Yesterday in my Bible and Race in the United States of America class, I asked students how differently they might read the Bible were it introduced with the following disclaimer:
This fall I joined Elizabethtown College as an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies. The department is situated in a comprehensive liberal arts college with historical roots in the Church of the Brethren. Students of all disciplines may take Religious Studies courses in fulfillment of an elective, core curriculum, or degree requirements. The varied intellectual interests … Continue reading Signifying on the World Religions Paradigm: My Introduction to Religion Course
For a moment can we put aside images of a god who would sacrifice a child to save the world or destroy the world save for one family? Whatever one makes of such images, we cease to be human if their imagery fails to haunt us.
There's no way of getting around it. Some student will ask me why I don't cover "X" religion in my survey course. It happens all the time. And I usually tell them how, given our limited time together, we can only cover so many traditions. Unfortunately that will appease most students. But I hope by … Continue reading To Exclude or Not To Exclude: The Politics of the World’s Religions Syllabus
