Concordia College will participate in World Interfaith Harmony Week, a nationally recognized week overseen by the United Nations, from Feb. 5-9. Better Together, The Forum on Faith and Life, Concordia’s two interfaith scholars, and the Office of Ministry came together to make Interfaith Week at Concordia happen. “Interfaith week is a time to gain understanding…
In our politically polarized society, discussions rarely result in accepting the opposition’s opinions as a valid perspective while remaining true to one’s own beliefs in a calm and civil manner. Taking offense to something that is said, or another person’s belief, is unfortunately the norm. Some see any form of discussion on the basis of…
We should strive to represent all holidays After months of anticipation then only two short weeks of vacation, the holiday season is over at last. Snow continues to fall — as does the temperature — and classes resume as usual. We have successfully survived another round of capitalism via religious holiday, and we have a…
For the second year in a row, Jacqueline Bussie, religion professor and director of Concordia’s Forum on Faith and Life, has been invited to speak in Washington, D.C., and she has once again given her students the privilege to take her place. Sept. 22, Bussie and Concordia’s three Interfaith Scholars — sophomore Robyn Adams, junior…
The beginning to finding the answer is by bridging gaps through storytelling. The author of “Faitheist: How an Atheist Found Common Ground with the Religious,” Chris Stedman, urged everyone in the Centrum last Sunday night to find a way to understand religious differences though sharing their own stories. Senior Andreas Rekdal had talked to Stedman…
In a quiet classroom tucked in the halls of Bishop Whipple, a new student organization has been meeting: a secular club. Despite the administration’s failure to bestow official recognition on the group, the Concordia Student Secular Community has already made its mark by helping bring in Chris Stedman last Sunday, and has plans to continue…
Our semester opened with a renowned interfaith speaker—“Acts of Faith” author Eboo Patel—and has closed with another one: Chris Stedman, author of “Faitheist.” My first column this semester, following Patel’s opening convocation talk, opined that there was still much work to be done in order to meet the praise that Mr. Patel attributed to this…
Concordia students want to talk about religious pluralism, but some students do not feel accepted on campus, according to results from a recent survey. A campus religious and spiritual climate survey conducted last spring and released last month showed that 99 percent of student respondents had a medium to high rate toward religious pluralism, or…
I couldn’t help but shudder when I heard Eboo Patel praise Concordia for leading the way with interfaith dialogue at this year’s Opening Convocation. His high praise (although namely attributed to the establishment of the Forum on Faith and Life and the soon-to-be chapter of his Interfaith Youth Core’s organization “Better Together”) just did not…
Just 10 minutes after the Centrum doors opened to the Thursday evening forum, there was standing room only. Live streaming in the Atrium was set up to accommodate those that were not able to snag a chair or floor space to hear Eboo Patel speak. Nine-hundred Concordia students and community members, representing 19 religious traditions…