How Well Were You Prepared in World Religions?

[Dave Roberts]

One of the realities that of which I have become more intensely conscious is how much my seminary preparation in understanding other world religions was lacking. My required course was "Christian Missions and World Religions." Looking back now across more than 40 years, I am aware of how much it concentrated on the history of missions (and was taught by a former missionary). The text for the world religions seems to have concentrated more on Eastern Religions like Buddhism, Hinduism, and Shinto worship. Islam was given only a surface scan as mostly now in backward parts of the world. African religions were largely given only a paragraph or two. Over the past decade, I have been trying to learn as much as possible about Islam, since we live in a world where Muslims may soon outnumber Christians. Does my experience parallel others of you in college and seminary training?

[Tim Bonney]

I'm not sure I even got that much David. Everything I know about world religions has come from subsequent study.

[Haruo]

I know I probably have a biased notion of the history of Nichiren Shoshu.

[Stephen Fox]

With reading of Charles Kimba's When Religion Becomes Evil in 2002. I don't think Thornton ever read it

[Dave Roberts]

Somehow, I suspect that world religions was one of the greatest gaps in most of our educations.

[Tim Bonney]

[Jon Estes]

In seminary I took a J term class on world religions where we visited a mosque, Hindu temple... I do not remember much of it because it seemed some of the students in the Q&A time dominated the conversation with questions which were not productive but done to make the student feel good about how wrong the religions was. I kept quiet and did my work - Imagine that.

jle

[Dave Roberts]

[Shawn Koester]

One of my seminary courses in my first year was Inter-religious dialogue. We can learn from other traditions but it is important note we need to be centered in our Christian commitments while reaching out. Inter-religious dialogue is not about hiding our faith under a bushel nor is it "out niceing" each other. It is about celebrating the things we have in common, acknowledging our differences and being comfortable amidst our differences. The times I have engaged in inter-religious dialogue it has made me a stronger Christian.