Biblical Interfaith Relations

By Helene Zucker
State University of New York at New Paltz

The Bible tells us that the people ultimately known as the Israelites escaped Egypt and wandered for 40 years in the desert to reach the land God showed Abraham long ago. During this time, the people had relationships with peoples of other faiths such as the Moabites, who invited the Israelites to make sacrifices to their god, Ba'al. The Jewish people adapted these foreign rituals when sacrificing to the Golden Calf. Some time later, Moses says a typical (very long) Jewish goodbye. Leadership switches over to Joshua, and the people prepare to enter the land.

God promises to drive out the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. God tells the children of Israel to possess the land, by destroying every one of these people without associating with them and by smashing all foreign religious items. Despite this commandment, in the Book of Judges, the Israelites fall into a horrible cycle. They follow God for a short time and then fall into idolatry. God allows the Israelites to become enslaved because they worshiped false gods. They cry out to the Lord and repent, so God raises a Judge to save the people. When the people are saved, the cycle repeats and they worship the Lord all over again. This cycle repeats itself six times within the Book of Judges alone.

A few months ago, I wrote an article on Jewish stereotypes and defining the other. Perhaps a part of defining the other is defining ourselves. God seems to be telling the people what they are by showing them what they are not. They are not any other nation and should keep to themselves isolated unless engaged in battle.

From these early events, we understand that interfaith experiences did not turn out well. The Jewish people were so insecure in their beliefs they could not even live next to a community of another faith without adapting to their religious rituals.

In the modern world, have we allowed ourselves to accept assimilation into an interfaith population, giving up things that make us unique or should we be attempting to differentiate ourselves?

[Posted 11/1/05]