Christians and Muslims: Finding Common Ground

The Muslim faith is growing, and at the current rate it will likely surpass Christianity in the number of adherents. Both Christianity and Islam are considered to be "Abrahamic" religions, because they have similar roots, and both religions share similar locations in geography with regard to historical and religious centers. But what is often not shared is communication, and this is what is most alarming.

Before making judgement it is important to realize there are "zealots" or "extremists" in both religions, and there have been such people for thousands of years. Also it is important to recognize that both religions have texts that can be used selectively by the other religion to "prove" that their religion is evil, wrong, or promoting wrongful acts. Often these texts are used by extremists to justify their behavior. Understanding this and doing something about it is what I would hope we could one day have in common with one another. 

There are approximately 2.2 Billion Christians, and 1.6 Billion Muslims in the World, and fortunately a huge majority of these people are not involved in any sort of war, or even making plans for war. Typically, these people attend their church or mosque to pray and receive guidance so that they may live a life of good morals and become closer to God, as well as address issues in their lives from marriage to the birth of a child to the death of a loved one. Also, in a huge majority of all the mosques and churches, the ideas of hate and war and other wrongful acts are discussed from the context of how to avoid them. It is only the extremists that are successful often in changing that image, and making the people of the other religion seem evil. By failing to recognize that there are literally billions of peaceful Christians and Muslims, the extremists win. 

Unfortunately, because the "other" religion is viewed and understood mostly by the few extremists, there is a failure to communicate, but the ability to communicate is improving rapidly with the growth of the internet. I have been fortunate enough to meet and communicate with many people of the "other" religion (Islam) in my work, and I have found nothing but people of good morals, and good business practices, who are honest and cheerful.

Hopefully, one day people will be able to find what they have in common, and better yet, find that the greatest miracle of all will be the possibility of peace. As the internet grows, hopefully the level of communication between Christians and Muslims will start to increase. People will form long distance friendships using the internet, and find how much they have in common.

Article by D DuVal of Link Fab

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