Vol 1, Issue 3 • May 2011
Beyond Doctrine
Working to capture the essence of inter-religious dialogue
by Ulrich Rosenhagen, LISAR Assistant Director
One of the classes I teach on Western religions
includes a lecture on
inter-religious dialogue.
I tend to end that lecture
with a picture of the late
Pope John Paul II, who
was recently beatified. The
picture was taken in May
2001 during the Pope’s
visit of the Umayyad
mosque of Damascus in
Syria, which is built on
top of a former Christian
basilica dedicated to John
the Baptist. The picture
shows the Pope holding in
both hands a large copy of
the Qur’an bound in thick,
green leather. He is lifting
the Qur’an up to his face
while his eyes are closed.
The Pope is kissing the
Qur’an.
For anyone familiar with the liturgy of the Catholic mass, the Pope’s gesture recalls an element of the mass when the priest, before and after reading the gospel, lifts the Bible to his lips to kiss it. This liturgical gesture is a form of language; kissing the gospel symbolically expresses the priest’s deep connection and devotion to the gospel’s sacred text. Accordingly, when John Paul II kisses the Qur’an, he draws on the symbolic language of the mass and expresses the connection between man and the divine. Thus, with one simple gesture, the late Pope acknowledges the Qur’an as sacred text as well as its divine origin.
Over the years, LISAR
has organized conferences
with a focus on either
interdisciplinary
scholarship or religious
thought and practice
among the different
Abrahamic traditions.
Currently we’re looking forward to our next
academic conference,
which will be held in
England, when on July
26-28 we’ll partner with
the Faculty of Theology at
Oxford University.
For our past conferences we received a fair amount of praise for the high level of respect and appreciation with which the participants encountered each other. Since traditional doctrinal language has played only a minor role at these conferences, it seems as if doctrinal language cannot capture the very essence of today’s inter-religious dialogue any more. After all, religious practitioners know that there is a symbolic language beyond doctrine which is based on gestures, expressions and intuition, a language which makes immediate sense to the faithful despite its lack of discursiveness.
In the picture I mentioned,
the Pope is employing
this other type of
language. By kissing the
Qur’an, he speaks to the
Abrahamic faithful in the
language not of doctrinal
theology but of piety and
devotion. While doing
so, he conveys to us that
among the Abrahamic
religions there is unity
despite all differences,
and that dialogue between
Abrahamic people happens
on common ground rather
than between exclusivist
claims.
To me, the image of the pope at the Umayyad mosque serves as a metaphor for our conversations and endeavors at LISAR. Despite our various differences and particularities, the image can remind scholars and practitioners of the Abrahamic traditions of their ultimate source. The picture can remind Jews, Christians and Muslims that they all pray to the One who long time ago made a covenant with Abraham.
In late January I presented a lecture in conjunction with
the New York Public Library’s exhibition of Abrahamic
manuscripts, “Three Faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and
Islam,” and the accompanying series of neighborhood
discussions, “The 411 on Faith,” to which LISAR gave a
grant. Two weeks later I attended a session of the White
House Prayer Breakfast. On both occasions I witnessed a
profound desire among the audiences to learn about other
faiths. Shortly thereafter, the State of Wisconsin erupted
over budget proposals put forward by Governor Scott
Walker and the Legislature. The acrimony surged into
the subsequent campaign for justice of the state supreme
court and intensified during a recount occasioned by
the twelfth-hour discovery of ballots that reversed the
election’s initial results. Meanwhile, massive (and
unpredicted) protests against authoritarian regimes spread
across the Arab world.
These events may seem unrelated, but to my mind they all shed light on the importance—and tenuousness—of civil society, the dense networks of voluntary organizations and personal association in which so much public discourse takes place. The willingness of citizens in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and elsewhere to risk their lives for the chance to speak their minds testifies to the value they accord civil society, while the divisiveness of Wisconsin politics, albeit not bloody, speaks to its vulnerability even in places, like the Badger State, that enjoy the most propitious conditions for and robust traditions of nurturing it. This vulnerability suggests why interfaith conversations matter; they connect people who might otherwise remain segregated, thereby thickening civil society. Whether discussants agree matters less than that they respect the importance of continuing to talk. Facilitating the interfaith contacts so vital for sustaining American civil society comprises an important part of LISAR’s mission.
LISAR
Fellows
Voice
Tamar Shertok,
LISAR Undergraduate Fellow, 2010-11
I was raised in a Jewish
home in Milwaukee, and
I have a strong Jewish
community in Madison.
While living in Seville,
Spain in spring 2010,
however, I felt my place
as a minority more than
I ever felt before. The
majority of the Spanish
population is Catholic and
as one of very few Jewish
students living in Seville, I
was singled out in classes
and meetings, faced
stereotypical remarks
towards Jewish people,
and was asked numerous
questions by friends,
teachers, Spaniards and Americans about Judaism.
At first, these encounters came across as ignorant and made me feel uncomfortable for being Jewish, but as the semester prevailed, I appreciated people’s interest in my faith and lifestyle, and welcomed their questions. I learned how to converse with those who had never met a Jewish person and felt confident answering questions. Thus, as I was learning about the Catholic faith, others were learning about my religious traditions. My experience abroad taught me the importance of getting to know other faiths as well as exploring one’s own identity.
As a result of the
comments and questions
I received while abroad,
I decided to continue
learning and conversing
with people of other faiths
and traditions. I joined
the Lubar Institute for
the Study of the Abrahamic
Religions (LISAR) and as
a fellow, I helped promote
and facilitate dialogue
between Jews, Christians,
and Muslims. Through my
involvement in LISAR, I
have become friends with
students from diverse
backgrounds and beliefs,
making my experience
at UW-Madison more
meaningful.
Through the monthly forum discussions, coexistence dinners, and outside LISAR activities, my discomforts with other traditions have disappeared. In its place I have found a mutual respect, common understanding, and faith in humanity. LISAR illustrates the beauty and uniqueness of the three traditions rather than focusing on the differences.
My experience living in Spain ultimately sparked my interest in interfaith dialogue. Through the LISAR fellowship, I have had meaningful experiences in interfaith dialogue, where I continually learned about traditions, beliefs, and customs that were different than mine. LISAR became the instrument for bridging the gaps between Jews, Christians, and Muslims. As I move forward after graduation, I know the relationships I have formed in LISAR will be valuable to me in my efforts to continue fostering coexistence in the world today
While school may be
out for many, summer
is an excellent time to
consider a gift to the Lubar
Institute. Any contribution
made this break will
offer the opportunity
to participate in an unparalled effort: the bringing
together of Muslim, Jewish and Christian students,
faculty and community members to share ideas,
learn about other faiths and increase understanding
of their own. Even the smallest gift you make this
month enables LISAR to do something we could
not otherwise accomplish. You may wish to visit
our Web site to examine some examples of what
levels of donation may do, but the real list of giving
opportunities is endless.
The campaign for LISAR, like the Institute itself, is unique; it could happen only at a public institution with a long tradition of civic involvement like UW- Madison. Consider becoming a part of our work. You can make a gift online, or for assistance in making a gift by mail, or to discuss further giving opportunities, please contact our UW Foundation representative.
Stephen Wald, Director of Development
College of Letters and Science
University of Wisconsin Foundation
608-263-2202 (office) 608-287-6480 (cell)
stephen.wald@supportuw.org