In this open lecture, Professor Kwame Anthony Appiah states that religious identities are not just the matters of beliefs. The idea of ‘faith’ oversimplified that ideas of religions. Each religion has three aspects – practice, community, and beliefs.
He mentions that religious communities shift their views about gender over and over again. Most creeds are up to interpretations. ‘The story of sacred and ecclesiastical texts is the story of their readers – the shifting and often clashing interpretations,’ he said. He sees beliefs as dynamic and ever-changing matters. Religion is more a verb and not a noun.
They would be ancestors one day. Therefore, we don’t only follow traditions; we create traditions too. That’s why traditions are subject to change.
I can see how his view is highly provocative. People who believe in a religion would usually (if not all) believe that their religion is the one true religion. If anyone said that their religions are social construct, I can see why they would disagree. It’s very hard to be open-minded about other religions, when it is the matter of death and where you go after it.
Again, it’s hard to talk about religions in a critical and open-minded way. However, I think open discussions are the core of higher education. I would try my best to encourage that in my own teaching practice.