Religion and Philosophy
August
Monday August 18 2:00-4:00
Who Goes to Heaven? Perspectives on Eternal Life from the World’s Religions
Although Christianity is the largest religion in the world, only 33% of the world’s population is Christian. So what are the prospects for eternal life for the other 4 billion people? Join author and scholar Jeffrey Small in a lively presentation on the ancient origins of the concept of resurrection as well as comparative views of heaven and eternal life in Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam. What can we learn from traditions that are different from our own that may enlighten our views on the meaning of salvation? How can we view eternal life not as the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow of our lives but instead find salvation during this life?
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Location: CLE Lecture Hall
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Jeffrey Small, Jr. is an author, speaker, entrepreneur, and lay theologian. He is the author of two works of fiction, The Breath of God and The Jericho Deception. He is also the author of an academic textbook on Christian - Buddhist discourse entitled, God as the Ground of Being: Tillich and Buddhism in Dialogue. Jeffrey has been a popular religion blogger on the Huffington Post, an adjunct professor at Emory University, and a nationally acclaimed speaker on religion in the 21st century. He has a B.A. from Yale University, a J.D. from Harvard Law School, and a Masters Degree in the Study of Religions from Oxford University in England.
This program is sponsored by Jon and Bobbie Golden
Tuesday August 19 10:00-12:00
The Necessity of Imperfection: Grappling with Evil and Suffering in the World’s Religions
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One of the most difficult problems that every religion grapples with is how to explain the existence of evil and suffering in the world. Our lives are plagued by unhappiness, stress, difficulties, and always end in death. For religions with an all-powerful and loving God, this reality presents a serious challenge. Why won’t this loving and powerful God just fix us and our world? The Eastern traditions, with their views of karma and reincarnation, present a very different view of this classic struggle. Whether Eastern or Western, all religions recognize that our lives are not perfect, but then each presents different paths and prescriptions about what to do with these imperfections. This class explores how these different faiths struggle with our imperfections while also presenting unique ways of understanding why the difficulties in our lives are a necessary part of being itself.
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Location: CLE Lecture Hall
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Jeffrey Small, Jr. is an author, speaker, entrepreneur, and lay theologian. He is the author of two works of fiction, The Breath of God and The Jericho Deception. He is also the author of an academic textbook on Christian - Buddhist discourse entitled, God as the Ground of Being: Tillich and Buddhism in Dialogue. Jeffrey has been a popular religion blogger on the Huffington Post, an adjunct professor at Emory University, and a nationally acclaimed speaker on religion in the 21st century. He has a B.A. from Yale University, a J.D. from Harvard Law School, and a Masters Degree in the Study of Religions from Oxford University in England.