Religion

Civil rights or freedom of religion issue?

I am just not sure what to make of this. I am strongly in support of civil rights and equality and against discrimination but this… Well, you tell me, what do you think?

A civil rights complaint has been filed against a woman in Grand Rapids, Mich., who posted an advertisement at her church last July seeking a Christian roommate.

The ad “expresses an illegal preference for a Christian roommate, thus excluding people of other faiths,” according to the complaint filed by the Fair Housing Center of West Michigan.

“It’s a violation to make, print or publish a discriminatory statement,” Executive Director Nancy Haynes told Fox News. “There are no exemptions to that.”

Haynes said the unnamed 31-year-old woman’s case was turned over to the Michigan Department of Civil Rights. Depending on the outcome of the case, she said, the woman could face several hundreds of dollars in fines and “fair housing training so it doesn’t happen again.”

from Michigan Woman Faces Civil Rights Complaint for Seeking a Christian Roommate – FoxNews.com.

The Secret of the Kells

Oct 15th, 2010

by Christian Brady.

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While most of my readers know that the Book of Kells is a gorgeously illuminated book of the Gospels, you know, those stories about JC and the Boyz, apparently the people who made the movie The Secret of the Kells felt all that was irrelevant. You may have already seen this movie and if you haven’t and are any fan of animation at all, see it now! The style of animation is almost story board-like with beautiful colors and movement. It evokes the style of Kells without mocking or mimicking. It is truly a stunning visual event.

But the movie has nothing to do with the Book of Kells. The Book of Kells was made by monks who were faithful followers of Jesus who produced this gorgeous manuscript out of love and devotion, yet this movie seems oblivious to that fact. At no point in the movie is reference ever made to what the book is actually about and aside from a handful of crosses and references to monastic titles, someone without prior knowledge of this amazing artifact would have no clue about its true nature. That is disappointing. Although I have seen the Book myself I know little of its true history and a little more of that and perhaps less of the fairy or even the Northmen would have been nice.

Still, I highly recommend the movie. B+

Das Denken ist auch Gottesdienst

Oct 15th, 2010

by Christian Brady.

1 comment

I am doing a workshop tomorrow for a local, annual event called Faith4Thought. My topic is

Beyond Making the Grade - Christian Brady
What do you take away from a college course – what gives it lasting significance or value? In a culture that claims to offer innumerable shortcuts to the easy A, what habits will help you maintain your integrity as you focus on lasting goals

When I was in college we had a faculty member come to our IV meeting and he shared the quote cited in the subject line, which was not attributed then, but I now know is attributed to Hegel. Now when this was presented to us back in the late 80′s the faculty member interpreted the quote in a very positive manner, suggesting that you do not have to be in an “official” capacity doing church work to still be serving and worshipping God. I thought I would riff off this quote for my talk, but I was surprised to find the context to suggest a different interpretation.

“Das Denken ist auch Gottesdienst,” as Hegel said to his housekeeper. “The universal Power,” he says, “is within you. It has not to come and so be present with you; it is you that have turned away from it. It is there all the time; you are not far from it, but you have turned your face the other way.”¹

This is a very different reading than the one presented to us all those years ago. This is where I am asking for help. The above is the fullest citation of this story that I can find and yet the author does not cite his source. In fact, I cannot find any citation for the source, rather the story is simply repeated. Does anyone know the actual source or is this simply apocryphal (albeit in keeping with Hegel)?

Thanks!

Philosophy, Vol. 10, No. 38 (Apr., 1935), pp. 144-153, Published by: Cambridge University Press on behalf of Royal Institute of Philosophy, http://www.jstor.org/stable/3746734 [↩]

Science & Religion in Dialogue

Jun 17th, 2010

by Christian Brady.

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There is some promise. See the story in today’s Inside Higher Ed.

Scientists Get Religion
June 17, 2010
WASHINGTON – Jennifer Wiseman is an astrophysicist and a Christian. Both of those elements will come into play in her new role with the American Association for the Advancement of Science, where she aims to civilize the sometimes-divisive discourse between the broader scientific and religious communities.

It is encouraging to see that such dialogue is continuing to be embraced in the realm of science. However, the very first comment on this story makes it clear that it will not be an easy conversation.

But at the end of the day there will always be a gap between religion and science that cannot be bridged. Scientists cannot accept superstitious beliefs that flout physical laws.Assertions about e.g., winged horses, virgin births, burning bushes, miracles, prophecies,and the like fly in the face of all that the human race has learned about the world and the way it works.

Non-overlapping magisteria

May 28th, 2010

by Christian Brady.

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It is a reference to Stephen Jay Gould’s excellent article (which you should read if you haven’t, for no other reason than that Dawkins hates it) but it was this cartoon¹ that brought it to mind. That and I happened to have a meeting this morning on a lecture series that is supposed to be concerning Science and Religion. (The lectures have ended upon being about how science can explain religion and religious “things” like morals. Their suggest, not mine.)