Description
Book SynopsisWhy do Christians, Muslims and Jews not get on, since they all stem from one man, Abraham?
Trade ReviewThe contributors’ candid and critical trialogue about their respective religious beliefs and traditions shows that whether they agree or disagree, and they do both, they can indeed get along. -- HRH Princess Badiya of Jordan
This is a profoundly helpful and timely book. It offers a model of what respectful dialogue between the Abrahamic faiths can reveal and in so doing removes popular misunderstandings and confusions and lifts the conversation onto an honest evaluation of difference and complementarity. The practical focus on how believers from all three faiths address life questions and make moral decisions and judgments is also really useful. The authors’ faith commitments give the book a key ingredient: lived expertise and humility in the face of what they try to present to us. This is a book that every leader of a faith community ought to read and be able to commend. -- The Very Reverend Adrian Dorber, Dean of Lichfield
This absorbing book… is a model of a new type of interfaith dialogue no longer afraid to confront where and why the three Abrahamic faiths part company. It could well prove humanity’s best, if not only, hope of peacefully resolving some of its oldest and most intractable conflicts. -- Professor David Conway, Visiting Senior Research Fellow at Civitas, Institute for the Study of Civil Society
This open and honest book confirms my conviction developed over many years that humane and responsive practitioners of different religions have more in common with each other than they do with the rigid literalists of their own religion. A Jew, a Christian and a Muslim, each learned in their own faith, eloquently outline the beliefs of their tradition, illustrate how much they share, and where they differ point out those differences with the courtesy and respect that has to be the precondition of any serious interfaith dialogue. -- Rabbi Dr David J. Goldberg OBE, Emeritus Rabbi, The Liberal Jewish Synagogue, London
A most illuminating and unparalleled introduction to the complexities and rewards of genuine interfaith dialogue. The richness and uniqueness of this book lies in how the authors – from their vastly different and distinctive cultural backgrounds, and from years of personal and mature reflection – engage in a conversation with openness and respect that must surely persuade the reader of the need for understanding and tolerance towards the beliefs and sensitivities of all those who share the heritage of Abraham. An authoritative, yet most accessible, distillation of what can unite but also what can separate the “peoples of the book”. -- Professor Martin O’Kane, University of Wales Trinity Saint David
El-Alami, Cohn-Sherbok, and Chryssides have produced a genuine interreligious conversation, providing the reader with a delightful Abrahamic encounter. This book consists of a series of honest dialogues between a Jew, Christian, and Muslim, which result in an engaging narrative of co-existence. -- Dr Edward Kessler MBE, Founder Director, Woolf Institute, Cambridge
In the twenty-first century, religious conflict and extremism continues to result in violence and destruction despite all three of the Abrahamic faiths calling for peace, pluralism, and co-existence. This timely book is essential reading in emphasising the importance of honest and constructive dialogue between Jews, Muslims, and Christians and in highlighting that as human beings, there is far more that unites us than divides us. -- Sara Khan, Director, Inspire
Why Can’t They Get Along is an invaluable text for undergraduate religious studies. It is generally valuable in providing students with the example of interfaith dialogue, demonstrating how one can discuss controversial issues in a respectful manner whilst maintaining the integrity of one’s faith position. It is specifically valuable for undergraduate students as an exploration of the methodology of interfaith dialogue, and as an insight to the details of the position of each faith on featured topics. Rather than just going over the old ground of controversy, there are attempts by these experienced scholars, who have some understanding of each other’s traditions, to offer solutions to the historical impasse. -- Dr Deirdre Burke, Religious Studies, University of Wolverhampton
This is a model of what dialogue should be: spelling out overlaps and differences, while taking both seriously. Best of all, the authors attend to detail. We are not “all going the same way”, yet we have much to love and much to grapple with in what seem to be roughly equal proportions. Both the loving and the grappling must continue in this vein. -- The Very Reverend Christopher Lewis, Dean of Christ Church, Oxford
Interesting and deep dialogue between three professors who profess the three monotheistic religions: Christianity, Judaism and Islam. For once, also, it is no only the tolerance is preached, as well as the importance of knowing what are the main differences in dealing with key issues such as sex. -- Maria Cristina Nardini * Netgalley *
Table of ContentsContents
Foreword by Marcus Braybrooke 6
Preface 7
A Word from the Authors 8
Part I: Teachings
Chapter 1: Predicament and Hope 16
Chapter 2: God 29
Chapter 3: Jesus 42
Chapter 4: Sacred Texts 55
Part II: Religious Practice
Chapter 5: Initiation 70
Chapter 6: Worship 83
Chapter 7: Holy Days 95
Chapter 8: Evangelism 108
Part III: Ethics and Lifestyle
Chapter 9: Declaring Identities 122
Chapter 10: Diet 134
Chapter 11: Sex 146
Chapter 12: Wealth 160
Part IV: Societal Issues
Chapter 13: Law Codes 174
Chapter 14: Social Justice 187
Chapter 15: Blasphemy 199
Chapter 16: The Middle East Problem 211
Chapter 17: Conclusions 224
Glossary 230
Bibliography 234
Index 237
