Browsing the archives for the PHIL 525 category
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NY Times reports the church rethinks its opposition to members seeking medical treatment. [F]aced with dwindling membership and blows to their church’s reputation caused by its intransigence concerning medical treatment, even for children with grave illnesses, Christian Science leaders have recently found a new tolerance for medical care. For more than a year, leaders say, [...]
The Times Online (UK) has a short item featuring Archbishop Rowan Williams on bullying people into belief: In a speech at Guildford cathedral, Dr Williams criticised those who believed they had all the answers and treated non-Christians as if their traditions of reflection and imagination were of no interest to anyone. “God save us from [...]
I’m on Twitter. One person I followed very early was Howard Rheingold. He’s an amazing guy. We had just a short email correspondence when I asked if I could use some of his social media tips for my PHIL 525 a couple of years ago. Well, I had the sense that I was missing a [...]
As my students know, Durkheim, the “father of sociology”, had a great deal to say about religion. Some of it, from my point of view, helpful. Sherkat, a professor of sociology at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, no longer has to worry about arguing for the key role of religion as a social force. As [...]
I found this fascinating. Many years ago, for my PHIL 525 class, the Nature of Religious Experience, students selected topics and discussed how they thought it related to religious experience. Some made forum groups on Stephen King and the Nature of Religious Experience. Who knew? I clearly didn’t. I’ve never read any King. As far [...]
This in contrast to the recent Swiss ban on building any new minarets: The minaret of the new Grand Mosque of Marseille, whose cornerstone will be laid here in April, will be silent — no muezzin, live or recorded, will disturb the neighborhood with the call to prayer. Instead, the minaret will flash a beam [...]
This isn’t a news flash, but I enjoy seeing issues we discuss in class echoed in the media. Andrew Sullivan posts this quote from Paul Zahl who’s discussing the work of Emil Brunner (d. 1966). A reflection by Brunner’s former student bring this distinguished scholar to life. Here’s a little bit of the quote: There [...]
I receive monthly greetings from a Benedictine abbot, Abbot Philip. He’s the Abbot of Christ in the Desert in New Mexico. They were the site of a Discovery Channel show in 2006. I wrote and asked his permission to quote his recent letter. He said yes! I explained to him that much of his letter [...]
I’ve re-checked out from the library Anne rice’s Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession for probably the third time. This time I’m actually reading the book. I am not a fan of vampires so I “missed out” on the past few decades of Anne Rice hoopla. And, of course, now we’ve got that new [...]