It is the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity at the moment and this has got me thinking about the diversity of practice, style and emphasis within the Christian family. As I may have mentioned before, I enjoyed being part of the local Quaker meeting while living in Surrey and found great riches there. The focus on simplicity, interiority and the commitment to an ethical life are deeply appealing to me, as is the constant reminder of the true nature of religion as a matter of the heart, not of outward form. However, I am also, fundamentally, an Anglican in the Catholic tradition and that would seem to inhabit a very different world of sacramentality, rich tradition and symbolism. More significantly, perhaps, Catholic Christianity is Christianity of credal orthodoxy whereas Quakers adopt a non-credal approach to faith and focus instead on the Inner Light to guide each person to truth and, for those for whom this language makes sense, to God. How can these two approaches belong in the same religious family?
I suspect that the truth is that neither can exist satisfactorily without the other. Even within Catholic Christianity, there are movements that are deeply suspicious of elaboration and excess (Cistercians come to mind) and movements that focus on the inner life (Carmelites, The World Community for Christian Meditation etc). Similarly, within movements like Quakerism, there are those who are involved in the arts and see such outward expression as an integral part of the spiritual life. Protestant Christianity cannot be understood without knowing its Catholic roots and Catholic Christianity stands in need of contant reform. I think there is a similar dynamic in other religions - think of the riotous colour of a Hindu temple during a festival and of the rigorous asceticism of the Sadhu.
On a personal level, I find that I need both radical silence and rich symbolism and am constantly surprised by the way these two things meet: symbols reach their limit and only silence remains; silence feeds the spirit and blossoms into creativity. But what of that tension between credal and non-credal faith? I think the same thing is true. We say all we can about God and choose our words with care, but then find that we encounter God in mystery; we find God in silence but then are moved to articulate what we have found. This dialectic is essential. I suspect that truth is to be found in the movement between these poles and not at either end. And I think this says something important about the nature of the unity we seek within and between religions.
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Posted by: Senuke VPS | 08/30/2013 at 01:52 AM