To the editors:
We would like to respond to the Crimson’s Oct. 4, 2010 editorial, “Separation of Church and State.” The Harvard Chaplains see great value in education about religion in the public sphere. Broad knowledge of the world’s religions helps us all to better understand current events, making us more enlightened citizens. It’s a guide for personal maturation and allows us to value the wisdom contained in other systems of belief.
On Columbus Day, the Harvard Chaplains sponsored a “Congress on the Future of Faith at Harvard.” Harvard students and chaplains discussed the challenges of a pluralistic response to a religiously diverse culture, the difference between tolerance and engagement, and the need for appreciation of universal values while maintaining important particular differences.
We could not have had those lively and helpful discussions without awareness of and respect for other traditions. Our religious bodies and ethical societies communicate belief in depth to their adherents. However, the curricula of primary and secondary schools transmit the fundamentals of culture that contribute to the health of a society through the sharing of ideas. The influence of world religions on history and on life belongs in our schools.
The more we know and appreciate, the better off we are in dealing with the sweeping trends of culture, and how best to receive new neighbors who have different customs.
REV. DON LARSEN,
ON BEHALF OF THE HARVARD CHAPLAINS
Cambridge, Mass.
Oct. 12, 2010
The Reverend Don Larsen is the president of Harvard Chaplains, an umbrella organization of over 35 chaplains representing 25 of the world’s traditions, united in their commitment to supporting Harvard students, faculty, and staff.
Read more in Opinion
LETTER: In Defense of Bottled WaterRecommended Articles
-
Harvard Chaplains Support Park51The Harvard Chaplains, the umbrella organization of chaplains at the University, announced their support on Wednesday for the proposed Park51 mosque and community center—which would be built two blocks away from Ground Zero—in a statement posted on their website.
-
Memorial Church Hosts Dr. King CommemorationThe Harvard Chaplains, Memorial Church, the Harvard Foundation, and student groups joined Monday night for “A Celebration of the Life and Message of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” in Memorial Church.
-
Reflecting on Sex WeekI hope that the Harvard community will find more ways to engage in the thorough intellectual and emotional introspection that examining one’s own relationship(s) to love, sex, and sexuality demands, and to build relationships with each other in sharing what we have identified in ourselves and our communities.
-
Best-Selling Author Larsen Chronicles Pre-WWII BerlinA desire to understand why America remained passive despite increasing incidences of violence towards Jews in Germany in the 1930s inspired Erik Larsen to write his most recent book “In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Berlin,” the author explained in a talk in Sanders Theatre Wednesday evening.
-
Sex Week Event Explores Religion and Sexuality
-
Letter to the EditorWe urge the student organizers of the Black Mass to reconsider going forward with this event. If the event does go forward as planned, we would urge the rest of the community not to dignify it with your presence.