‘But Who is my Neighbour?’: Engaging with Other Faiths in Kidlington
Kidlington is changing in many ways and one of these is the greater diversity of faiths
among our neighbours. We also live in challenging political times at home and abroad.
The war between Israel and Palestine affects Jewish, Muslim and Christian relations in our
own country, and the handling of legal and illegal immigration and asylum applications
influences popular political thought. The Reform party now have a vocal branch in
Kidlington.
It was a good question that the lawyer asked Jesus in Luke 10: ‘but who is my
neighbour?’, and it prompted Jesus to tell the parable of the good Samaritan. We might
ask the same question about those who live in our village and follow other faiths. Who is
he really? What does she believe? What does he hold sacred? How does their family live?
What is challenging for her? Do we believe the same things or not? Could he be a friend?
An important way of meeting and deepening our understanding of our neighbours of other
faiths is through a local Scriptural Reasoning Group. These groups are an established
way for people of different faiths to come together for friendship, dialogue, and to learn
through engaging with each other’s scriptures. A small group will meet each month, with a
moderator, for 75 minutes and will focus on a topic common to the different scriptures.
Together the members read the scriptures and then there is time for discussion and
deepening understanding in an atmosphere of respect.
There is no desire here to evangelize or persuade people to change faith, and neither is
this a group for the academic study of scripture. Rather this is about building and
strengthening community, understanding and trust. In these groups we hope to get to
know our neighbours at a deeper level and so play our part in building a positive local
community where we know each other and support each other and stand together as
people of faith. Where groups become established the bonds of trust and friendship can be
immeasurably strong and precious.
You can find out more about scriptural reasoning groups at the web site: www.scripturalreasoning.org or groups have started in Littlemore and Cowley and we are going to trial a new group in Kidlington starting with just two sessions on
Wednesday January 7th 7pm in St Mary’s Refectory; Topic: The Hospitality of Abraham
Wednesday February 11th 7pm in St Mary’s Refectory Topic:( In the week before both Ramadan and Lent), The Practice of Fasting
If you are interested in exploring being part of this trial group please contact Felicity in the
first instance. More publicity will follow.