The Saudi King's vision for interfaith dialogue

By Abdul Rahman H. Al-Saeed
from the November 13, 2008 edition

New York - History tells us that extremist ideologies surface, thrive, and proliferate in times of crisis. What ails us is much more than financial failure. It is a failure of moral values. Greed and violence have replaced generosity and compassion. The drift seems all encompassing. There is hardly a sitcom or drama on TV that does not (in varying degrees) appeal to some extreme in the moral universe.
The ground is thus more fertile for extremism and violence than it has ever been. And in this, we are together. We can no more speak of "us" versus "them." From Marshall McLuhan's global village to Thomas L. Friedman's flat world, we are told that we have finally arrived at the point of sharing pain and joy. Unfortunately, we seem to be sharing more pain than joy these days.
But that is not the whole story. Luckily, many wise leaders (and the world surely needs more of them) sense the dangers this drift poses to our common future. They recognize the nexus between globalization and mutual intolerance. One such leader is trying to do something about the impasse.
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques – King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia – began this journey in Mecca three years ago. He called on all 57 Muslim heads of state to meet in Islam's holiest city to ponder the issues of extremism and call for a Muslim renaissance. He called on his fellow heads of state to lead a new age of scientific, economic, and cultural achievements that would echo the golden age of Islam from the 9th through the 13th century, and reach out to other faiths to avoid a clash of civilizations.
The king reiterated that message in words and deed, ultimately leading in June 2008 to a historic meeting of Islamic scholars that called for more robust dialogue with the outside world, shortly thereafter followed by a gathering in Madrid that the king hosted alongside King Juan Carlos of Spain. At an impressive and heartwarming moment in human history, he met with priests, rabbis, Hindu luminaries, and a wide range of leaders from the major philosophies of the world.
In a cogent and moving speech that decried religious extremism and called for renewed efforts at serious dialogue, he stated: "Mankind is suffering today from a loss of values and conceptual confusion, and is passing through a critical phase which, in spite of all the scientific progress, is witnessing a proliferation of crime, an increase in terrorism, the disintegration of the family, subversion of the minds of the young by drug abuse, exploitation of the poor by the strong, and odious racist tendencies. There is no solution for us other than to agree on a united approach, through dialogue among religions and civilizations."
King Abdullah's initiative at Madrid has set the stage for a historic meeting at the United Nations this week.
It aspires to open a sincere, respectful, and frank interfaith and intercultural dialogue. The King's hope is that this gathering can begin to lay (or renew and repair) the foundation for the values needed to render globalization beneficial to all mankind.
There is no reason to despair that it cannot.
History, Islamic history in particular, informs us that interaction based on mutual tolerance between the followers of the three main religions can galvanize major advances in human culture and knowledge. This is what occurred in the Omayyad and Abbasi Caliphates. The earliest period in Islam was one of moral discovery, spiritual and scientific enlightenment, and interfaith dialogue. The meeting in New York proves beyond doubt that this spirit has not lost its redemptive power.
Some (from many faiths) would prefer to close rather than open minds, to deny rather than accept what we are learning about God's miraculous design of our universe, and to reject rather than acknowledge how those of different religious heritages could receive God's mercy. The process that King Abdullah has launched effectively rebuts their distorted vision.
To be sure, most people are alarmed by the current state of drift and polarization. But, like Victor Hugo, they know that "more powerful than the march of mighty armies is an idea whose time has come." Let us all pray and work for this brave and generous idea.

John's spiritual treasure chest

A Christian Science article from the November 12, 2008 edition.

All through elementary school, John was a poor student. He had trouble paying attention and focusing on what the teachers were saying. In math class he felt that the concepts flew by so fast he couldn't grasp them. His reading was particularly bad. Kids laughed when he mispronounced words while reading aloud. Most of the time he dreaded going to school.
His parents were always there for him. They never doubted his abilities or gave up on him. They helped him with his homework and hired a tutor when it looked as if he might be set back a grade. Elementary school was a struggle, but grade by grade, he finished. Yet he never felt he was as good as the other kids.
In junior high, things began to change. One Sunday, his Sunday School teacher gave each student a small spiral notebook. She'd written headings at the top of some of the pages, such as Strength, Peace, Wisdom, Intelligence, and so on. Under each heading there were a few numeric references from the Bible and "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy – not the actual quotations, but just the book, chapter, and verse, or page number and line number.
She made sure that each student knew how to look them up so they could read the passages in the books. She made it fun, like a treasure hunt. She encouraged them to keep this notebook with them and expand it with other headings and citations. But their first assignment was to look up all the citations she'd put in.
John loved doing that. It was like deciphering a code to find the particular passage in the book that the numbers referred to. What made him happiest, though, was thinking about the amazing ideas he found. Each idea from the Bible and the writings of Mary Baker Eddy brought him more peace, joy, and insight. And he felt God's love and support. He was feeling the presence of the Christ lifting him up; he was grasping a little bit of what Jesus knew about God's presence within each of us – that His intelligence, wholeness, strength, and purpose are qualities we each have, as the flawless children of our Father-Mother.
John's reading skills improved dramatically. One day he read, without mistakes, the opening narration of a play the class was doing. And everyone applauded.
He found encouragement and confidence from the references in his notebook. He kept a pocket dictionary nearby to look up new words. This added to his sense of discovery. It was like unlocking a treasure chest of the most meaningful, helpful ideas he'd ever seen, like this one: "Mind is not necessarily dependent upon educational processes. It possesses of itself all beauty and poetry, and the power of expressing them. Spirit, God, is heard when the senses are silent. We are all capable of more than we do. The influence or action of Soul confers a freedom, which explains the phenomena of improvisation and the fervor of untutored lips" (Science and Health, p. 89).
Unlike other summers when he was glad he didn't have to study, the strongest memories of that time involved reading through Science and Health on his back porch. And there was a benefit to that study.
His grades improved, and he also felt happier. Sometimes the wonderful ideas he was discovering conflicted with the material, biological view of things taught in school. But the spiritual facts he was learning in Christian Science, unlike anything else, contained a sense of realness, reliability, clarity, and truth.
John went on to high school and made good grades. Later, he entered one of the Big Ten colleges he'd hoped to attend. He graduated from college and began a successful business with a friend from college. That little notebook stayed with him. He added to it often.
The Bible and the writings of Mary Baker Eddy continue to be John's teacher, healer, and friend. He'll never forget how they helped him through all those years. What he learned gave him the confidence to approach any class, homework assignment, or activity knowing that divine intelligence – the full awareness of all that is or can be – is our true intelligence. He looks back on those years as proof that God as divine Mind is our true mind, and we can claim it and use it every day.