24/01/2017

Good morning! The Nobel prize-winning scientist, Niels Bohr once suggested that “The opposite of a simple truth is a falsehood. But the opposite of a profound truth is very often another profound truth.” He challenges the assumptions of those who see everything in terms of being either true or false; that there can only be one perspective! Bohr – and those of us engaged in interfaith dialogue – realise there is always more than one perspective. If I am standing here, things are different from what you see if you are sitting there. We are seeing the world from different perspectives. If I am convinced that I possess the truth while you are sunk in error, I may try to persuade you, but if you refuse to be persuaded, I may conquer or convert you, imposing my view by force in the name of truth. This thinking leads to the mindset of, “I’m right; you’re wrong; go to hell.” This mindset must be overcome. Surely, if I and my fellow believers have a relationship with God, that does not entail that another does not? I have my stories, rituals, memories, prayers, celebrations, laws and customs; you have yours. That is what makes me, me and you, you. It is what differentiates cultures, heritages, civilizations. The truth of one does not entail the falsity of the other. Indeed, the very words “true” and “false” seem out of place here, as if we were using words from one domain to describe phenomena belonging to another. We have different perspectives on reality. Is that it? What can we do under those circumstances? Well, we can meet and talk. We can engage and converse. We can have a dialogue. We can, through that dialogue, bridge the distance between two perspectives and confer dignity on how the world looks to me and how the world looks to you. Amen