Those who have seen Pirates of the Caribbean would recall the scene when Miss Swann shouted parley, as Port Royal was under attack and the pirates had reached the governor’s residence. She was taken aboard “The Black Pearl” and to Captain Barbossa, where she tried to bargain for the “cessation of hostilities” on Port Royal. Thinking she had the better of Barbossa and his crew she was disappointed to discover that she will not be released after she handed over the much need gold medallion. As Captain Barbossa cunningly observed: “Firstly, your return to shore was not part of our negotiations nor our agreement so I must do nothing. And secondly, you must be a pirate for the pirate's code to apply and you're not. And thirdly, the code is more what you'd call "guidelines" than actual rules.”
Just recently (June 24th) a set of guidelines have been produced by the Christian Muslim Forum (set up in 2006 http://www.christianmuslimforum.org/) on how Christians and Muslims in the UK can share their faith in an ethical way. The ten (10) guidelines are intended to help Christians and Muslims better able to witness in ways that will enhance the common good. Guidelines, as Captain Barbossa noted, are not rules!
I am sure that many believers from both of these faith communities would identify with the ten guidelines and wish to affirm them. On the other hand, there will also be those who may not identify with these for various reasons – including that of the diverse theological understandings in relation to both faith and conversion. Among other things, some from the latter group of dissenters may point out that these guidelines seem to originate within the framework of a particular understanding of both Christianity and Islam and do not necessarily give cognisance of intra-diversity in either.
In the meantime, here are some questions: what do we mean by conversion? Where does this idea originate from? Why should one convert? Is not the Divine glorified and our faith deepened when we can share our faith in lives that are lived (in faithfulness) whatever the way? If God is one, and both Christians and Muslims are monotheists, why should one leave one’s faith for another? Or is it that in reality both operate on the premise that “my God is better than your God”? In which case, is it that at heart of the matter both are polytheists rather than monotheists?
My view is that conversion distorts the image of the Divine. However, a more substantive and deeper issue for me is why do people of faith need guidelines? If our Sacred Books are inspired and divinely authored texts, and we the believers and readers are under the influence of the Divine (however named), what has gone wrong and where/when were these distorted (and our practices) that we now need guidelines? How did we manage to create the distortions and what is the source of religious arrogance? Why do we need guidelines to walk the way of the Divine (a way of love, openness, hospitality)?
It may be that in pursuing the deeper questions that we will discover that the guidelines are not about the Divine, but about us humans and the ambiguities that we embody. Perhaps, the conversion we need is one that re-turns us to the elusive many-oneness of the Divine.
Meanwhile whatever guidelines we opt for, may the poetics of love (in word and deed) be etched deeply on our hearts and in our lives!
copyright June 27, 2009
