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Diana Eck to give 2008 Cookson Lecture

The Cookson Religious Freedom Lecture Series continues with a presentation by Dr. Diana L. Eck, one of the world's leading authorities on religious pluralism.

By Megan Z. Shearin '06

Dr. Diana Eck
Diana L. Eck, Ph.D.

Virginia Wesleyan College's Center for the Study of Religious Freedom (CSRF) continues The Cookson Religious Freedom Lecture Series this fall with a presentation by Dr. Diana L. Eck, one of the world's leading authorities on religious pluralism.

Eck's talk will examine "The Challenges of American Religious Pluralism in a Post-9/11 World," at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 13 in the Boyd Dining Center.

Eck is Professor of Comparative Religion and Indian Studies and Director of the Harvard Pluralism Project at Harvard University. She has written several books on topics ranging from religion in India to Christian theology and religious pluralism. Among her books are Banaras, City of Light; Encountering God: A Spiritual Journey from Bozeman to Banaras; and her most recent book, A New Religious America: How a "Christian Country" Has Become the World's Most Religiously Diverse Nation.

"I have known Diana for several years. She is an engaging public speaker, and we are fortunate to have her as the Cookson lecturer this year," said Paul Rasor, director of the Center.

Eck is a member of the State Department Advisory Committee on Religious Freedom Abroad, and past President of the American Academy of Religion.  As head of a nation-wide research team, she assisted in producing the award-winning interactive CD-ROM, On Common Ground: World Religions in America. 

She has received numerous honors, including the National Humanities Medal and the American Academy of Religion Martin Marty Award for the Public Understanding of Religion.

The Cookson Religious Freedom Lecture Series is named for the founding director of the CSRF, Dr. Catharine Cookson. Cookson served as the CSRF's director from 1998 until 2004. The series has been established to bring scholars in religious freedom to the Virginia Wesleyan campus so that students and the public can engage in the analysis of the political, social and theological conditions of religious freedom.       

This lecture is free and open to the public. No reservations are required. For more information, contact the Center for the Study of Religious Freedom at 757.455.3129 or csrf@vwc.edu.

The CSRF also presents the 2008-09 Nexus Interfaith Dialogue: Questioning Faiths: Open Windows and Revolving Doors

Nearly half of all Americans have changed religious affiliation during their lifetimes. What is it about our various faiths that cause some people to leave them and others to join? What elements of our religious traditions make us uncomfortable, even when we stay? In this series of panel discussions, Nexus will invite members of different faiths to reflect on questions such as:

  • What attracts newcomers to my faith?
  • What causes newcomers to struggle or question their decision?
  • What do I most struggle with? Are there skeletons in my own faith closet?
  • Why did I leave one faith tradition and join another?

All programs are presented 7:30 - 9 p.m. in Boyd Dining Center. Lectures are free and open to the public. No reservations are required. Each program will explore these questions for a different faith tradition:

Hinduism: Monday, Oct. 20
Buddhism: Monday, Nov. 17
Judaism: Monday, Feb. 9
Christianity: Monday, March 9
Islam: March 30

For more information, contact the Center for the Study of Religious Freedom at 757.455.3129 or csrf@vwc.edu.

09.17.08