[Dialogue] The Dalai Lama is wrong

[Don Hinkelman]

The Dalai Lama is wrong: CNN article by Stephan Prothero, author of  
"God is not one".
I think this web article is interesting and related to a core ongoing  
conversation that many of us are thinking about in this community.
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/05/26/the-dalai-lama-is-wrong/?hpt=C2

This gets into theology.  Which is good, because theology is not  
talked about much in the mainstream press.  So I am glad CNN picked it  
up.

I teach intercultural communication, and one key framework is the  
"Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity".
http://www.library.wisc.edu/EDVRC/docs/public/pdfs/SEEDReadings/intCulSens.pdf

Like what Prothero says about religion, this model says cultural  
differences are important, useful, and fundamentally different.   
People do not have the same values, but it is good to be sensitive and  
curious about other values.  The model's author, Milton Bennett, says  
the third stage is minimization.  Minimizing differences--saying we  
are all on the same path.  In other words, naive universalism or  
"pretend pluralism", which Prothero accuses the Dalai Lama of  
promoting.  The sixth and final stage of the developmental model is  
"integration", or being able to embody multiple cultures, and  
consciously decide what values to enact.

As we build the archives and the story of the EI-OE-ICA, I wonder what  
our view is now on ecumenism.

By the way, on Facebook, I wrote in my public profile that my religion  
is "ecumenical".  I hope that wasn't just me being a pretend  
pluralist.  :-)

Don Hinkelman


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