Dialogue of the deaf
This short, concise research article aims to advocate for avoiding any doctrinal dialogue between Christians and Muslims.
Here, I will focus on the main reason for avoiding any doctrinal dialogue.
Within Christianity, there are currently three main schools:
Orthodoxy, which has rejected any change to the doctrine established since the beginning of Christianity—especially their adherence to the doctrines of the seven ecumenical councils, beginning with the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD.
Catholicism, which was officially established in the Great Schism of 1054 AD.
In addition, there is the emergence of the Lutheran-Protestant movement in 1517 AD. These three schools differ from one another—and the differences are not superficial.
As for Islam, there is esoteric Islam, which includes several sects such as the Alawites, Druze, Murshidiyya, and others.
Shia Islam: The Shia, the second largest sect in Islam, are divided into three main branches that survive today: the Twelver (Ja’fari), the Zaydi, and the Ismaili.
As for the Sunni Islamic schools of thought and their offshoots, we will likely find dozens of schools, sects, and schools of thought that are not in harmony with one another; rather, they are in a state of Sunni-Sunni conflict. Among these Sunni schools of thought are:
Hanafi, Maliki, Hanbali, Shafi’i, Zahiri-Hazmi, Zahiri-Dawudi, Athari, Maturidi, Ash’ari, Shawkani, San’ati, Sufi, Salafist-Wahhabi, Salafist Jihadist, Qadiri, Shadhili, Activist Salafism, Salafist-Scholarly, Naqshbandi, Reformist Salafism, Awza’i, Madkhali (Jami) Salafism, Deobandi, Tabligh and Da’wah, Contemporary Non-Madhhabism, Nursi, Rifa’i, Barelvi, Islamic Liberation, Shar’i Sufism, Tijani, Mu’tazili, Tumartiya, Existential Sufism, Mawlawi..
Therefore, the dialogue of these religions – which are divided amongst themselves – is a dialogue of the deaf. It is impossible – and perhaps even inconceivable – to reach any religious consensus. For this reason, the only solution is to agree on adopting the principle of human rights and to discuss the mechanism for its implementation.
By Fr. Spyridon Tanous
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