ame pregnant and gave birth after having received a liver transplant (apparently believed to be only the third woman in the world to have had a baby after such a transplant). Her obstetrician is reported as saying “… doctors are supposed to be cool and professional. But when we come into contact with miracles we find ourselves asking questions about the mystery of life.” : see The Times, 11th June 1998, p 1. Will non religious people have a “feel” for a religion? Whilst they will be able to study a specific religion’s beliefs, ceremonies, artefacts, dogma etc. will they be aware of the nuances or idiosyncrasies of that religion – or have sympathy with it? Take David R. Kinsley writing about Hinduism (or should one now say “the Vedic Religion”?!) in Introduction: Benares. Here, Kinsley can be said to be non religious in that clearly he is not a Hindu. His witting testimony is there for us to read: for instance his description of “the great number” of ascetics to be found in the city of Benares and of their activities. His unwitting testimony, however, is more interesting. He unwittingly shows himself to be a non Hindu, an outsider if you like, by phrases such as “…transience of the worldly life they [ the ascetics] have renounced “ or “their only possessions are a pot and a staff “. A Hindu writing about his own religion would feel no need to comment on these matters raised by Kinsley – the Hindu (the religious person in this context) would be only too well aware of their significance; in other words be well aware of the nuances of his religion and can therefore bring about a better understanding of it. According to the prospectus from Cambridge University for its Theological and Religious Studies Tripos religion is “still a crucial factor for many nations and communities, as well as for individuals ...
