Events (Spring 2008) Varieties of Religious Experience Series

Thursday May 1st 12:00 - 1:30 PM Library Browsing Area: Circero or Christ: A Panel Discussion on the ancient Roman thinker Cicero and Christianity

Panelists include student and faculty members:

Mr. Richard Frazier     Cicero and the Nature of the Gods

Mr. Carl Baxter            Cicero and Divination

Dr. James Nee             The Soul of Cicero

Dr. Steven Baden         Ciceronians and Christians

Mr. John Pietruszka           Augustine and Cicero

Dr. Matthew Sneider          Cicero in the Renaissance

Monday April 28 2:00 - 4:00 PM Library Browsing Area: "Religion, Power and Access to the Sacred" a presentation by Teresa Rhode McGee.

Religion has power to both rend and restore the social fabric.  The source of that paradoxical power is the access to the sacred religion provides through meaning, identity, belonging, symbolic expression of mystery, and redemption.  This presentation will explore both sides religion, power, and access to the sacred through two case histories:  The clergy sexual abuse crisis and the Guatemalan Recovery of Historical Memory Project (REHMI). 

 Teresa Rhodes McGee holds a Post Master's Professional Diploma in Spirituality from Fordham University.  She is the author of several books, including Transforming Trauma: A Spiritual Path Toward Wholeness.  Teresa has participated in a number of international reconciliation efforts and was a victim advocate/priest personnel director for over 15 years.

Co-Sponsored Event with the Center for Jewish Culture

Thursday March 6 12:00-1:30  Library Browsing Area

Jesus and the Talmud a presentation by Dr. Michael L. Satlow

http://www.umassd.edu/calendar/welcome.cfm?ek=11025&view=weekly&fm=03&fd=02&fy=2008&c=&kw=

Tuesday March 4  2:15 -3:30 PM Library Browsing Area

Folk Magic and Witchcraft Beliefs in Europe: Persecution under the Inquisition in the Early Modern Period

Dr. Timothy Walker (History Dept.)

Dr. Timothy Walker will speak about Folk Magic and Witchcraft Beliefs and their representations and persecution by the Inquisition in the Early Modern period in Europe.  This will be an active presentation including slides and discussion.  Refreshments will be served.

Events (Fall 2007) Varieties of Religious Experience Series

Wednesday December 5   1:00 - 2:00 PM Liberal Arts Room 374 (CTE Conference Room)

What Has Athens to do with Jerusalem? A Presentation by Professor Robert Pontbriand

Refreshments will be served.  

Abstract: Professor Robert E. Pontbriand of the History Department will speak about the historical relationship between Christianity and Greek philosophy during late antiquity, with some reference to later periods. The question posed by the third century Christian theologian, Tertullian,"What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?" has proven to be a question for the ages. Although Tertullian rejected any attempt to synthesize two competing world views as injurious to the primacy of faith, his divisiveness was not well-regarded. The development of Christian doctrine became inseparable from the conceptual language of Greek philosophy in the Hellenized world of the Levant. Philosophy became the "handmaiden" of a developing Christian theology. Ultimately, ideally, the truths of faith and reason joined in a vision of God that allowed for a unity beyond the limited resources of human inquiry.

Friday November 2   12:00 - 1:00 PM Library Browsing Area

Tears and Tribulations: Devotional Weeping in Late Medieval Italy: A Presentation by Dr. Lyn Blanchfield

Refreshments will be served,   Presented in Coordination with the Women's Studies Department and the History Department

ABSTRACT: In late medieval Italy, Christians often wept and wailed during and following large, collective rituals such as public sermons. Why did they weep and what did their weeping intend to represent? Examining how and why medieval Italian men, women, and children wept in this devotional setting will be the focus of Dr. Blanchfield's presentation. As she will explain, while theologians, preachers, and other medieval religious defined weeping to signify true, Christian devotion and emotion, regardless of gender and age, medieval Italians were fully aware that issues such as gender and age did influence what this behavior represented as well as how people performed it.

BIO: Dr. Lyn Blanchfield completed her PhD in medieval Italian history at Binghamton University in 2004, under the direction of Richard Trexler. Her dissertation explored how and why medieval Italians utilized weeping as a way to communicate various emotions during collective religious rituals. She is currently working on an article about the proliferation of public insults in Savonarolan Florence. For the past eight years Dr. Blanchfield has been teaching history and women's studies for the past eight years and was the recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship for her research.

Thursday October 25  2:00 - 3:00 PM   Liberal Arts (Group 1) Building, Room 374

Fear of the Universe: William James and the Sick Soul: A Presentation by Professor Steven Baden

As the first even of the series this presentation honors Williams James, the author of Varieties of Religious Experience.  Discussion will follow the presentation and refreshments will be served.  All are welcome!

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Events (Spring 2007)

Religion as Consolation and Comfort

Tuesday April 17      7:00-900 PM       Library Browsing Area   Open to the Public    Free

Panel Members: 

• Dr. Steven Baden (Moderator, UMD Depts. History and Philosophy)

• Rev. Ann C. Fox (Unitarian Universalist Society of Fairhaven, MA)

• Rev, Jon W. Helm (First Church of the Nazarene, New Bedford, MA)

• Dr. James M. Nee (Professor Emeritus UMD Dept. of English)

• Rev. Robert A. Oliveira (Holy Name of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, New Bedford, MA)

• Dr. Robert P. Waxler (UMD Department of English, Co-Founder of the Center for Jewish Culture)

Faculty Contact: Steven Baden 508-999-8379   stevenbaden@yahoo.com

Religious Mysticism

Thursday April 12     3:30-4:30 PM     Library Browsing Area    Open to the Public    Free

Panel Members:

• Dr. Steven Baden (Moderator, Protestant Mysticism)
• Dr. Maureen Eckert (Sufi Mysticism)
• Dr. Matthew Sneider (Medieval Mysticism)
• Mr. Taylor Liss (Buddhist Mysticism)
• Mr. John Pietruszka (The Jesuits and Quietists)

Faculty Contact: Steven Baden 508-999-8379  stevenbaden@yahoo.com

Law and Religion

Tuesday April 3    10:00-11:30 AM    Library Browsing Area  Open to the Public   Free

Panel Members:

• Dr. Kenneth Manning
• Dr.Steven Baden
• Dr. Douglas Roscoe

Faculty Contact: Steven Baden 508-999-8379 stevenbaden@yahoo.com

Religious Studies Program Minor: Open House

Wednesday, March 14       4:00 to 6:00 PM
Library Browsing Area
Open to the Public
Refreshments provided

Dr. Rebecca Norris of the Religious/Theological Studies Department of Merrimack College will share her research in a presentation entitled "Religious Games and Toys: Exploring the Serious Side of Play."

Press Release:

Jesus, Not G.I. Joe - Origin and Role of Religious-Based Games and Toys Explored

North Andover, MA. (Nov. 27, 2006) -- With sales of religious games and toys doubling annually, Dr. Rebecca Sachs Norris, professor of religious/theological studies at Merrimack College, recognized the need to determine what place such games and toys have in society.

Rebecca Norris' office shelves are filled with board games and action figures. When taking a closer look, the action figures are not GI-Joe, but Jesus Christ and Job, and the board games include Missionary Conquest, Catholic-opoly, The Great Mosque Game, and a variety of ornate Buddhist and Hindu game boards.

"Religious games are not only an important indicator of cultural values and practices, they are also an influence on the formation of religious identity and principles." said Norris.

Though fun to look at, these games are not trivial; Norris is researching how and why religious-based games and toys are used and their impact in areas as diverse as politics and psychology. She is also exploring the use of these games as pedagogical tools in the classroom.

Norris is also studying the origin of certain religious games. For example, the popular American game Chutes & Ladders is believed to be derived from a game invented by a Tibetan Lama in the 12th century. The object of the Tibetan game was to improve karma and gain ground towards enlightenment; a child playing Chutes and Ladders ascends based on good deeds.

All are welcome!
Faculty contact: Maureen Eckert, 508-999-8348, meckert@umassd.edu

Experience Silence!

Wednesday Meditation (Open to ALL students, faculty and staff) Starts Wednesday Feb. 14th
Ongoing Event each Wednesday
Dion: Room 108    1:00 to 1:30 PM

No experience required. Hosted by Prof. Charlie Donohue and Prof. Maureen Eckert.
Bring a coat or pillow (something you can sit on, if possible). Chairs can also be used, so it is not a problem if you do not have a pillow or fluffy coat.

 Last Updated On: 4/22/08