[Dialogue] try to read all the comments about the article

John Cock jpc2025 at triad.rr.com
Thu May 27 08:08:57 CDT 2010


Thanks, Don. The seemingly hundreds of comments to the Prothero article are
the thing: a real trove of all types trying to articulate their theology or
spirituality. Enlightening. Poor Prothero gets beat up pretty bad. I'm not
so worried about "pretend pluralists" as I am about dogmatic separatists.
 
John
 
Thanks for the link to the model by Bennett. I glanced at it and will go
back to it. I attached my article on "ecumenical" in separate e-mail since
our lists don't send attachments. 
  _____  

From: dialogue-bounces at wedgeblade.net
[mailto:dialogue-bounces at wedgeblade.net] On Behalf Of Don Hinkelman
Sent: Thursday, May 27, 2010 12:49 AM
To: Colleague Dialogue
Subject: [Dialogue] The Dalai Lama is wrong


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.p
df

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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