BOOK BITES
WHEN FAITHS COLLIDE by Martin Marty. Blackwell Publishing, 2005, Pp. 193. (BL85.M32)
No book could be more relevant to the present than this work by Martin Marty, distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Chicago. “The collisions of faiths are among the most threatening conflicts around the world in the new millennium.” (P. 1)
The conventional plea for tolerance will not solve the problem. Fears of religious pluralism can best be addressed by a call for at least one party to risk hospitality toward the other.
Religious pluralism is a reality, and if accepted, one giant step has been taken. A second step, a big one too, is to invite the stranger to your own home. Get to know the one whose faith is different from yours. Stop demonizing strangers, immigrants and others who are religiously different. Risk of course is present, but common sense can accompany courage.
Human beings are of course responsible for faith collisions. “The experience of estrangement, or fear of the stranger, can begin as close to home as the self. The self as a stranger is at one end of a continuum that stretches from the most intimate to the national and international spheres.” (P. 18) It may be necessary to begin with the idea that individuals can be strangers to themselves. Then move on to larger realms. When comfortable with yourself, even though faiths continue to collide, you can be an agent of hospitality.
---The Library Committee