Lived Religion as Hermeneutical Comparative Theology: Employing Shiva Nataraja (Lord of the Dance) Imagery in Christian Art and Music

For many Christians today, inspiration comes not only from within their own traditions, but also from other religious traditions. One of the most prominent disciplines for such engagement is comparative theology which, in the words of Francis Clooney, can be understood as crossing over to another religious tradition "for the sake of fresh theological insights."¹ While often seen as a modern venture, what may be understood as theology in a comparative mode has occurred throughout Christian history,² with syncretic crossing and blending of traditions being the norm for human religious practice.³ If we see comparative theology as a method to conceptualize such practices today, we find tension between the general practice of the discipline as an academic and textual enterprise, and more everyday border crossings that occur in art and music and which, as lived religion, involve less abstract theorization. While, as an academic and scholarly discipline, the deep rigor of work found in Clooney's writings is exemplary, we must not forbid the possibility of exchanges which occur without the same depth of investigation.

One example of such an interreligious exchange is the Christian employment of the famous Shiva Nataraja (Lord of the Dance) imagery in music and art.⁴ The aim of this essay will be to use the tools of comparative theology both to analyze this image and to show why it can be justified as a practice within this remit. Space does not allow me to outline the theological arguments that suggest such interreligious engagements compromise the integrity of the Christian tradition.⁵ Rather, I employ a hermeneutical comparative theology lens to show why legitimate "fresh theological insights" may be gained and to advance a case for comparative theology through non-textual media at the level of lived religion. A further question to be addressed here is from a decolonizing perspective, asking whether such practices may be a form of Western Christian appropriation of the symbols and ideas of another tradition.

I begin by outlining comparative theology's methodology, focusing upon the philosophical hermeneutical basis behind it.⁶ I then introduce the figure of Shiva Nataraja before proceeding to look at some instances of Christian employment of his image, primarily in the work of Indian Christian artist Jyoti Sahi and British composer Sydney Carter's hymn, "Lord of the Dance." We will note how these relate to comparative theology with a discussion on how theological reflection may arise in relation to lived religion via the Hindu concept, derived from Sanskrit, of darshan as a hermeneutical lens. We will assess these two instances from a decolonizing perspective. I conclude by arguing that such exchanges in lived religion can be legitimated with a hermeneutical comparative theology, may avoid neo-colonial appropriation, and–making a normative judgement–should be encouraged.

A hermeneutical comparative theology

The contemporary practice of comparative theology has a number of different forms; arguably, however, the most prominent is that associated with Clooney.⁷ For Clooney, comparative theology can be seen as in accord with Anselm of Canterbury's famous definition of theology as "faith seeking understanding."⁸ Indeed, comparative theology from the perspective we are looking at here is Christian theology (although it could be pursued from another religious tradition), which Clooney explores within the context of the Catholic tradition. However, it is not simply a theological pursuit but also involves engagement with religious studies in terms of understanding the religious Other on their own terms.⁹ For Clooney this involves two guiding principles: "intuition" and "rational insight."¹⁰ The former relates to the way that two subjects are chosen for comparison, which Clooney suggests may be as simple as a feeling that two ideas may work well together.¹¹ Meanwhile, rational insight relates to the depth of textual studies that Clooney is noted for, and he sees his work as based in detailed and carefully analytical studies of specific traditions. While seemingly antithetical, the two principles...