Dear Martha,
Your question,
> ... . But Christians believe that Jesus is THE ONLY way. I have
> trouble with this because it seems so closed.
>
> Is it hard for Christians to grant others of different beliefs
> enough consideration in these philosophical discussions when
> fundamentally they believe their own ideas are the only "right" ones?
struck such a sad note in my heart. I claim to be Christian and find that
many Christians do believe that their way is the only way. In fact within
Christianity one sect doesn't recognize the validity of another Christian
sect. In many ways they make it a religion of separateness.
One of the points made in this discussion is the 'selflessness' of Jesus
Christ. I wonder if the struggle the Buddah went through to attain
selflessness and the implications of the act are known to many.
> How do Christians
> reconcile their belief in Christianity being the THE way with all the
> other ways?
For very many Christians the reconciliation is an effort to convert people
holding any other belief to Christian. For some reconciliation is in
studying the other ways and finding their wisdom. I really recommend the
work of Huston Smith, a Christian who observes the wisdom of a number of
ways.
> Can someone out there help me? Wandering in the wilderness looking for
> the Great Ocean is fun, but words from other travelers are the gems of
> the journey! :-D
Just as the Buddah had a long solitary journey to selflessness I think we
all have our own journey. But it is not through an unpopulated wilderness
-- I think we are all in the same wilderness and we all look for signs
pointing towards our way. Some recognize Jewish, Islamic, Buddist, Hindu
and other signs.
Moreover, it is important that we share the signs. In the diversity of
organizations we cannot be a learning organization unless we honor the
beliefs of others. This honor is learned by fitting the beliefs of others
into our own mental model and finding that they add to our life.
I think that this honor is becoming more normal in America. I am
encouraged to see Jewish men wearing a Yamica, Islamic women with their
headscarves in place, and other open declarations of religious belief
accepted in the workplace.
--"William J. Hobler, Jr" <bhobler@worldnet.att.net>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>