12-12-06

Media Release

‘Ideas Matter’ Lecture Series Asks the Question: ‘Does Religion Matter?’

CORVALLIS, Ore. – In recognition of the teaching and research of Distinguished Professor Marcus Borg, the Department of Philosophy at Oregon State University will host a series of talks over the next several weeks in its 15th annual Ideas Matter lecture series that will explore issues related to the theme, “Does Religion Matter?”

Borg will open the lecture series on Thursday, Jan. 11, with a talk called “Religion and Idolatry.” The lecture explores the ambiguous relationship between religion and idolatry, highlighting issues in contemporary religion such as fundamentalism, violence and imperialism. His talk, which begins at 7 p.m. in LaSells Stewart Center, is free and open to the public.

Borg is known as one of the leading historical Jesus scholars. He is the author of 14 books, four of which have become best-sellers, including “Jesus: A New Vision” and “Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time.” His most recent book, published in October, is “Jesus: The Life, Teachings, and Relevance of a Religious Revolutionary.”

All other lectures in the series are free, open to the public and will be held at Gilfillan Auditorium on the OSU campus. The rest of the speakers include:

• Jan. 18: “Moving from the Head to the Heart: Poetry, Silence and Prayer,” by Chris Anderson, OSU Department of English;
• Jan. 25: “Why Won’t Religion Just Go Away?” by Sally Gallagher, OSU Department of Sociology;
• Feb. 1: “Science and Religion: Adversaries or Allies?” by Gary Ferngren, OSU Department of History;
• Feb. 8: “Topoi of the Mysteries,” by Michael Beachley, OSU Department of Speech Communication;
• Feb. 15: “The Secular Sacred,” Kathleen Dean Moore, OSU Department of Philosophy;
• Feb. 22: “Is the History of Religion Too Important to be Left to the Religious?” by Robert Nye, OSU Department of History;
• March 1: “We All Worship Something” by Rabbi Ariel Stone of Congregation Shir Tikvah in Portland;
• March 8: “Bouncing into Graceland or (with apologies to Paul Simon) Still Christian After All These Years,” by Susan Shaw, OSU Women’s Studies;
• March 15: “Buddhist No-self and Narrative: A Tale of Nobody in Religion and Religious Studies,” by Mark Unno, University of Oregon, Religious Studies.