Krister Stendahl's Three Rules for Interfaith Discussion and Religious Understanding

[USS Utah]

1. If you are going to ask the question what do others believe, ask them, not their critics, not their enemies.
2. If you are going to compare, don't compare your bests with their worsts, but compare bests with bests.
3. Leave room for holy envy (By this Stendahl meant that you should be willing to recognize elements in the other religious tradition or faith that you admire and wish could, in some way, be reflected in your own religious tradition or faith.)

Krister Stendahl (21 April 1921 – 15 April 2008) was a Swedish theologian and New Testament scholar, and Church of Sweden Bishop of Stockholm. He also served as professor and professor emeritus at Harvard Divinity School.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krister_Stendahl

[FMCoug]

Those are great. I really like #3. I know that as an LDS convert, there are definitely things I miss from my Protestant upbringing.

[LA Ute]

Regarding holy envy, I admire Catholicsm's self-confidence. They don't seem to freak out over criticism the way the members of some (cough!) faiths do. That's probably because they've been around so long, they've pretty much been hit every way a church can be hit. I also admire the Christmas Eve services other churches have. A lovely tradition.

[FMCoug]

Regarding holy envy, I admire Catholicsm's self-confidence. They don't seem to freak out over criticism the way the members of some (cough!) faiths do. That's probably because they've been around so long, they've pretty much been hit every way a church can be hit. I also admire the Christmas Eve services other churches have. A lovely tradition.

That and Easter morning sunrise services are among those things I ws referring to.

[Rocker Ute]

1. If you are going to ask the question what do others believe, ask them, not their critics, not their enemies.
2. If you are going to compare, don't compare your bests with their worsts, but compare bests with bests.
3. Leave room for holy envy (By this Stendahl meant that you should be willing to recognize elements in the other religious tradition or faith that you admire and wish could, in some way, be reflected in your own religious tradition or faith.)

Krister Stendahl (21 April 1921 – 15 April 2008) was a Swedish theologian and New Testament scholar, and Church of Sweden Bishop of Stockholm. He also served as professor and professor emeritus at Harvard Divinity School.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krister_Stendahl

On #1, I always enjoy when I tell someone what I believe and they tell me, 'No you don't.' As an LDS person I've always been entertained by this notion of 'well they TEACH you that, but they REALLY believe this...' I've always been fascinated by and enjoy learning about all religions. I'm always amazed at the happiness that people find and particularly when that religion helps them change for the better. I remember meeting a muslim who gave me a Koran, and I found out after he gave it to me the type he had given me was worth thousands of dollars. I returned it to him, and got a much cheaper version (that also had it translated in English so I could understand).

#2. As an LDS person, I remember the seeming shock from some of my church's members when President Hinckley talked about other faiths bringing their good to our religion. Up to that point, I think that many people thought we had it nailed.

#3. Music in other churches is great. I love music and find such great stuff in other religions. I wish we could step it up a notch beyond Jericho Road.

These same rules could easily be adapted to 'Talking about other people's children...'

[IdahoUteTroutHead]

Mormon music rules.

[big z]

Regarding holy envy, I admire Catholicsm's self-confidence. They don't seem to freak out over criticism the way the members of some (cough!) faiths do. That's probably because they've been around so long, they've pretty much been hit every way a church can be hit. I also admire the Christmas Eve services other churches have. A lovely tradition.

Been around for 2,013 years, we've developed very thick skin

[Ma'ake]

Comparison shopping religions is fascinating, an outgrowth of the "conversion" way of looking at belief systems, something the Hindus find to be very odd. (Since they believe there is more than one road to heaven, converting from one religion to another is not only unnecessary, it's an insult to your family and ancestors.)

That said, if you're considering changing your institution of choice, why *wouldn't* you take a well-rounded look, and compare viewpoints? Why not bounce the Ford and Chevy dealers off each other?

This reminds me of the discussion Mr. Crimson engaged a young LDS woman in, finally getting her to admit "I don't know everything I believe, but I know it's true". (Crimson could be a real SOB, but also funny.)

[Hadrian]

Been around for 2,013 years, we've developed very thick skin

More like 1,688 years.

[chrisrenrut]

#3. Music in other churches is great. I love music and find such great stuff in other religions. I wish we could step it up a notch beyond Jericho Road.

MoTab seems to agree. I've been watching Music and the Spoken Word a lot on weekends lately, and they have been doing a lot of southern spirituals. I wish our hymn book had a little more pep to it.

[LA Ute]

MoTab seems to agree. I've been watching Music and the Spoken Word a lot on weekends lately, and they have been doing a lot of southern spirituals. I wish our hymn book had a little more pep to it.

MoTab is great as far as it goes -- and under Mack Wilberg they've made great strides. I enjoy them much more now. But I actually enjoy smaller UK-based choirs more, like the Cambridge Singers or any choir John Rutter directs.

[chrisrenrut]

MoTab is great as far as it goes -- and under Mack Wilberg they've made great strides. I enjoy them much more now. But I actually enjoy smaller UK-based choirs more, like the Cambridge Singers or any choir John Rutter directs.

Yeah, just an example of principle #3 from the OP.

[USS Utah]

#3. Music in other churches is great. I love music and find such great stuff in other religions. I wish we could step it up a notch beyond Jericho Road.

I like this version of "For the Beauty of the Earth" better than the version of the LDS Hymnbook:



Sung by: Paya Lebar Methodist Girls' School (Primary) choir

[LA Ute]

I like this version of "For the Beauty of the Earth" better than the version of the LDS Hymnbook:

Sung by: Paya Lebar Methodist Girls' School (Primary) choir

I love that version. It's an English choir, of course. The fourth version is not in the LDS hymnbook, and I wish it were:

For each perfect gift of thine
To our race so freely given
Graces human and divine
Flow'rs of earth and buds of heav'n
Flow'rs of earth and buds of heav'n

That's John Rutter's music and arrangement, BTW. What's interesting is that Mack Wilberg is a Rutter fan. Shortly after Rutter's version came out, the Tab Choir begamn performing it and recorded it on its own album. I am glad Wilberg lets himself be influenced by modern musicians other than Janice Kapp Perry.

Here are Rutter's Cambridge Singers doing his version: