News Brief

Scriptural Reasoning was successfully launched at the Chaplaincy on Wednesday 26th February. Thank you for everyone who joined us in the interesting and thought-provoking discussions, as well as the sharing of the delicious food from Arabian Bites.

At the event, readers (Anne from Christianity, Ethan from Judaism, Lyn from Buddhism, Rattan from Sikhism) shared with the audience carefully selected scriptures surrounding the theme ‘The Golden Rule’ from their faith traditions.

Anne shared a scripture from ‘Matthew 7:12’, and linked it back to the 10 commandments, which can be further themed one’s relationship with God and relationship with others, the latter coming out of the former. She also gave the example of 40 acts of kindness for lent in actual practice.

Ethan shared scriptures from ‘Leviticus 19:11-18’, revealing the concrete acts and attitudes with which one shall behave towards others. He explained what these guiding principles mean in his life.

Lyn shared scriptures from ‘The Buddha Speaks the Mahayana, Infinite Life, Adornment, Purity, Impartiality, and Enlightenment Sutra’, describing the virtues of Bodhisattva. She illustrated the Buddhist view on unity and how these teachings broadened her heart and helped her overcome a certain level of selfishness and jealousy.

Rattan shared scriptures from ‘Guru Arjan Devji 259’, ‘Guru Arjan Dev: AG 1299’, and ‘Sridasam p51’, which encourage seeing others as having more similarities than differences. He reflected on his charity work at the ‘Student Action for Refugees (STAR)’ where he worked with people from diverse backgrounds but all having a same goal in heart.

Following the reading of sacred texts and brief sharing from the readers, the Rev’d Anglican Chaplain Kate led an interactive session, in which audience joined in the discussion of the theme and shared their feelings about such a form of inter-faith dialogue. Some participants had some heated discussions around a Buddhist metaphor; some were amazed by the vivid connections of the two Abrahamic faith traditions; others were inspired by the straight forwardness of Sikhism in describing the multi-faith relations. We hope that this event helps foster deeper understanding of others’ and one’s own faith, as well as create a pressure-free opportunity to value differences/disagreements besides discovering commonalities.

The Chaplaincy is planning to organize more sessions in the coming months. Students and staff with religious faith or no faith alike are welcome to join. If you do have interest, please send an email to Kate at k.pearson@warwick.ac.uk

What is Scriptural Reasoning?

• In Scriptural Reasoning, people of different faiths come together to read and reflect on their scriptures side-by-side.
• Scriptural Reasoning is not about seeking agreement but rather exploring the texts and their possible interpretations across faith boundaries.
• The result is often a deeper understanding of others' and one’s own scriptures, as well as the development of strong bonds across faith communities.

(for more information, please visit: http://www.scripturalreasoning.org. Scriptural Reasoning in the UK is led and supported by the Rose Castle Foundation).

Next Scriptural Reasoning Workshop

• Watch this space