My advice about "theological dialogue/agreement"

http://www.zenit.org/article-21385?l=english

Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, the new president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, said in October that he was not sure theological dialogue was possible with Muslims. That view also has been voiced by some other Catholics experts.

The prince's letter [Jordan's Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal, architect of the Muslim scholars' project] said that although the Muslim scholars think that complete theological agreement between Christians and Muslims is impossible by definition, they do wish to seek a common stand based on areas of agreement -- "whether we wish to call this kind of dialogue 'theological' or 'spiritual' or something else."

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I am much more optimistic about the outcome of theological dialogue and work toward theological agreement than I think anyone else on earth, hmm? I understand the reservations but I think prayerful discernment and scholarship will reveal that they are not the gaps that many have grown accustomed to perceiving. Here is my advice. Let us look at it as a visualization exercise prior to conducting this vital and blessed work.

Imagine that there is a landscape, part of which is rugged valleys and forests to traverse, while part of it is smoother, yet perhaps arid and lacking in resources such as water. Two travelers wish to get to the same location, and they are actually within eyesight of each other, yet one must travel the rougher but more resource rich way, while the other must walk the smoother but more arid way. Sometimes the one who is struggling over rocky slopes and thick forests thinks the other traveler is the lucky one, who has a smooth and swift road to travel. At the same time the other traveler thinks how thirsty he is and how lucky the rugged traveler is to have clear and cool running streams of water so nearby to him.

This is how Christians and Muslims are in truth. The same God created the earth that they are both walking on. The same God created the destination that they are both walking toward. The same God created the rugged landscape, and the smooth landscape, providing boundless water, or very scarce water. The same God created (and loves) both travelers. The same God sends them prophets and "maps" along the way, encouraging them about the worthiness of their humanity and their slightly different routes that they walk, and their shared common ultimate destination.

If the Muslim and Christian scholars spend their time discovering the 99 percent commonality that I have described above, they will find that the 1 percent difference is due to realities of the different landscapes that the devoted peoples reside in during their earthly journey. God therefore would not give a map of rocky trails to the man who is walking the smooth arid way. And God would not give a map of oasis locations to the man who is walking along the swift flowing streams. This does not mean that the two walkers are not in theological agreement.

I hope this helps and God bless and shower with goodness those who are working with open hearts and clear minds on this blessed endeavor.