2nd Global Interfaith Leadership Series

CIRCLING THE ELEPHANT: INTERRELIGIOUS LEARNING IN A POLARISED WORLD

by Prof John J. Thatamanil, Assoc. Prof. in Comparative Theology and World Religions, Union Theological Seminar, City of New York, USA

Chairperson: Prof. Yaacob Ibrahim, Advisor, Centre for Interfaith Understanding, Singapore

Orgaised by Centre for Interfaith Understanding (CIFU), in collaboration with The Hindu Hub.

DAY/DATE: SUNDAY, 20 DECEMBER 2020

SINGAPORE 11.00 AM - 1.00 PM

ZOOM & FACEBOOK LIVE

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Synopsis:

The world is currently seeing a rise in identity politics that polarises society. With religious conflicts making headlines around the world, a question emerges: is religious diversity fundamentally a problem? If religion is not intrinsically a problem, can we imagine a theological reflection that begins with a delight in multiplicity and invites us to grow in appetite for religious difference? Prof. John J. Thatamanil will invite us to imagine religious diversity as a promise instead of a problem. Beginning with the allegory of the blind men and the elephant, he will demonstrate how religious traditions have fruitfully engaged with and learned from one another. This lecture will therefore draw us towards hospitable receptivity to the religious other, while suggesting humility when interpreting religious claims about the ultimate reality from the perspectives of communities of faith.

PROGRAMME:

11.00 am - Opening Remarks by Oliver Lim (CIFU)

11.10 am - Welcome Remarks by Kathirasan K. (The Hindu Hub)

11.20 am - Lecture: Circling the Elephant: Interreligious Learning in a Polarised World by Prof. John J. Thatamanil; Chaired by Prof. Yaacob Ibrahim

12.00 pm - Discussion / Q&A

1.00 pm - End

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Biodata:

John J. Thatamanil is Associate Professor of Theology and World Religions at the Union Theological seminary, City of New York, USA. He teaches comparative theology, theologies of religious diversity, Hindu-Christian dialogue, theory of religion, and process theology. He is committed to the work of comparative theology—theology that learns from and with a variety of traditions. A central question that drives his work is: “How can Christian communities come to see religious diversity as a promise rather than as a problem?” He is also a practitioner of vipassana meditation and includes time for meditation in virtually all of his courses at Union. He is author of The Immanent Divine (2006) and Circling the Elephant: A Comparative Theology of Religious Diversity (2020).

Yaacob Ibrahim is Professor of Engineering at the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) and Advisor to the President of SIT. He was also a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1997 to 2020, holding the portfolios of Minister in the Ministries of Communications and Information; Environment and Water Resources; and Community Development and Sports over a span of 16 years since 2002. He was also the Minister in charge of Muslim Affairs (2002-2018) and Minister in charge of Cyber Security (2015-2018). He is currently the Advisor to Centre for Interfaith Understanding (CIFU).