The Claremont School of Theology is in the news for its ambitious plans to create a new interdisciplinary theology program:
At a press conference this morning, we announced our agreement to co-create the first graduate consortium in the world that will provide theological education for Christians, Jews, Muslims, as well as students from other faith groups. Each group will maintain its own curriculum and have the opportunity to contribute to a unique shared interreligious curriculum designed to provide students with the experience of interreligious dialogue and study alongside students from other religious traditions.
I know what you’re worrying — if Christians are exposed to Muslim teachings, and so on, some of them might change their minds about what they’re studying! After all, isn’t that how education works? Someone goes to college thinking he’s going to study chemistry, and then he takes a philosophy course and switches his major, and then he takes another philosophy course and switches it back, and then he breaks too much glassware, so he switches to physics, and then he breaks a really expensive atom-smashing apparatus, so he switches to math, and then math is too hard, so he switches to sociology?
In secular studies that’s an OK thing to do. The chemistry department and the physics department might have different explanations for a few things, but at a deep level physics and chemistry complement each other. Believing the principles of chemistry doesn’t logically require you to disbelieve the principles of physics, nor vice versa.
Theology is different, though. You can’t logically believe both “Jesus Christ is both god and the son of god” and “Jesus Christ was just some dude with long hair.” That doesn’t work.
Fortunately, it turns out that “learning about other religions” doesn’t really mean learning about other religions:
Another truism is that interreligious dialogue is more about deepening the existing religious identity of an individual than it is about conversion to another religion. Furthermore, research shows that individuals who learn in religiously diverse environments usually do not convert to another tradition.
So basically, the classes about Islam “deepen” Muslims’ conviction that Islam is correct, and they “deepen” non-Muslims’ conviction that Islam is wrong. Similarly for the classes about Christianity, about Judaism, and about other religions.
This is, if you think about it, a pretty impressive thing to accomplish. Nonetheless, I’m not sure whether “strengthening students’ pre-existing superstitions” really should count as a “new paradigm for theological education.” Isn’t that what they’ve been doing for centuries?
As astoundingly crazy as the whole thing seems, hopefully learning about other religions will make the students question their own. At that, only the most ignorantly faithful will be able to “deepen” their faith.
Of course, everyone should be exposed to the multitude of (contradicting) religions before they reach that age, but in America that is not the case (and much of the reason why so many people are so religious).
Joel,
I want a post about Israel and it’s vicious attack on peace loving blockade breakers. Put your money (at least some of it) where your mouth is. Let’s see what comes out.
“Furthermore, research shows that individuals who learn in religiously diverse environments usually do not convert to another tradition. ”
Of course not. They become atheists if they’re intelligent, and if not, their faith deepens (becomes cast in stone).
As astoundingly crazy as the whole thing seems, hopefully learning about other religions will make the students question their own. At that, only the most ignorantly faithful will be able to “deepen” their faith.
Of course, everyone should be exposed to the multitude of (contradicting) religions before they reach that age, but in America that is not the case (and much of the reason why so many people are so religious).
Here’s how the change of major sequence went at the U. of Chicago when i went there years ago:
Can’t hack it in med or law school – try for an MBA.
Enter divinity school and lose your faith when confronted with original sources and archaeological facts- try for an MBA.
Can’t cut it in business school – try political science.
Can’t cut it in poli sci – major in journalism.