Abraham's children : liberty and tolerance in an age of religious conflict

Scarcely any country in today's world can claim to be free of intolerance. Israel and Palestine, Northern Ireland, the Sudan, the Balkans, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, and the Caucasus are just some of the areas of intractable conflict, apparently inspired or exacerbated by religious differences. Can devoted Jews, Christians, or Muslims remain true to their own fundamental beliefs and practices, yet also find paths toward liberty, tolerance, and respect for those of other faiths? In this vitally important book, fifteen influential practitioners of the Abrahamic religions address religious liberty and tolerance from the perspectives of their own faith traditions. Former President Jimmy Carter, Rabbi Arik Ascherman, Indonesia’s first democratically elected president, Abdurrahman Wahid, and the other writers draw on their personal experiences and on the sacred writings that are central in their own religious lives. Rather than relying on "pure reason," as secularists might prefer, the contributors celebrate religious traditions and find within them a way toward mutual peace, uncompromised liberty, and principled tolerance. Offering a counterbalance to incendiary religious leaders who cite Holy Writ to justify intolerance and violence, the contributors reveal how tolerance and respect for believers in other faiths stands at the core of the Abrahamic traditions.

Scarcely any country in today's world can claim to be free of intolerance. Israel and Palestine, Northern Ireland, the Sudan, the Balkans, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, and the Caucasus are just some of the areas of intractable conflict, apparently inspired or exacerbated by religious differences. Can devoted Jews, Christians, or Muslims remain true to their own fundamental beliefs and practices, yet also find paths toward liberty, tolerance, and respect for those of other faiths?

In this vitally important book, fifteen influential practitioners of the Abrahamic religions address religious liberty and tolerance from the perspectives of their own faith traditions. Former President Jimmy Carter, Rabbi Arik Ascherman, Indonesia’s first democratically elected president, Abdurrahman Wahid, and the other writers draw on their personal experiences and on the sacred writings that are central in their own religious lives. Rather than relying on "pure reason," as secularists might prefer, the contributors celebrate religious traditions and find within them a way toward mutual peace, uncompromised liberty, and principled tolerance. Offering a counterbalance to incendiary religious leaders who cite Holy Writ to justify intolerance and violence, the contributors reveal how tolerance and respect for believers in other faiths stands at the core of the Abrahamic traditions. Contents 7 Acknowledgments 9 1. Kelly James Clark, “Calling Abraham’s Children” 13 Abraham’s Jewish Children 33 2. Einat Ramon, “The Peoples of the Earth and the Tents of Jacob: Humanity in the Image of God” 33 3. Dov Berkovits, “Dance of the Spirit: The Land of Israel and the Jewish Soul” 52 4. Leah Shakdiel, “Revisiting the Holy Rebellion” 74 5. Arik Ascherman, “Does Judaism Teach Universal Human Rights?” 93 6. Nurit Peled- Elhanan, “The Intolerance of Israeli Education” 114 Abraham’s Christian Children 145 7. Jimmy Carter, “Religious Tolerance” 145 8. Nicholas Wolterstorff, “Religious Intolerance and the Wounds of God” 153 9. Ziya Meral, “Caring for the ‘Other’ as One of ‘Us’: Religious Freedom for All” 172 10. Hanna Siniora, “A Minority with a Majority Opinion” 181 11. Miroslav Volf, “ ‘Honor Everyone!’ Christian Faith and the Culture of Universal Respect” 198 Abraham’s Muslim Children 223 12. Abdurrahman Wahid, “God Needs No Defense” 223 13. Hedieh Mirahmadi, “The Middle Way” 230 14. M. Fethullah Gülen, “Islam as the Embodiment of Divine Mercy and Tolerance” 250 15. Rana Husseini, “The Historical and Religious Seeds of ‘Honor’ ” 271 16. Abdolkarim Soroush, “An Islamic Treatise on Tolerance” 290 Index 303 Fifteen prominent thinkers turn to the sacred writings of their different theological traditions to defend religious tolerance