Multireligious Reflections on Friendship: Becoming Ourselves in Community

This book explores the positive effects of friendship across different religious traditions and how friendships can help us become our best selves in community. It highlights the importance of reciprocity, respect, discernment, love, and other virtues in building and maintaining healthy friendships.

Format: Hardback
Length: 250 pages
Publication date: 15 July 2023
Publisher: Lexington Books

Multireligious Reflections on Friendship: Becoming Ourselves in Community is a comprehensive exploration of the spiritual and ethical dimensions of friendship across various religious traditions. Contributors delve into the profound benefits of friendship and highlight the diverse ways in which friendships form within different cultural contexts. Friends play a vital role in helping us navigate diverse societies, promote sustainable living within our ecosystems, heal from past traumas, cultivate inner virtues, engage in wise social actions, and establish a connection with the divine. While friendship is a fundamental human value, different cultural traditions have employed unique strategies to foster and strengthen friendships. For instance, Indigenous communities place great emphasis on reciprocity in their relationships with the land, while Jewish traditions foster respect for study partners. Buddhist teachers emphasize discernment in befriending, and Christian texts emphasize the importance of bringing God's love into the community.

Fifteen scholars, drawn from six global traditions—Indigenous, Hindu, Jewish, Buddhist, Islamic, and Christian—contribute to this insightful book. Each scholar employs the tools and teachings of their respective tradition to explore how we can become our best selves in community. Through their diverse perspectives and expertise, the book offers a rich tapestry of insights and strategies for cultivating meaningful friendships and fostering a sense of belonging in diverse contexts.

Weight: 476g
Dimension: 237 x 161 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781666917352