Being
Bridges

ESG, DEI, DIB, CSR, HR, RC, RHD, CCE, VIA, SDG, Interfaith & Ecumenical Dialogue, Multicultural Diversity, Harmony Circles, Social Sustainability, Nostra Aetate, Culture of Encounter, Economy of Communion, Heartland Cohesion...

Infographic based on the midway registration details of 24 self-registered individuals, and excludes 7 individuals from one national institution and three neighbourhood-based communities whose full details will be sent by their respective organisations a week before the event.

Of the 5 individuals above the age of 40, two are small group facilitators for Being Bridges, who are assisting during segment 1 of the workshop and wish to continue participating throughout; whilst three are avid community practitioners of interfaith dialogue from the non-profit organisation, Centre for Inter-Faith Understanding (CIFU).

Responses indicate that registration was motivated by a combination of intellectual curiosity, professional relevance, and personal need. Several strong themes emerged:

1. Curiosity about fractal theology and the “broccoli fractal” metaphor: This was by far the strongest draw for registration. Many participants noted that the concept was unfamiliar, intriguing, and seemed to offer a fresh way of understanding religious diversity beyond exclusivist or relativist models.

2. Desire to integrate intellectual and practical approaches: Several responses emphasised interest in a workshop that bridges theory, practice, humanities, and even scientific perspectives.

3. Personal exploration of plural or “in‑between” identities: A number of participants described themselves as navigating hybrid, evolving, or non‑exclusive religious identities and were drawn to the workshop as a space for reflection and language‑building.

4. Relevance to lived multi‑faith realities in Singapore: Registrants working in policy, education, interfaith dialogue, or community spaces highlighted the practical importance of better conceptual tools for navigating religious difference.

5. Prior exposure to the work of Prof. Schmidt‑Leukel and/or Prof. Paul Hedges: Participants who had encountered these scholars in academic or professional settings expressed a desire to engage more deeply and firsthand with their ideas.

A sampling of verbatim responses on what drew them to register: 

• "I’ve heard about fractals but I’m not sure how it relates to broccoli and religion. Still very interesting concept that I want to understand about through this workshop given my work in diverse communities." 

• "I was intrigued by the idea of describing religious diversity by means of fractals, and curiosity about how broccoli comes into the mix. In addition, since I am in many multi-religious spaces where discussions about religion take place, I would do well to learn all I can about religion."

• "Multi-faith navigation intrigued me, along with the fact that I've never heard of the broccoli fractal concept before."

• "As a recent graduate of NUS’s college of humanities and science, I am interested in learning about the ways in which we can make sense of the world around us through the lens of not just the humanities but also the sciences. And as a member of Harmony Circle’s Youth Leaders, I am always looking to be inspired by Singapore’s multi-cultural and multi-religious landscape. Prof Schmidt-Leukel's work is of interest to me intellectually an also in terms of the work that Harmony Circle does."

• "Personal belief that religion should unite and not divide."

Of note is the category for the 3rd highest stated desire, helpful languaging around the themes of identity and diversity, which intersected often with the two categories above it.

The majority of participants reported active challenges in navigating religious diversity. 

These challenges cluster around three levels:

1. Personal and identity‑level challenges include negotiating one’s own spiritual or religious identity, feeling “in‑between” traditions, and finding appropriate language to explain beliefs or non‑beliefs to others.

2. Relational challenges include managing interfaith relationships, navigating family expectations, and participating respectfully in festivals, rituals, and community practices.

3. Professional and structural challenges include workplace inclusion and sensitivity, community programming and facilitation, and policy implementation in religiously diverse environments.

Despite registrants hailing from more than 8 faith affiliations, one unusual observation regarding the community uptake of this programme with RSIS is the noticeable absence of Buddhist registrants.

Buddhist participants have been quite supportive of our interfaith programmes, especially activities with a formative value. However, in this workshop, there will likely only be one participant of Buddhist faith — one of our own conversation facilitators.

Because of Professor Perry's deep engagement with Buddhism, local Buddhist communities were the first groups we had reached out to, including the Theravada, Mahayana, and Shinnyo-en communities as well as the nationwide Buddhist youth network. For now, these efforts have not yet resulted in any individual registrations. 

Perhaps many Buddhist youths will already be taking part in Prof. Perry's more academic lectures prior to this community workshop. However, since we are increasing our registration spots, we may direct some effort in that direction again.

Rather than front-loading theory, the workshop embeds fractal pattern-recognition throughout, allowing participants to discover concepts experientially before naming them explicitly—mirroring how religious practitioners encounter theological truth through practice before doctrine.

Stories of Lived Diversity (90 min)

Activity: 

Small-group storytelling using the Diversity By Default card game, with plenary pattern-harvesting.

Fractal Focus: 

Participants share experiences of religious plurality in their own lives—hybrid identities, family diversity, SBNR journeys—revealing how macro-level religious differences repeat as micro-level personal tensions and creative integrations. Prof. Schmidt-Leukel casually circulates, listening, and joining conversations with participant groups.

Pattern Discovery:

• Internal diversity within individuals mirrors diversity between traditions

• Personal spiritual journeys recapitulate historical interreligious encounters

• Individual meaning-making reflects communal theological debates

Pedagogical Purpose:

Establishes psychological safety, activates peer learning, generates narrative data that will resurface in Segments 2 and 3, demonstrating that lived religion is legitimate theological source material.

Walking the Plural City (60 min)

Activity:

Walking guided observation of Keong Saik Road (Chinatown) with local guide familiar with the area and familiarised with the thematic content of our workshop, visiting between 3 to 5 of the following, depending on time of day: 

1. Cundhi Gong 準提宫, a Chinese folk-beliefs temple/shrine, of multiple religious identity (Buddhist/Taoist/folk beliefs), 

2. A garden shrine of unknown origin visited by people of various faith traditions OR a historical Chinese clan association shophouse (TBC) along the route, 

3. Sri Layan Sithi Vinayagar Hindu Temple, a South Indian Chettiar temple, originally intended as a shrine to Lord Ganesha, and popular with people of all races, 

4. COACH Play Singapore Shophouse, an experiential concept store by the high-fashion brand, promoting community and building towards a better future, seen differently through the lens of fractal spirituality.

The route is simple, just down the lane. Without stops, it should take 3 minutes from our workshop location down to the end of the lane, and another 3 minutes back. However, we'll walk mindfully and spend 7-10 minutes at each tour stop. 

Fractal Focus: 

Singapore's urban landscape displays fractal patterns—sacred architecture echoes across traditions; syncretic practices blur boundaries within sites; even commercial spaces exhibit quasi-religious structures (brand rituals, consumer pilgrimages, identity communities). Prof. Schmidt-Leukel mingles with participants through the walking journey, affirming participant observations, pointing out his own, and chiming in along with the minimal guided content in tandem with the local guide and/or workshop facilitator.

Pattern Discovery:

• Similar sacred geometries and ritual structures across Hindu and Chinese temples

• Overlapping deities and practices within single sites (fractal within the fractal)

• Secular consumerism replicating religious patterns of meaning, community, and transcendence

Pedagogical Purpose:

Embodied, place-based learning re-energizes participants mid-workshop while sharpening observational skills; demonstrates that fractality extends beyond doctrine into space, culture, and everyday life.

Fireside Synthesis (90 min)

Activity: 

Large-group fireside dialogue moderated by the workshop facilitator with Prof. Schmidt-Leukel weaving together participant stories (Segment 1) and walk observations (Segment 2) with his fractal model, interreligious theology, and Buddhist-Christian dialogue.

Fractal Focus: 

The professor articulates how the day's micro-observations instantiate macro-theological patterns:

• personal spiritual plurality reflects humanity's religious plurality; 

• Singapore's syncretic streets embody global interreligious encounter; 

• participants' professional dilemmas mirror age-old theological questions about truth, belonging, and transformation.

Pattern Discovery:

• Today's workshop structure itself fractally mirrors the theological method (experience → pattern → theory)

• Each segment contained fractal patterns that now converge into coherent framework

• Participants recognize themselves and their city within larger interfaith possibilities

Pedagogical Purpose:

Expert-community dialogue models interfaith encounter; high-level conceptual synthesis stays grounded in concrete local experience; participants translate insights into civic and professional practice.

• Roger Haight - Union Theological Seminary

• Michael Amaladoss - Fordham University

• Felix Wilfred - Loyola School of Theology

• Reuben Mendoza - Ateneo de Manila University

• Catherine Cornille - Boston College

• Rabbi Or Rose - Hebrew College

• Michael E. Jackson - Harvard Divinity School

• Francis J. Clooney - CSWR, Harvard

• Adam Reynolds - MIT Interfaith Chaplaincy

• Greg E. Epstein - MIT/Harvard Chaplaincy

• Kirstin C. Boswell-Ford - MIT Chaplaincy

For a substantial list of partners and clients, get in touch with us below, and we can send you a full prospectus and share some of our experiences