Quaker chaplain joins student platform
Online interfaith platform encourages ‘curiosity, humility and compassion’
A Friend from St Andrews Meeting who serves on the chaplaincy team at the University of St Andrews took part in a student platform aimed at counteracting polarisation and stereotypes.
Barbara Davey, from St Andrews Meeting, told the Friend that the platform ‘TruThink’ began as a show on Star Radio in the university and is now an online interfaith platform that encourages ‘curiosity, humility and compassion’. She said: ‘Recently they have started to ask for very brief contributions from the chaplaincy team on particular topics.’ These include: What motivates compassion during the lockdown? Does forgiving mean forgetting? How can we have peaceful dialogue when it comes to deeply emotive issues?
Barbara Davey said: ‘Responses have come from Buddhist, Humanist, Church of Scotland and Quaker members of the chaplaincy, and we only have a week to come up with our reflection so quick thinking is required! It’s been an interesting interfaith venture to be part of and a way of keeping in touch during the past semester when we have been so dispersed.’
The two students who started the platform said: ‘We want to encourage people to think about the idea of “truth” as a lens to question the underlying meaning behind what we think and to form a better understanding of the truths or worldviews we live our lives in accordance to. We want to encourage thinking in a way that informs loving, honest and inclusive action. We want to make polarisation and stereotyping a thing of the past.’
