Human Life, Purpose and Dignity

Source: Elijah Interfaith Institute

Cosmo-Visions

When hostilities in the Holy Land erupted once again with the attack of October 7th and the pursuant war in Gaza, our response was to intensify our prayers and increase our shared learning, trying to fulfil the motto of “Sharing Wisdom, Fostering Peace.”

Praying Together in Jerusalem had been a monthly event. We reverted to meeting online and met each week. Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg, a member of the Elijah Board of World Religious Leaders, was the first to suggest that what we most needed to promote was the dignity of the human person. Thus, the theme for our shared learning became, “Upholding the Dignity of the Human Person in Times of Crisis.”

The learning was so rich, and we explored it from so many angles, that when it came to the summer school, we decided to build on the strong basis which we had created. It may have been impossible to invite students to Jerusalem to study, but we had become adept at learning online – and we had the topic ready. We explored the meaning of being a human person and the fullness of being human, under the heading, “Human Life, Purpose and Dignity.”

Day 1: Cosmo-Visions

The first day’s sub-topic was titled, “Cosmo-Visions: how the human person is placed in relation to other parts of creation.” This topic was also part of our Climate Repentance initiative.

Five scholars from different religious traditions offered very diverse interpretations of the topic and very different approaches to the relationship between humans and other parts of creation.

Hindu Professor Vasudha Narayanan asked to what extent humans are different from other parts of creation. Drawing on the teachings of two of India’s most influential religious figures, she offered two theories: the first, that all of creation, indeed, all of existence, is one, undivided, and that our sense of the separateness of individuals or objects is an illusion; the second, that all of creation, sentient and non-sentient alike, is the body of God – one “matter” connected to the spirit of God. Humans are not different in that regard from any other part of creation.

Archbishop Emeritus of Sweden, Antje Jacklen, described the difference between the two stories of the creation of the human being in the Book of Genesis, shared by Jews and Christians. Her proposal was that whereas the first story is about power and creating order, the second story is about relationships. With the motif of water common to both, the first story emphasizes the need for control but the second speaks of responsibility and empathy. Archbishop Jacklen said that perhaps we have placed too much emphasis on the first story and too little on the second.

Rebbetzin Gilla Rosen honed in on the same text that the Archbishop had recommended as the source of our relationship to the rest of creation and pointed out additional understandings of the text from Jewish scholarship. Humans have potential; they are not necessarily created as” good” but with the possibility of goodness. Each word in the sacred text is open to multiple interpretations but the core message is that human beings have a unique role to play in creation.

Grand Mufti Mustafa Ceric’s teaching was one more familiar to most participants. Although not everyone is familiar with the Quran and Islamic teachings, the similarities to Judeo-Christian teachings were unmistakable. Man is a separate and superior creation, put on earth to be God’s (Allah’s) vice-regent. She has intelligence and the ability to choose between right and wrong – superior even to angels.

Karma Lekshe Tsomo, a Buddhist nun who has contributed to much of Elijah’s work, also spoke about other realms – not so much angels as gods. For Buddhist, the human realm is superior precisely because of the challenges they face.

Our first day of learning challenged our conceptions of what it means to be human and opened our minds to diverse possibilities, from the idea that we are no different from any other part of the cosmos to the belief that we are created with a distinct purpose and are more Godly than any other of His creations. We asked about responsibility, relationships, ethics and purpose, all themes that were taken up on subsequent days of learning.

His Eminence Archbishop Nikitas (Lioulias) and Rabbi Alon Goshen-Gottstein - A Global Interreligious vision for Assisi

How do various religious traditions converge in their shared vision of hope and their commitment to peace? In what ways would the Global House of Friendship foster the conditions necessary for these values to flourish? How has Elijah's interfaith efforts influenced the Archbishop's personal spiritual journey? Moreover, to what extent can one faith tradition draw insights from another?

"Patriarch Bartholomew, the Ecumenical Patriarch is not one who sees the faith with blinders, he sees the faith as something to be shared, something to give to others, but to also listen to others."

Watch the dialogue of friendship between His Eminence Archbishop Nikitas (Lioulias) of Thyateira and Great Britain and Rabbi Alon Goshen-Gottstein. We are delighted to share with you this latest installment in a series of dialogues in view of the Global House of Friendship and Hope, in Assisi.

For previous episodes, see the interviews with Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, Assisi's Archbishop Sorrentino, and Sri Madhusudan Sai.