A Modern Day Council of Nicaea

Since governments get their most power from war, maybe religions realize their economic prosperity and survival involves peace and cooperation.

I wrote a blog on 4/30/2007 titled, Religious Wars, http://f4u.blogspot.com/2007/04/religious-wars.html In that blog I said, "The First Council of Nicaea, held in Turkey in 325 by Roman Emperor Constantine, was to attain a consensus on some Christian doctrines and practices. Constantine avoided a fissure in Christendom at that time, and probably avoided much bloodshed. It's too bad for all religions they do not have a modern Constantine today."

I expected this modern day meeting to be many years away, but Islamic and Christian leaders are planning on talking to each other now. Maybe they have decided it is better to share the market than to kill the market. They realize many people in the world see religions of today still causing war. The religions' leaders have to find a way to stop the declining membership in churches.

The Catholic Pope has made trips abroad in 2008 in an attempt to shore up flagging membership in the Catholic Church and Catholic schools.

Technology has made it easier for different people of different religions to travel abroad and see that there are other views about God. This has a tendency to dilute the effect a village priest or Imam used to have when the flow of information was limited.

The preachers, Imams, and priests have to figure a way to combat growing atheism.

I haven't seen anything on the MSM about these religions meeting. The media loves war and conflict. Reporting about another day of peace will not reap much advertising revenue.

Charles Tolleson

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0730/p02s01-ussc.html
This week, a global bid to connect Muslims and Christians Faith leaders' quest for understanding, commonality begins Tuesday at Yale. By Jane Lampman Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor from the July 29, 2008 edition

Top-tier religious leaders in the Muslim world are emerging as major proponents of dialogue with Christians and other world faiths. With two distinct initiatives this month, they are breaking new ground and sending signals to Muslims and others globally that interreligious understanding and joint action are Islamic values.

Those involved see the initiatives, if sustained, as breaking down misperceptions, strengthening mainstream religious voices on the world stage, and diminishing the influence of extremism.

This week, Yale University hosts the first of four meetings between prominent Muslim and Christian leaders from across the globe, with discussions rooted in foundational principles of the two faiths. The conference beginning Tuesday is the first fruit of "A Common Word between Us and You," the letter sent last fall by 138 Muslim leaders from 40 nations to the leaders of the world's Christian churches.