I took part in a dialogue recently that focussed on religion in the home. It was organised by Interfaith Glasgow and St Mungo’s Museum of Religious Life and Art, and the purpose was to explore the issue in the hope that it might become a new theme for the redevelopment of one of the gallery spaces. It was a joy to be involved in this project as it seemed to confirm that Glasgow was committed to the future of the museum. During Covid there was a move to close St Mungo’s or as the Council said, simply not to open it again. Interfaith Glasgow harnessed the help of religious leaders and interfaith activists and launched a campaign and petition to save the museum, emphasizing its importance as a unique interfaith resource and its role in promoting understanding between different faiths. This campaign was successful and in 2022 Glasgow City Council allocated funds to reopen the Museum.
St Mungo’s has been an important part of my interfaith journey, and I value its significance, something I think Glasgow has failed to do for this latest attempt to close it was not the first. When it was opened in 1993 it was one of only two museums of religion in Europe and over the years consultors from as far away as Taiwan have come to learn from it when setting up their own museums of religion. It has an international reputation as a ground-breaking and innovative initiative.
The initiative for the museum came from one of Glasgow Museum’s curators, Dr Mark O’Neil when the venue was offered to Glasgow City Council by Glasgow Cathedral whose trustees had planned it as a visitors’ centre before running out of money. The proposal was for a museum that would explore the importance of religion in people’s everyday lives across the world and across time and promote mutual understanding and respect between people of different faiths and none. When it was being set up the curators worked hard to involve stakeholders and be inclusive of all faiths. Through the Glasgow Sharing of Faiths faith communities were kept informed of developments, were consulted about the displays and even contributed to them. Because of this the various faith communities felt they had an investment in the museum. In a very special way it felt like home to them as it became a centre for interfaith activity both local and national. And I have been lucky enough to be part of most of these.
So, it’s no surprise that I was delighted to be part of this recent consultation and once more to be working with Interfaith Glasgow and museum staff. There were a series of exercises which we took part in in groups. My group consisted of a Jew, a Muslim, a Pagan and myself as a Catholic Christian. We had been asked to bring along an object that said something about religion in the home. Some religions of course have many such objects and others not so many. The young Muslim talked about his misbaha or prayer beads which are used to help and deepen remembrance of God by reciting one of the 99 glorious names for God on each of the 33 or 99 beads. This remembrance of God and repetition of one of God’s names is known as dhikr. The Jewish man had several objects. One of them was the shofar, an instrument forged from a ram’s horn, which is blown in the synagogue on the first day of Rosh Hashanah and the last day of Yom Kippur. He also had a mezuzah which is the small case containing a parchment scroll with verses from the Torah, specifically the Shema prayer, which is fixed to the doorposts of Jewish homes and other living spaces and touched in remembrance of the Covenant when passing in and out. The lady from the Pagan Federation had two small wooden painted statues which represented for her divinity and also her connection with her ancestors.
I had a dilemma as to what I should take. In the past when I was growing up there would have been many objects in a Catholic home from traditional pictures of the Sacred Heart to holy water fonts to be used on entering and leaving the house, crosses or crucifixes. But now many Catholic homes would have no visible objects or art that expressed their faith. I decided to take a copy of Rembrandt’s Prodigal Son which is on my bedroom wall, the place where I do my daily meditation. It is a painting very dear to my heart. 35 years ago, I made an Ignatian thirty-day retreat and I spent a day simply sitting in front of this picture and gazing at it. As I gazed on this picture I could feel the loving embrace of the father s that I came to understand that at the very core of my being I was loved, that love is the Reality in which we all live and move and have our very being.
Reflecting on these objects together our group could appreciate what they meant to each one and recognised similarities with our own faiths. We realised how important such objects are for strengthening membership of a faith community and for witnessing to it when visitors are welcomed into our home. But I also realised that while I have some Christian artefacts I also have objects from other faiths. In the room in which I am writing I have a cross, a picture of the Virgin Mary with Jesus, an ikon of the Trinity but I also have a larger statue of the Buddha, a small statue of Kuan Yin and one of the Hindu god Ganesha as well as the Lord Krishna. I have books on interfaith spirituality and other faith traditions as well as Christian spirituality on my bookshelves. What my house witnesses to is interreligious dialogue. It is the home of an interfaith practitioner and I rather like that.
St Mungo’s has been an important part of my interfaith journey, and I value its significance, something I think Glasgow has failed to do for this latest attempt to close it was not the first. When it was opened in 1993 it was one of only two museums of religion in Europe and over the years consultors from as far away as Taiwan have come to learn from it when setting up their own museums of religion. It has an international reputation as a ground-breaking and innovative initiative.
The initiative for the museum came from one of Glasgow Museum’s curators, Dr Mark O’Neil when the venue was offered to Glasgow City Council by Glasgow Cathedral whose trustees had planned it as a visitors’ centre before running out of money. The proposal was for a museum that would explore the importance of religion in people’s everyday lives across the world and across time and promote mutual understanding and respect between people of different faiths and none. When it was being set up the curators worked hard to involve stakeholders and be inclusive of all faiths. Through the Glasgow Sharing of Faiths faith communities were kept informed of developments, were consulted about the displays and even contributed to them. Because of this the various faith communities felt they had an investment in the museum. In a very special way it felt like home to them as it became a centre for interfaith activity both local and national. And I have been lucky enough to be part of most of these.
So, it’s no surprise that I was delighted to be part of this recent consultation and once more to be working with Interfaith Glasgow and museum staff. There were a series of exercises which we took part in in groups. My group consisted of a Jew, a Muslim, a Pagan and myself as a Catholic Christian. We had been asked to bring along an object that said something about religion in the home. Some religions of course have many such objects and others not so many. The young Muslim talked about his misbaha or prayer beads which are used to help and deepen remembrance of God by reciting one of the 99 glorious names for God on each of the 33 or 99 beads. This remembrance of God and repetition of one of God’s names is known as dhikr. The Jewish man had several objects. One of them was the shofar, an instrument forged from a ram’s horn, which is blown in the synagogue on the first day of Rosh Hashanah and the last day of Yom Kippur. He also had a mezuzah which is the small case containing a parchment scroll with verses from the Torah, specifically the Shema prayer, which is fixed to the doorposts of Jewish homes and other living spaces and touched in remembrance of the Covenant when passing in and out. The lady from the Pagan Federation had two small wooden painted statues which represented for her divinity and also her connection with her ancestors.
I had a dilemma as to what I should take. In the past when I was growing up there would have been many objects in a Catholic home from traditional pictures of the Sacred Heart to holy water fonts to be used on entering and leaving the house, crosses or crucifixes. But now many Catholic homes would have no visible objects or art that expressed their faith. I decided to take a copy of Rembrandt’s Prodigal Son which is on my bedroom wall, the place where I do my daily meditation. It is a painting very dear to my heart. 35 years ago, I made an Ignatian thirty-day retreat and I spent a day simply sitting in front of this picture and gazing at it. As I gazed on this picture I could feel the loving embrace of the father s that I came to understand that at the very core of my being I was loved, that love is the Reality in which we all live and move and have our very being.
Reflecting on these objects together our group could appreciate what they meant to each one and recognised similarities with our own faiths. We realised how important such objects are for strengthening membership of a faith community and for witnessing to it when visitors are welcomed into our home. But I also realised that while I have some Christian artefacts I also have objects from other faiths. In the room in which I am writing I have a cross, a picture of the Virgin Mary with Jesus, an ikon of the Trinity but I also have a larger statue of the Buddha, a small statue of Kuan Yin and one of the Hindu god Ganesha as well as the Lord Krishna. I have books on interfaith spirituality and other faith traditions as well as Christian spirituality on my bookshelves. What my house witnesses to is interreligious dialogue. It is the home of an interfaith practitioner and I rather like that.
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