Debatt: Troens plass i det offentlige rom

 

Den verdenskjente kristne sosiologen og kulturkritikeren Os Guinness besøker Oslo, Bergen og Kristiansand denne uken, bl.a. for å være med på Damaris-konferansen Lys og salt 2011 i Kristiansand 11-12/11.

 

I forbindelse med besøket fra Guinness arrangerer Danielsens skoler og Universitetet i Bergen en debattkveld onsdag 9/11 om Troens plass i det offentlige rom.

Det er et privilegium å få delta som respondent i denne debatten om personlig tro og offentlig debatt som ledes av Henrik Syse. Innledere er Os Guinness og Elisabeth Eide. Gunnar Skirbekk er den andre respondenten.

 

 

The role of faith in the public discourse of a pluralistic society

While it is easy to agree on the value of honorable concepts like democracy, civil responsibility, tolerance and religious freedom, it might not always be easy to agree on what practical implications such ideals should have on public and every day discourse of a pluralistic society. To what extent should public debates be free from religious statements and personal faith? On Wednesday, 9 November 2011, at 19:00 – 21:00, these issues are debated by prominent scholars and actors in the field.

 

Here are some excerpts from the debate:

  • «How to live with our deepest differences? We need a civil public square, i.e. neither a sacred nor a naked public square.» (Os Guinness)
  • «We need to be aware of how we relate to and represent ‘the other’, especially in relation to minority groups. This is true both in the news media and on the personal level.» (Elisabeth Eide)
  • «In order to advance a civil public square and thus the role of faith in public discourse, we should affirm and expect transparency, expect and respect transposition and expect and facilitate translation» (Lars Dahle)
  • «We also need to affirm the necessity of conflicting views, the key place of mutual arguments and the role of self-criticism.» (Gunnar Skirbeck)

 

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English: Danielsen Schools and University of Bergen are co-sponsors of a public debate on 9th Nov 2011 on the university of Bergen campus on The role of faith in the public discourse of a pluralistic society. The main speakers are Os Guinness and Elisabeth Eide.

 (Updated 9th Nov 2011)