Calif. University Introduces First U.S. Multi-Faith School of Theology

[rug]

Claremont Lincoln University, a graduate school in California, is the first in the United States to bring together Christians, Jews and Muslims in the same classrooms to educate the future leaders of churches, synagogues and mosques.

AIR DATE: Oct. 25, 2011

JUDY WOODRUFF: Next a graduate university in California that brings Christians, Jews and Muslims together in the same classrooms to educate leaders for churches, synagogues and mosques.

SAUL GONZALEZ: With Korean-American drummers leading a line of professors, a new experiment in American religious education began this fall.

This was the opening of Southern California's Claremont Lincoln University, which describes itself as America's first inter-religious school of theology, one that will train pastors, rabbis and eventually Muslim imams, all on one campus.

The school's philosophy was captured in the opening remarks of Muslim-American religious scholar Najeeba Syeed-Miller, a professor at Claremont Lincoln.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/education/july-dec11/religioused_10-25.html

(7:18 video and transcrpt at link.)

[kestrel91316]

1. Fundie heads (of all stripes) exploding as I type...

[madrchsod]

2. god yes...throw in unitarian universalism in the mix...!

[Thats my opinion]

3. They are welcome

I am involved in this venture. And we are looking for other groups. The Jains are the next to have joined. It is the wave of the future.

[bananas]

4. Gandhi was a Jain, wasn't he? nt

[edhopper]

5. Seems to me that the only thing they will

agree on is that there is some sort of moral imperative that is given to humans from some celestial power that we should follow. And that some celestial power exists, that is completely undefined and may be a single God, many gods or a just a universal intelligence.
For this to work they must all admit that they could be 100% wrong about their faith.

[Thats my opinion]

6. The problem is

You don't have the slightest idea what went into the discussions to form the University, or what they have as ground rules. Why not let those who know talk about the process. You obviously are a total outsider, and your assumption is dead wrong. But then. perhaps if it works well is undercuts a whole bunch of prejudices.

[cleanhippie]

7. Translation: STFU

You DO realize that this is a DISCUSSION board, right?


Stay classy, charles.

[trotsky]

8. Some might accuse you of being a total insider, in your little religious bubble.

Some of us see how the rest of the country practices their religion, and it ain't all the rainbows and bubblegum that you talk about around the kum-bay-ah campfire. Worse, these people have real political power and influence - far more than you and your groups do.

[trotsky]

9. And it has always seemed to me...

that the participants do this with a wink and a nod, all thinking to themselves the same thing: "We all worship the same divine presence, it's just that MY personal beliefs are closer to the way things really are, and all these other nice folks are really worshiping my god, who is cool with it."