Noah shows the path against zealotry: Marmur | Toronto Star

Good piece by Dov Murmur on liberal religion within each tradition:

Looking at the havoc caused by those who purport to be God’s trailblazers, in our time no less than in ages past, we may have good reason to reconsider our admiration for Abraham’s readiness to sacrifice his son in ostensible obedience to God. The story seems to hint at the potentially destructive nature of religious zeal and reminds us that we should judge biblical characters by their actions, not by their apparently heroic intentions.

This may shock pious Muslims, Christians and Jews, but it will strengthen the resolve of progressive dissenters who seek to distance themselves from religious fanaticism, even when it appears to be devout.

Scripture indicates that God is on the side of the dissenters. It is God who prevents Abraham from carrying out the execution. God doesn’t seem to tolerate Abrahamic zeal, even when the good intentions are acknowledged. Child sacrifice is always senseless murder and a scandalous affront to God.

Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi are powerful witnesses to it. Their Nobel Peace Prize is an acknowledgement that good people in the world are on the side of God when they stand up against zealots, especially on behalf of children.

…To opt for Noah is to follow in the footsteps of the prophet Micah who teaches that God requires of us “only to do justice and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.” Humility — walking with God — manifests true and wholesome faith; fanaticism — purporting to make way for God — often becomes its lethal opposite.

This is the credo of liberal religion within each tradition. It’s also the basis for mature interfaith relations. What binds adherents of different faiths isn’t their zeal but their humility before God. Holy Writ endorses their stance.

Religious fanaticism, on the other hand, is invariably divisive. Zealots always fight others, not only non-believers but often also people within their own religious tradition who don’t share their zeal. Which is yet another reason to opt for Noah.

Noah shows the path against zealotry: Marmur | Toronto Star.