Day of Faith
Engaging Religious Differences: Personal Quests for Purpose
Because understanding faith traditions and religion is so important in a global world, faith communities have grown in stature on campuses throughout the country. Students, exposed to a richly diverse community at Harvard University, are eager to explore their personal commitments to faith, traditions, and culture in the context of their everyday lives, personal dreams, and lifetime goals. They want to choose a path, anchored in solid moral ground, which will make the world a better place.
To meet this need, on September 23, 2008, the Harvard Chaplains — a group of campus clergy representing 35 different faith traditions — with Bernie Steinberg and Harvard Hillel at the helm, organized a day-long event entitled “On Faith at Harvard.” The over-arching goal of the event was to explore the theme of faith by addressing core questions such as, “How can we deepen and nurture our own roots in classical faith traditions and yet open our minds and hearts to others?” and “How can groups of people whose history, traditions, and worldviews radically differ communicate effectively?”
During the course of the day, Washington Post journalist Sally Quinn interviewed five Harvard undergraduates from diverse religious backgrounds — a Muslim, a Mormon, a Jew, a Presbyterian, and a Buddhist — about their faith. Personal opinions may have differed, but the commitment to the broader project — discussing faith in an open, tolerant environment — was evident among all five panelists.
Please note that broadcast, duplication, or distribution of the videos without permission of Harvard Hillel is strictly prohibited.
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