Duke University Office of Study Abroad

Dear Global Education Office:

This picture was taken inside the Greek Orthodox Patriarchy in Istanbul. It was a day of three visits: The Ahrida Synagogue (15th Century) in the old Jewish quarters of the city, the Patriarchy (16th Century), and the Laleli Mosque (17th Century).

We were greeted by Rabbi Donni in Ahrida, father Maximus at the Patriarchy (in the photo), and Imam Duzenli in Laleli. In all three cases, we discussed various issues in philosophy of religion, from the perspectives of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, respectively:

If God is benevolent and omnipotent, how can evil exist and how come there is so much suffering in the world? If God is omniscient, can we really have free will? What's the status of people of different faiths from the perspective of each of the three religions?

It was a long, but intellectually and spiritually gratifying day, with only a short lunch break at a local restaurant with unassuming, but tasty Turkish food. It was one of many such days in the lives of the Duke in Turkey program participants in Istanbul during July 2006.

– Guven Guzeldere