Letter to the Editor: Dr. Benjamin Schewel’s Web Talk on “Seven Ways of Looking at Religion”

Comments about Dr. Benjamin Schewel’s Web Talk—“Seven Ways of Looking at Religion”—continue to arrive. Below are two, including one that explores the phenomenon of interreligious fundamentalism and conservatism and looks to the future. Listen to the talk on the Wilmette Institute’s YouTube channel—THE EDITORS Thanks for another wonderful topic and speaker!—FARID SABET Thanks for this talk Ben, I enjoyed learning about how these thoughts have developed since your defense a few years ago. I found your reflection toward the end on the diverse manifestations of the renewal narrative interesting. There’s something kind of tragic in it, that so many conflicting groups (for example, Islamic fundamentalism and American conservative) are motivated by the same impulse, the desire for a renewal of what is perceived as a better way of life. In essence, we basically want the same thing; we just fail to understand what it is that the people we feel hostility toward really desire. It’s so fortunate that, at the same time, people around the globe are increasingly witnessing the fulfillment of their hopes for society in this progression, which includes elements of new and old, in the community-building activities.—SAMUEL PHILLIPS