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	Introduction by Jeremy Rosen, Chairman
	Spoken Introduction

The Faculty For Comparative Study of Religions FVG is unique amongst academic institutions because it teaches comparative religion in a way no other institution does. Religions can be taught in two ways.
As a purely cultural phenomena, subjected to objective academic and historical analysis. The weakness of this is comparable to studying Music on the basis of musical scores without ever hearing a note played.

Alternatively religions are often taught by religious institutions which have a prior commitment to a specific theology and ritual and make no pretence of comparison or balance. That is like listening to music but not being able to determine who the composer was or understand the structure of the notes.

The FVG was founded to teach religion in such way as to merge both these different approaches.

At the FVG a religion is taught by someone committed to it. This way our students receive a far deeper understanding of the religion itself, than when it is taught clinically and without emotional understanding. In addition religions are taught critically and comparatively so that students gain a perspective that is less closed and limited and enables one to see beyond the specific to the universal.

Within the world we live, this approach is making a valuable contribution to the relationship between religions and between people of different religions who can see both common ideals and practices, what unites religions as much as what divides them. The approach of the FVG instills a respect for others and for other religious cultures. Nothing could be more important than this for the future health and wellbeing of our society.

The FVG may be a baby in comparison to the major academic institutions of Europe but its unique approach to religions makes it so special that nowhere else in the world is there any institution that does what we do. Given our size and meager resources we have brought together an outstanding and multi facetted faculty as well as an international mix of students.

And all this takes place in Wilrijk, a historical suburb of Antwerp, which places it in the centre of one of the most important religious crossroads of Europe. It is indeed very special.