The practice of reading spiritual texts together is gathering momentum. Technically known as scriptural reasoning — a practice of reading sacred scriptures, in small groups, together — there are about 20 such groups in the US and the UK, where it is gradually moving towards becoming a civic and community practice, its creator Peter Ochs co-wrote in a recent paper. Titled, Grassroots Scriptural Reasoning on Campus, this paper comes out of the presentation and practice of scriptural reasoning at the annual meeting of the National Association of College and University Chaplains at Duke University in February 2010.
Universities usually follow and try to decode the real world. But in a delightful change, two of them — Cambridge University and University of Virginia — are leading the charge on scriptural reasoning, a subject that could tomorrow turn into a field.
: spiritual reasoning, “a practice of reading sacred scriptures, in small groups, together,” according to Ochs, a professor of modern Judaic studies at University of Virginia.
“Normally the passages of scripture chosen are Jewish, Christian and Muslim and are linked together by a particular issue, theme, story or image,” Ochs, a professor of modern Judaic studies at University of Virginia, writes. “When read together in this way participants — or “reasoners” — have found that astonishing, powerful and, at times, quite surprising, new conversations and relationships may open up.”
The idea was to understand other religions, and expand the subject of theology. “Spiritual reasoning began in the 1980s as textual reasoning, a university-based forum for Jewish scholars of philosophy and Jewish textual scholars to meet and learn texts together in an effort to better understand each other, and to be able to tackle key questions about Judaism in the present and future,” according to the Cambridge Inter-Faith Programme. “In the 1990s, the doors were opened first to Christians and then to Muslims. Now it is an “open-ended” practice, going on in groups in the UK, the USA and beyond.”
I think India needs such groups — it will help balm the otherwise hatred-filled, exclusive, suspicious or simply indifferent attitude that the popular discourse seems to be adopting in an otherwise harmoniously religious nation.
Ochs suggests how this can be done.
“If spiritual reasoning is to serve the good, then it must be facilitated and nurtured in a way that moves each circle of study to offer open and caring hospitality to each and all participants: the religious and the nonreligious, from this background and that, the learned and the not so learned.”
This diversity in place, he goes on to the modus operandi: “The ‘formula’ for such study is simple: a table, chairs, two or more sets of texts from the different canons, some variety of participants, a sensitive facilitator (or two), a spirit of respect for all texts on the table and trust that, however challenging the verses may at times appear, persistent and open dialogue and careful word by word study will in time — we pray! — open each fellowship of study to mutual care and friendship and open each participant to the possibility of simultaneous affection (at the very least, deep respect) for the wisdoms he or she brought to the study and those encountered anew around the table of study.”
I like the idea and I’m sure within the next six months some of you will test it. The question is: will vested interests who benefit from religious divisions allow this experiment to take form? Worth finding out.
Posted by Gautam Chikermane on Sunday, August 8, 2010 at 11:16 pm
Comments
1. shan says:
@Gautam , there is not a great deal to understand , only reason that needs to get through to these nutters is the context of the genesis of religion. All religion grew out of fear from nature , thus nature gods, indra, thor in nordic , next came illness , perpetual enslavement in case of jews , thus the concept of messiah , then came prophecy , and followers , and that led to business , with priest class that brought its antithesis and prophets. And that is what is worth for, also there is still fear of impernanece , so there is still demand for the old school , bring the ray of rationality and you will realise you were looking for god but were made captive in the dungeon of religion.
2. Amit Julka says:
@gautam:I myself thought about the same concept and how we could tap religious channels to start the dialogue. Channels like Aastha and Sanskar could probably lead the way….And it would also be a welcome respite from the drivel they normally telecast all day
Universities usually follow and try to decode the real world. But in a delightful change, two of them — Cambridge University and University of Virginia — are leading the charge on scriptural reasoning, a subject that could tomorrow turn into a field.
: spiritual reasoning, “a practice of reading sacred scriptures, in small groups, together,” according to Ochs, a professor of modern Judaic studies at University of Virginia.
“Normally the passages of scripture chosen are Jewish, Christian and Muslim and are linked together by a particular issue, theme, story or image,” Ochs, a professor of modern Judaic studies at University of Virginia, writes. “When read together in this way participants — or “reasoners” — have found that astonishing, powerful and, at times, quite surprising, new conversations and relationships may open up.”
The idea was to understand other religions, and expand the subject of theology. “Spiritual reasoning began in the 1980s as textual reasoning, a university-based forum for Jewish scholars of philosophy and Jewish textual scholars to meet and learn texts together in an effort to better understand each other, and to be able to tackle key questions about Judaism in the present and future,” according to the Cambridge Inter-Faith Programme. “In the 1990s, the doors were opened first to Christians and then to Muslims. Now it is an “open-ended” practice, going on in groups in the UK, the USA and beyond.”
I think India needs such groups — it will help balm the otherwise hatred-filled, exclusive, suspicious or simply indifferent attitude that the popular discourse seems to be adopting in an otherwise harmoniously religious nation.
Ochs suggests how this can be done.
“If spiritual reasoning is to serve the good, then it must be facilitated and nurtured in a way that moves each circle of study to offer open and caring hospitality to each and all participants: the religious and the nonreligious, from this background and that, the learned and the not so learned.”
This diversity in place, he goes on to the modus operandi: “The ‘formula’ for such study is simple: a table, chairs, two or more sets of texts from the different canons, some variety of participants, a sensitive facilitator (or two), a spirit of respect for all texts on the table and trust that, however challenging the verses may at times appear, persistent and open dialogue and careful word by word study will in time — we pray! — open each fellowship of study to mutual care and friendship and open each participant to the possibility of simultaneous affection (at the very least, deep respect) for the wisdoms he or she brought to the study and those encountered anew around the table of study.”
I like the idea and I’m sure within the next six months some of you will test it. The question is: will vested interests who benefit from religious divisions allow this experiment to take form? Worth finding out.
Posted by Gautam Chikermane on Sunday, August 8, 2010 at 11:16 pm
Comments
1. shan says:
@Gautam , there is not a great deal to understand , only reason that needs to get through to these nutters is the context of the genesis of religion. All religion grew out of fear from nature , thus nature gods, indra, thor in nordic , next came illness , perpetual enslavement in case of jews , thus the concept of messiah , then came prophecy , and followers , and that led to business , with priest class that brought its antithesis and prophets. And that is what is worth for, also there is still fear of impernanece , so there is still demand for the old school , bring the ray of rationality and you will realise you were looking for god but were made captive in the dungeon of religion.
2. Amit Julka says:
@gautam:I myself thought about the same concept and how we could tap religious channels to start the dialogue. Channels like Aastha and Sanskar could probably lead the way….And it would also be a welcome respite from the drivel they normally telecast all day
K.Venugopal Reply:Your comment is awaiting moderation.
August 9th, 2010 at 11:42 am
Mr. Amit Julka says Aastha and Sanskar normally telecast drivel all day. If he participates in a scriptural reasoning session, wouldn’t we be having an extremely prejudiced participant? Is prejudice reasonable?
3. K.Venugopal says:
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
A sentence, whether in a scripture or in an ordinary book, unless it is in a do-it-yourself sort of instruction manual, is likely to suggest more than one approach to it. So in “scriptural reasoning” sessions the direction the reasoning would take would depend on the direction the most determined moderator of the session would want the session to take (and there are likely to be such committed moderators in these sessions because these sessions would not have popped themselves up from a vacuum). These are all hare-brained ideas that become a fad for sometime and then vanish into meaninglessness. Scriptures in a collective way would benefit us much if no scripture insists that it alone is the only repository of wisdom.
http://blogs.hindustantimes.com/cutting-the-edge/2010/08/08/is-india-ready-for-scriptural-reasoning/comment-page-1/#comment-3834
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