Christian Church Opens Doors To Muslims

What a great story about interfaith relationships and goodwill. A vicar helping out his neighbours - and, let's face it, the Muslim method of prayer was hardly designed for doing outside in Winter in North East Scotland! It's good to see that people of different faiths can engage positively with each other and work together in an atmosphere of mutual cooperation and understanding, and without feeling the need to to fight against or disrespect one another or each other's beliefs. Perhaps this kind of thing should be an example to others of how to get along with their neighbours, even if they don't share quite the same belief system.

 

Beautiful story to read on Easter. Two religions coming together like this. If only it could always be this way.

 

Good God, like they're not dangerous enough already, we're adding even more religion to the pile?

 

It's a beautiful gesture, magnificent in its simplicity. I look forward to the future architecture.

 

The door was never closed. Those who sold/sell that line of thought are not interested in peace.

 

Strange. There's a news article here about it being opened .

 

Possibly so, but I think the general assumption for many would be that the door of a place of worship for one religion would be closed for the worship of another. The key point is perhaps not whether the door was actually officially 'open' or 'closed', but that the invitation was made and accepted.

 

True, that is the overall positive outcome. It's good news.

 

At the very least it provides a platform for a clumsy side-swipe , eh ?

 

Anyone hear that? Oh yea, no it was nothing.

Happy Easter everyone!! May good stories and good hearts like the ones in this story prevail over the pushers of evil.

 

During the Egyptian revolution Christians and Muslims prayed together in the mosques and churches just off Tahrir Sq. I posted photos here about it.

Here is another story about this week

Who Guards The Most Sacred Site In Christendom? Two Muslims



JERUSALEM -- Every Christian knows the holiest places in Christendom are in Jerusalem. The holiest of all, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, was erected in 325, over the site where it is believed Jesus was crucified, buried and rose from the dead.
Yet, few know that it is a Muslim who opens and closes the only door to this holiest of Christian sites.

In fact, it's two Muslims: one man from the Joudeh family and another man from the Nuseibeh family, two Jerusalem Palestinian clans who have been the custodians of the entrance to the Holy Sepulchre since the 12th century. http://www.ibtimes.com/who-guards-most-sacred-site-christendom-two-muslims-1161517

The Jews in Jerusalem however do this

They know of course that shoes are not allowed in mosques but that's the Israelis for you!

Anything to provoke



Americans doing the same!

 

Thx cenydd - there was a brief mention of it in our local weekly - I cant frind but found this from another site :

"Tuesday 12 March 2013

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has agreed to take over from Dr Rowan Williams as official patron of the UK’s largest Christian-Muslim inter faith organisation, the Christian Muslim Forum.

Speaking after meeting the Forum’s trustees last week, the Archbishop said: "I’m excited to support the important work of the Christian Muslim Forum, as Christian-Muslim relations is a key global issue which it is vital to get right – and can have tragic consequences if we don’t."

The Christian Muslim Forum has just celebrated its seventh anniversary and remains uniquely placed, with its wide representation of both Muslim and Christian traditions, providing guidance on a range of issues such as inter faith marriage, and mission and evangelism (see the forum’s ‘Ethical Witness Guidelines’).

Archbishop Justin's focus on reconciliation fits well within the Forum’s framework of being a peace organisation, working to provide pastoral care and guidance in the community, puncturing prejudice and negativity.

The Forum supports the role of women in faith and recently hosted the first national awards ceremony for Christian and Muslim women, celebrating their contribution to local and national interfaith initiatives. A copy of its ‘The Edge’ report on women’s initiatives was handed to the Archbishop.

Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra, Co-Chair of the Forum and Assistant Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, said: ‘We are very grateful to Archbishop Justin for meeting with us so early in his ministry and were encouraged by his keen interest in our work.’

Bishop Paul Hendricks, Co-Chair and Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark, added: "Christian-Muslim dialogue is essential. Our work in England can be a role model for Christians and Muslims around the world. Archbishop Justin is extremely well-connected with Christian and Muslim leaders in Nigeria and we look forward to continuing to engage with Nigerian communities."

The Archbishop echoed the forum’s concerns for honest engagement between two different faiths, speaking of "passionate differences without passionate hatred".

Other Forum members attending the 5 March meeting were: the Rt Revd Dr Richard Cheetham (President, Trustee and Anglican Bishop of Kingston), Anjum Anwar MBE (President, Trustee and Dialogue Development Officer, exChange, Blackburn Cathedral) and Julian Bond (Director).


http://www.christianmuslimforum.org/index.php/news/165-new-patron


I'm not religious - I just wish them all well and glad to see efforts are made for better understanding between people of different faiths.

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I hope that the incidents precede a trend and that the trend becomes a movement.

 

Hmmm! I wonder if Muslims would allow Christians to hold a service in a mosque? I doubt it, even though many were originally churches. One thing is certain, if anyone dared to chant hymns in the 1,500 year old Cathedral of Aghia Sophia they wouldn't survive very long, even though it has been designated a museum by Turkey.

This video is superimposed. It is the Greek Orthodox Psalter Karvanos chanting the Holy Thursday Orthodox Hymn in the great Aghia Sophia. The mosaic icons on the walls, reappeared when the plaster covering them fell off during an earthquake. They were covered by the Ottomans when they converted it into a mosque. ENJOY!


[video=youtube;lobgieX4rKg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lobgieX4rKg[/video]

 

And I look forward to reciprocity. Best in Egypt, Indonesia or Nigeria... in a mosque, close to the burnt church.

 

Check out post #13. Give peace a chance.

 

NO! Not until a Grand Mufti or Ayatollah washes and kisses feet of some Christian prisoner, convicted of blasphemy.

 

What makes you doubt it particularly? Perhaps the members of the mosque currently using the church in Aberdeen would be more than happy to welcome the Christians in to worship in return! Probably plenty of mosques that wouldn't, I would think, as there are probably plenty of churches that wouldn't follow the example of this particular church either. Hopefully, though, things can improve by people following examples like this.

 

That's not very Jesus like of you!

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How so?

What then? They will choose only the food they want, selectively, as anyone who uses a buffet? Pancakes are still halal!

 

Beautiful photographs Abu, beautiful. What you are not saying is that the floors in the mosque are so filthy dirty, to remove shoes for the American soldiers would be to invite injury or worse. Kudos to American commander who forbade his soldiers to remove shoes which they, of course, were going to do

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No, of course not. I'm not Christian, nor do I have Jesus's eternal life do deal with all the World's problems

 

lol my apologies! & clever quip BTW!

 

Most of the time people left to their own devices are generally peaceful. Like in government, again generally speaking the leaders of religions are usually paramount in creating strife between their charges for some ulterior self-serving reason. II am happy this story is a contradiction to the to the above. God bless them.

reva

 

It would seem that you are attempting to impose christian values upon muslims. Still, I may be wrong. Point me to any Islamic directives to wash feet and I'll reconsider my response.

 

You're absolutely correct, Moon. There are no gestures of like magnitude toward Christians or any other infidels in Islam. I stand corrected.