The Rev. Molly James
International Ph.D. Program
One particular small group discussion stands out for me. In a class on Public Ethics, we had a small group discussion on the source of ethical authority. My small group was made up of two Muslim women from Syria, a Christian from Indonesia, an Anglican Bishop from Nigeria, and me, a New England native and an Episcopal Priest. Just the fact that this diverse group of people could gather in the same room and have a discussion could be significant in and of itself. I consider it a privilege to have gathered with that august group of colleagues. I was even more heartened and impressed when we were able to find a great deal of common ground. We did acknowledge that we had some differences about specific ethical beliefs, such as what our faith traditions say about how we dress or how many spouses we may have. Yet we were able to respect each other's differences, and we were able to acknowledge a common authority for our ethical beliefs: God. The source of our ethical authority was not our only common ground. We also agreed that many fundamental ethics, a prohibition against murder, care for the poor and needy, etc., were shared among our various cultures and traditions.
This has been a theme that has been echoed throughout my courses at Hartford Seminary. I have been happy to discover how much is shared among the Abrahamic faiths. It has been a wonderful counter to the evening news and the headlines to sit in the same room with Muslim women from Syria or with a professor who is Jewish and realize the fundamentals of faith are true across our traditions. Even in my own Anglican Tradition, most of the headlines of late have been about how much disagreement there is, so it was also great to participate in discussion with a fellow Anglican from another part of our Communion and realize that those headlines are not entirely accurate.
I continually feel blessed to be a part of the Hartford Seminary community. Not only am I receiving excellent academic preparation in the Ph.D. program, I am also receiving a remarkable world oriented education. I have the privilege of learning with and from colleagues across the world. I believe the Seminary offers a remarkable and valuable model of an interfaith community. It is a model that offers great hope of healing in the midst of all the stories of increasing fractures in our world. I am honored to be a part of this community.
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