c. 2007 Religion News Service
CLEVELAND _ According to Islam, do humans carry the sins of their ancestors?
What is more important in Judaism _ the self or the community?
What does “70 x 7” refer to in the Bible?
If you answered “no,” “the community” and “how often Jesus says we are to forgive each other,” you would be ahead in a new board game designed to promote interfaith understanding.
The game, 7th Heaven, tests players’ knowledge of Judaism, Islam and Christianity in a way that people from junior high school age and up can enjoy learning about different religious practices, said John Cooper, a mechanical engineer from Lincoln, Neb., who developed the game.
Does the game succeed?
The consensus after a recent contest among four interfaith leaders from Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and Muslim traditions was that 7th Heaven is a useful, if limited and occasionally flawed, way to make interfaith learning fun.
“It would be a great discussion starter among already knowledgeable adults,” said Sister Donna Wilhelm, board president of InterAct Cleveland, an interfaith group. Playing a board game can make “dialogue and understanding more simple, more human.”
Cooper said he began thinking about the concept a couple of years ago after he met some Iraqi refugees while volunteering at the People’s City Mission in Lincoln. Conversations with refugees and others led him to an appreciation of common themes shared by the three faiths.
Yet he also realized that while understanding is a widely held goal, it often ends up a relatively low priority as many religious groups struggle to educate people on their own faith.
His answer: “Well, why don’t I make a game out of it?”
Cooper said he consulted Jewish, Christian and Muslim theologians to come up with questions and answers. He said every effort was made “to be fair to each religion, offering answers according to that religion’s beliefs.”
Testing out the game recently were Wilhelm; Julia Shearson, executive director of the Cleveland chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations; Marty Plax, retired executive director of the Cleveland chapter of the American Jewish Committee; and the Rev. Larry Larson, associate pastor of the Church of the Covenant in Cleveland.
They had a good time, often using the questions and answers as a springboard for more nuanced explorations of their faiths. There also was a lot of humor around the table as players appreciated one another’s company.
“It’s a very enjoyable game, and I think it can bring people together,” Shearson said afterward. “It’s a good … introduction.”
Plax said anything that can depoliticize interfaith relations is a step forward. But Plax, Shearson and the others also raised some concerns after going through about one-third of the 300 questions.
Some of the questions were poorly worded or simplified so much into a true-false, yes-no format that the answers were inadequate or potentially misleading, some players said. Larson said he would like to see the game expanded to include other faiths such as Buddhism and Hinduism.
The players also said that some questions may be too tough for younger players, and advised youth-group leaders considering the game to have a knowledgeable adult present to provide background and perspective, and promote discussion.
Still, overall, making interfaith learning fun is a good idea, participants said. Teens and adults will come away from the game knowing more about their own faith, as well as the faiths of others.
Larson, who won the recent game, said he also could see 7th Heaven as a follow-up possibility for youth groups visiting mosques, synagogues and churches to learn about other faiths.
For Cooper, 7th Heaven has been more than just a game.
Given the conflicts throughout the world, he said, “I sort of felt it was a calling … to try to provide a vehicle to start some type of peace happening.”
(David Briggs writes for The Plain Dealer in Cleveland.)
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Photos of people playing 7th Heaven are available via https://religionnews.com.
Editors: see related sidebar, RNS-GAME-TEST.
