Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Durham

Ever thought about how much of our global history, laws, and daily culture actually comes from ancient scriptures?

This week Brian Carwana, executive director of Encounter World Religions, invited us to explore how sacred texts have shaped human history, moral imagination, and spiritual life across traditions.

Far more than simply words on a page, sacred texts are transformational forces on our planet. With admirable knowledge, wisdom, balance and grace, Brian explored how world scriptures offer incredible poetry that has inspired billions, manifest as stunning forms of art that beautify space and physically become sacred, and at times even become the basis of empire-building.

Here is a taste of the multitudinous ways these texts have shaped human societies:

📜In traditions like Judaism, the availability of sacred texts contributed to a shift from leadership from royal lineage to one of merit. Anyone who studied hard and read the word could become a community leader, and study itself became holy.

📕The desire for individuals to read texts for themselves has often continued considerably to global literacy rates, sparking modern democratic ideas and individualism and forming the basis for modern human rights.

From portable scrolls that allowed displaced communities to survive great hardship, to sacred objects with personhood, to the actual words of the Divine, Brian shone light on the fascinating history of religion as a history of communication, art, and power.

Which of these historical shifts do you find most surprising?