IFC Event Calendar for Spring 2006
A Mandala in Flames: Power and Identity in Dissolving South Asian States
January 19th at 7pm
Science Auditorium
Multi-media lecture by Dr. Sthaneshwar Timalsina (Professor of Indian Religions at San Diego State University) on the religious significance of the destruction of traditional socio-political systems in Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, and Sri Lanka.
IFC Film series: Trembling Before G_D
February 13th, 7 p.m. Green 326
Trembling Before G-d is an award-winning 2001 documentary that challenges common assumptions about faith, sexuality, and religious fundamentalism. Built around personal stories of Hasidic and Orthodox Jews who are gay or lesbian, the film portrays a group of people who face a profound dilemma:
how to reconcile their passionate love of Judaism and the Divine with the Biblical prohibitions that forbid homosexuality. A discussion led by Anne Lewinson will follow the viewing.
IFC Meditation series #1: Zen Meditation and Every Day Life
February 14th,
Interfaith Center, 6 p.m.
Lecture-demonstration by Sensai Michael Elliston on Zen Buddhist meditation and philosophy and its application to every day life.
IFC Meditation Series #2: Jewish Meditation: Silencing your thoughts to listen to God.
February 20th, 5:30 p.m.
Interfaith Center
Led by Steve Bell. Participants will learn one way to use Jewish prayers to allow the clearness of a calm mind to open to the divine. How long does it take to acquire this silence? Maimonides suggests 90 days. This day is your first. February 20th at sun down (we are a crepuscular people). Bring something comfortable to sit on for about 30-minutes of guided practice.
“Aiyé Lojà, Òrun Nilé—This World is the marketplace, the Other World is Home: The Cosmos according to the Yorùbá”
February 28th, 11 a.m.
Evans Auditorium
Multi-media presentation by Dean Abiodun Goke-Pariola on African Yoruba traditions. The lecture will emphasize the relationship of Creator to all of creation and how humans are responsible to nurture those relationship.
Meet the Unitarian-Universalists
March 7th at 5 p.m.
Interfaith Center
Berry professor Jim Watkins and alumna Jennifer Bell, along with other members of the Unitarian-Universalists Congregation of Rome, will give a brief explanatory service, followed by a presentation on the history and beliefs of Unitarian-Universalism and a Q&A session with the audience.
Gender, Religious Leadership, and Family Life in Conservative Judaism
March 20th, 5 p.m.
Interfaith Center
Rabbi Elaine Schnee, of Temple Beth El in Dalton, is among the first one hundred women ordained in the Conservative movement of Judaism. Based on Jewish history and her own personal experiences, she will discuss the process by which women were accepted as rabbis in this branch of Judaism. She also will explore how that change in religious leadership has—or has not—influenced family life in areas such as marriage and divorce. After her brief talk, she welcomes questions and conversation about any topic related to Judaism.
Mysticism and Its New Possibilities for Interfaith Dialogue
March 23rd at 7pm
Science Auditorium
Lecture by leading scholar of mysticism, Robert Forman (founder of the Forge Institute), on the possibility, challenge and promises of spiritual discovery in the interfaith process.
IFC Meditation Series #3: Christian Meditation Traditions
April 4th, 5 p.m.
Interfaith Center
Led by Emmie Newton. Lecture-demonstration on Christian contemplative practice.
Ongoing Classes and Events
Tai Chi
TBA
Lawn outside Ford Dining Hall
All levels welcome. Co-sponsored by the Senior Alumni Program.
Soto Zen Meditation Group
Pending Approval by Administration
Interfaith Center
Sessions will be led by Gareth Young, an instructor from the Atlanta Soto Zen Center (ASZC) and disciple of Michael Elliston, Abbot and founder of ASZC. Gareth Young has been a disciple of Taiun Michael Elliston for three years and currently instructs the group at sessions held at a private residence in Kingston.
*Denotes Cultural Events Credit