Over Tea and Cookies, Students Talk About Faith in Earl

Thursday afternoons this semester, members of the Columbia community have gathered on the couches of Earl Hall to enjoy hot tea, sugar cookies, and a cozy spiritual discussion, hosted by the Office of the University Chaplain. The weekly teas, like other Chaplain-sponsored programs and events, aim to promote interfaith awareness and cultural exchange throughout the University.

Tamara Fish, appointed the first assistant director to the chaplain in January, envisioned the Thursday teas—in the tradition of Harvard and Cambridge—as an open forum for students to share diverse educational, spiritual, and cultural experiences. “In a city like New York,” she said, “one of the gifts a big university can offer is these opportunities, rather than expecting them to occur spontaneously outside the classroom walls.”

Over fragrant cups of Earl Grey, discussion flows each Thursday at 4 p.m., moving from topics such as abortion rights and euthanasia, to death rituals and spiritual enlightenment. A University employee’s recollection of animal slaughter on her family farm provoked a dialogue on the meaning of death and the after-life in various religions. Another community member described his search for a more spiritual Baptist church in Harlem. ish, raised as a Lutheran, spoke of her initial exposure to Catholic sainthood as “a bar being lifted between the human and the divine.”

Unlike more formal debates and panels, these teas focus on finding shared elements in individual experiences, rather than arguing about theological differences. Given the role religion plays in world conflict, conversations naturally steer towards political issues. However, according to Fish, there has been little teatime controversy so far. “I’m looking forward to some,” Fish said.

While disputes have not occurred during any of the teas, some participants said they have witnessed intense debate in their personal lives. Student participant Mona Soliman, CC ’08, said she experiences religious controversy daily through her work in various medical research and transplant centers. A member of the Muslim Students Association and a biology and Middle East and Asian languages and cultures double major, Soliman studies the clash between religion and science occurring in the medical community first-hand.

Soliman’s interest in Bioethics stems not only from her life as a Muslim in America, but also from her research dealing with the ways other sects and faiths address controversial issues. “Muslims have a bunch of different practices regarding abortion depending on what sect they are,” she said. “There are even some who believe abortions can be performed up until the time of birth.”

Although the tea is freshly brewed and the conversations engaging, attendance at the teas remains low—between two and eight. However, the events have attracted an eclectic crowd of cookie scavengers, janitors, and security guards.

Undaunted, Fish strongly believes that events like these weekly teas could potentially provide solutions to many religious and cultural issues plaguing the University community.

“We must find ways to learn from one another,” she said. “Speak of diversity all you want, without these venues there is still no understanding.”

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