Prominent figures from the three Abrahamic religions gathered at
a seminar Thursday evening, united by their common religious
foundation and looking to seek out the differences between them
““ but they ended up focusing mainly on their
similarities.
Rev. George Grose assembled the panel of speakers for his
Religion 120 class, and featured representatives of the Jewish,
Christian and Islamic faiths.
Grose said his religious philosophy is that all historical
events in which religion can be impacted will undoubtedly affect
all three ““ regardless if it appears otherwise on the
surface.
“Judaism, Christianity and Islam have intertwining
destinies. … If there is interplay between two, wait a moment,
wait a day, wait a thousand years ““ and the third will
appear.”
“In 1492, Columbus set sail from the same port, on the
same day and on the same waves in which Jews were expelled from
Spain,” Grose said, implying the significance of the Spanish
Inquisition coupled with the Christian and Muslim influence of Old
World Spain.
Grose also cited the Holocaust, saying that though it appeared
to be a conflict solely between Christians and Jews, it aided in
the foundation of Israel, again displaying that the three Abrahamic
religions are all involved in past and present historical
events.
The panel and class acknowledged that the three religions are
similar. Grose encouraged the three theologists to expose the
differences, but to no avail.
“From a theological perspective, it is all the
same,” said Muzammil Siddiqi, president of the Islamic
Society of North America and member of the Supreme Court of Islamic
Affairs.
“God did not do religions. God gave the message,” he
said.
The three theologists emphasized their beliefs of having one
God, who maintains the image of perfection.
“This oneness is above every assertion and denial,”
said Rev. Michel Najim, dean of the St. Nicholas Antiochian
Orthodox Cathedral.
The panel also tried to change the common view of God as a
distant force.
“God has needs and is in love. This is not a medieval
philosophy of God as an abstract being,” said Rabbi Elliot
Dorff, University of Judaism provost.
The goal sought in Grose’s Religion 120 class is to
separate the assumed differences of the three religions from the
real differences, and then see what can happen with the real
differences.
Part of the objective is if the real differences can be exposed,
things can be done to cure conflict that may arise between the
religions.
“The tribute goes to the students that they want to see
what can be done,” Grose said, referring to students who
enroll in his class.
Though some of the assumed differences may have been denounced,
no real differences between the religions seemed apparent during
the seminar.
Grose said that his class was already full for spring quarter,
though he is looking to add more spaces and would like to enroll as
many students as possible.