to do so.
i know that at blakemore we have a community thankgiving service and we have two jewish congregations who participate. whether we are worshiping in the temple or the christian sanctuary jesus' name is used just as yahweh's name is used (as are other names for god within each's tradition).
I would tend to agree with Gord. I think that the title of "worship" to characterize the service is not problematic at all - to me anyway, but I'm weird.
Yes, people of all faiths need to talk to each other to promote peace and healthy relationships. And, whether you believe in the "all paths lead to the divine" philosophy or not (I do), what's so problematic about sharing in a diverse expression of gratitude to God, whatever name is used?
Is the Christian theological integrity really that much at risk?
If Christian theology can't stand up to one single worship service where God is called by many names or by no name at all, than Christian theology isn't strong enough for much of anything else. I think Christian theological integrity will hold up for an hour if it's been holding up so far.
I just don't see the problem.
There are many ways to have an ecumenical worship service between Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
All 3 faiths hold the Old Testament as a foundation.
Meanwhile, I think there are some who would prefer that Methodists not worship with other protestant denominations, much less "those Catholics" (Gasp!) or other traditions of faith.
Why not express our thanks to our creator and the Lord of our life?
Remember, Jesus said they would know we are Christians by our love, not by being more pious and exclusive.
Jason asks why I would worry about an interfaith worship service -- what threat does it pose to Christian theology. I think that many of the comments illustrated the clear threat of such interfaith nonsense. Apparently, many 'Christians' struggle with core doctrinal issues, such as monotheism.
The apostle Paul warned that Christians were to avoid stumbling blocks that would theologically trip up others. Although a mature and secure Christian might be able to pray to and worship God while surrounded by those who were doing the exact opposite at that very moment, it is quite a lot to keep straight in one's head. As we see from this comment thread, a tradition of interfaith worship has lead to hell-bound heresy. This, Jason, is the danger in participating in such activities.
¶ 201. Definition of a Local Church
The local church provides the most significant arena through which disciple-making occurs. It is a community of true believers under the Lordship of Christ. It is the redemptive fellowship in which the Word of God is preached by persons divinely called and the sacraments are duly administered according to Christ's own appointment. Under the discipline of the Holy Spirit, the church exists for the maintenance of worship, the edification of believers, and the redemption of the world.
It would seem to me that local UMCs are set apart exclusively for the making of disciples and the proclaimation of the Good News of Jesus Christ. To hold a service in which Jesus is not lifted up and proclaimed is an improper use of the facility.
Greg brought up maintaining theological integrity. I can see your side of it, John, when you talk about influence on individuals. However, my question has to do with the theology itself. It's one thing to talk about protecting immature, insecure Christians from stumbling - and I don't think openness to other religious expressions is something people need to be protected from - but how is the integrity of the theology itself at risk?
I think it's somewhat silly the amount of anxiety that is caused by even the suggestion of people coming together to worship when they are just from different faiths with a common aim to offer thanks to God. And I'm somewhat disturbed when things like this are called "nonsense." I may be considered a "hell-bound heretic" but I know that God is bigger than my understanding and God inspires and works through others in ways that I will never know, including those in all religions.
But I must be wrong
"Hell-bound heresy"
That's an interesting charge.
I seem to recall some similar charges levied by religious leaders against a radical teacher a couple of thousand years ago.
You insist on putting God into a pretty small box that is the United Methodist Church.
Fortunately, the Body of Christ has many parts. Why should one part of the Body attack another?
If you were centering your commentary on Buddhists or Hindu, then that would be one thing, but by applying the same exclusions to the Catholic church and other christian denominations, you have really gone too far.
Then permit me to be more plain: I am referring to the inclusion of non-Christian sects in this worship service.
I guess I would say that I need more information. For instance, who is leading the service? What structure are they using to form the service? Are the other congregations there to participate in a primarily Christian service to show solidarity in an American Thanksgiving or will the other faith traditions be presenting liturgy and/or prayer? What is the stated purpose of the service? Can we respect another's belief systems and maintain our integrity?
I reserve judgement. I cannot condemn or condone.
The Thanksgiving holiday is, to my knowledge and opinion, exclusively American and not, as some would suggest, a Christian festival. That Christians would participate in a service, whether we call it "worship" or "gathering", could be an opportunity to witness rather than serve as a hindrance to spiritual growth.
The presence of Buddhists is a little odd since the bulk of the gathering seems to be Christians, but I cannot comment due to my lack of any real knowledge of what Buddhism actually espouses or whom it claims to worship.
Suffice it to say that while we certainly have our designated time of worship on Sabbath, are we not also called to let our lives and our words be a reflection of worship? "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him." John 4:23
Interesting topic. Is our spirituality any less a reflection of Whom we worship merely by the presence of non-believers or polytheists?
Just a point of information about Buddhism...
Buddhism, while it grew out of Hinduism, is more of a philosophy or worldview than a religion - if your definition of "religion" includes some form or another of god(s). In a very short answer, Buddhism is non-theistic as opposed to mono or poly.
I just realized I needed to make a distinction there...
While atheism describes a lack of belief in God (or gods), a non-theistic worldview doesn't really even deal with a divinity one way or the other.
(After reading through it again, I thought I should throw that in too.)
Got here from Ten Cheeses, and I also agree that a "worship service" is very undesirable - not only from the Christian point of view, but from the views of the other religions participating. One example: do I refrain from referencing "Father Son and Holy Spirit," thus compromising my performance of the Great Commission, or do I invoke it, thus committing heresy in the eyes of the Jews and Muslims present? Meeting? OK. Worship service? No way. I've made a ton of posts on this topic, all of which can be accessed via the last post in the series. Well, it was the last a few minutes ago...
Jason,
That's interesting about Buddhism. I never knew that. Thank you for the info.
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