My Final Word on "A Common Word"

Having read over the entire letter, I have just a few final comments. The big problem with the document is not what it says, but what it doesn't say. Sure, there are points of contact between Christianity and Islam (and Judaism, and, for that matter, Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism, etc.). The document, "A Common Word," attempts to highlight points of unity while leaving completely unaddressed the points of disunity. The points of unity are not what is causing all the problems in the world right now; rather, it is the violent intolerance of a growing segment of Islam.

What if the imams came out with "A Common Word" among themselves that totally renounced violence in the name of God/Islam? What if they totally condemned all terrorism, and specifically Islamic terrorism? What if they embraced religious freedom that included not just the freedom of Christians to leave Christianity and convert to Islam but also the freedom of Muslims to leave Islam and convert to Christianity? Friends of mine who are well-informed about Islam tell me that these are the real issues. Until dialogue on these issues begins, all discussion of what is "common" hides the real problems.

For more discussion, see the Acton Institute.