Toys and faith: What do religions have to do with our toys?
“Playing means discovering, trying things out, and changing perspectives—but what does that have to do with religion? More than you think!”
This was the motto of the BaFID’s children’s university in Nuremberg, an educational program organized by the Department of Culture and Leisure (KUF) for all curious children between the ages of eight and twelve for an exciting workshop about their favorite leisure activity.
Questions such as, “Why do Jews spin the dreidel on Hanukkah? What role does the Nativity play in Christianity? And are there special games in Islam?” were discussed together in one morning. With quizzes, exciting games, toys to touch and experience, and lots of fun, the children immersed themselves in the world of faith and games. The workshop with Nathanael Riemer, Denise Scheuerer, Ramy Abdin, and Jan Gehm from the Chair of Oriental Philology and Islamic Studies/Bavarian Research Centre for Interreligious Discourse (BaFID) at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) introduced the children to the world of religious toys in a humorous way, and knowledge about the three monotheistic religions was conveyed using puppets and building blocks. As a small highlight, there was an analog Kahoot game with lots of movement and a specially designed interreligious memory game as a souvenir.