When comparing Islam and Christianity, it is erroneous to compare the book to the book and the man to the man, said Father David Burrell at an open lecture last Friday called “God in the World: Comparing Muslim and Christian Theologies.”
Burrell said that it is a common misconception to view the Quran as analogous to the Bible, and Jesus as the equivalent of Mohammad. Instead, a comparison of any kind must begin by recognizing that it is the revelations in both religions that are analogous to each other.
“Christians believe that the word of God is God [and] Jesus is the word of God made human. This is the revelation for Christians,” said Burell. “[In Islam] the Quran is the revelation. It is the word of God as it was revealed to the prophet [Mohammed], passed down in Arabic.”
Burrell is a professor at Ugandan Martyrs University, and received the Catholic Theological Society of America’s 2009 John Courtney Murray Award. The lecture, sponsored by the University of Toronto’s Lonergan Research Institute, sought to spread a message of unity.
“He makes jokes so that Muslims and Christians sitting side by side laugh together!” said Brett Salkeld, a graduate student in theology at U of T.
Whereas Muslims recite the words of the Quran several times daily, Christians go to communion. This one distinction brings about more similarities between the two theologies than one might expect, said Burrell, who posits that Islam and Christianity are far more alike than Christianity and Judaism, which share Hebrew scriptures.
“Judaism is meant for a specific group—God’s people. You can be a Jew without faith, by being born to a Jewish mother,” Burrell said. “You can’t be a Christian without faith, just like a Muslim. Christianity and Islam are closer in that they are meant to be believed in by the whole world.”
Burrell said that to understand their own religions, Muslims and Christians have to open up a dialogue with their counterparts. He rejected the idea that these dialogues would make believers doubt their faith and lose their identity. Challenging our ideals, aside from promoting fraternity among different ideas, can help fortify them through thought and better understanding, Burrell said. He challenged Christians to discuss with Muslims the most misunderstood dogmas in Christianity: the Trinity, Original Sin, and Mediation.
When asked about the Quranin translation, he said that some critics argue that there are millions of Muslims who recite words in their prayers that they don’t understand, because the Quran is strictly in Arabic. The Bible is still read in original Latin in traditional services, Burchell explained. “There is a commentary in these words, which is universal. No matter what language they are spoken in, they bring about an atmosphere that creates warmth in one’s heart.”
As his last remarks, Burrell asked the audience to understand their theologies and not to let religion be manipulated for political motives, citing examples of conflicts in the Gaza Strip and the Iraq War.
