The Interfaith World

The interfaith world must be considered from a whole of creation perspective. This takes us back to the beginning of time, the notion of all life beginning from consciousness, that gave birth to the inflationary – Big Bang period, where there was a vast unity of all that was. Unity is the foundation of love, for all things work harmoniously as one and continues to progressively do so. The word for this all-embracing love that infiltrates all that is, as the primary force of evolution, is described as incarnation. Once this process of life is set, it remains consistent for all time. It is purposefully intended for bringing about fulfillment, the pleroma mentioned in scripture, as the omega point of all creation. The incarnational beginning continues its work down through history with the purposeful intention to reach fulfillment. It is the unseen primary force of creation.

With the emergence of the human species, we also saw the emergence of tribal life which in time correlated with religious practice. As many tribes appeared, the same number of religious practices emerged until eventually, they consolidated into broad movements. Today these have consolidated into broad general movements of Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Daoism, Shintoism, and Christianity, to name some significant samples. There are still many variations of native religious practices representing some of the more primitive. What is distinctive is the variety of belief systems, yet there are qualities that stand out to indicate that they are religious. The belief in God, the practice or worship, and some forms of spiritual practice are usually supported by an ethical code.

For a considerable time, religion divided people. Christianity was a strong movement with the belief it was called to convert the world to its ways. This was particularly strong in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries with a strong colonial bent. Others used religion to consolidate their identity in war, but this was a perversion of purpose.

The movement of people worldwide has meant the picture has changed. The dilemma of mixed backgrounds living in one neighborhood has demanded one revisit this notion. The general population is learning to respect one’s differences.

The gradual globalisation of the planet has dramatically changed the picture. At the beginning of the 19th century, there were approximately one billion people on the planet. At the commencement of the twentieth century, the world population was approximately two billion. And now in the early years of the twenty-first century, there are approximately eight billion. The growth in the short period of time has been dramatic. The movement of people seeking a better home has compounded the issue. We live in a global society where people are having to live amicably with a difference. This trend is slow but it is paramount for conflict is threatening the survival of the planet.

It is against this background that in the same period, a major transition has been taking place concerning a deeper understanding of life. Since the year 1800, the second Axial period of history slowly emerged with the first signs of a new perspective on life. In the 19th century the theory of Darwinism, along with the advent of perceptions of the mind introduced by Freud. In technology, the first signs appeared in the telephone, and in the twentieth century, the discovery of the theory of quantum physics meant the world was significantly transitioning into an integral world. Everything was understood to be interrelated. We are now living in an Integral world.

Revisiting the initial notion of the origin of creation beginning with the work of love as the primary force shaping creation, we are reminded that the work of love once in play must continue on eternally work with purposeful intent to bring about all to fulfillment. While this story is one of varied progress it is consistent in its intent. Love never fails. The long history of division is possibly coming to an end. The integral era is challenging all to revisit their intention. The Christian belief in superiority needs to be questioned. Can the prime mission of Jesus be read differently without losing his honoured place? To understand that the love which emerged at the beginning of time was a comprehensive love for all creation, must continue purposefully working for the fulfillment of all creation even through to our current day.

Raimon Panikkar speaks of the unknown Christ of Hinduism. He intends for us to find the work of the incarnate Christ working in Hinduism as the incarnate Christ, perhaps differently, but of the same spirit. In the same way, he would ask the same quest about Buddhism, Islam, Shintoism, etc. The incarnate Christ is fulfilling the divine purposes in each tradition as is seen fit. The challenge is to find the same homeomorphic equivalent in each tradition, from the most sophisticated to the most primitive. The journey has a long way to go to reach the final omega point, but a major threshold is being encountered. The transition to the integral is the most significant in history. Out of necessity, the world must deal with Globalisation. This era is the first time the solution is to be found in unity. The unity of the first moments of creation is now being replicated in our day.

Pentecost was the foreshadowing of such a unity of people, people of all nations speaking in a way that they could understand one another. Let us pray, that humanity captures the true spirit of Pentecost in this emerging integral era.