An inter-faith discussion was held on Friday, to discuss ways to make religious scriptures relevant to the changing 21-century society.
The meeting, held at the Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute in Kilpauk, saw the participation of thinkers from the Islamic Forum for the Promotion of Modern Thought, led by its secretary general, A. Faizur Rahman, a press release said.
Rev. Suneel Bhanu, senior professor at Gurukul, spoke about the conflicting statements on the place of women in the church within the New Testament, and said these issues must be taken up for discussion in churches and seminaries to elevate the status of women.
Mr. Rahman, quoting from the Quran and the life of the Prophet, emphasised that while Islam teaches Muslims to live in harmony with people of all faiths, some extremist groups, because of their narrow-minded approach to scriptures, have been negating this.
N. Roohullah of the Forum and Rev. Israel Selvanayagam of the Gurukul also participated in the discussion, which lasted for nearly three hours and saw the participation of over 40 people, the release said.
