DR. JIM'S THINKING SHOP

2013 RRS CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

Posted on April 27, 2013 at 10:42 am by Dr. Jim

SATURDAY May 4

ROOMS AND PRESIDERS TBA

8:50: OPENING COMMENTS

Session 1 RELIGION AND OTHER EXERTIONS: (aka no pain, no gain).

9:00-9:30 From the Ancient to the Modern: Examining the Relationship Between Athletics and Religion through Time
Taylor Grant, University of Calgary

9:30-10:00 Westernization of Yoga: The West’s Devotion to Lycra and the Mat
Keightley Bertram, University of Calgary,

10:00-10:30 S&M and a goddess?
Lilian Marshall, University of Manitoba

15 Minute Break

Session 2A ARCHAEOLOGY

10:45-11:15 Exotic to Local: Exploitations of Raw Copper Material Resources in the Near East from the Bronze to the Iron Age
Elsa M. Perry, The University of Lethbridge

11:15-11:45 Hydrological Wonders of the Iron Age II period: Judah and Israel
Ariel Pollard-Belsheim, University of Lethbridge

11:45-12:15 Fighting Words: The Attempt to Authenticate the James Ossuary Inscription
Laura Shuttleworth, University of Lethbridge

Session 2 B THE NAZI BOOT

10:45-11:15 “Broken-in Horse” or “Fiery Stallion”: Christian Fundamentalism and Resistance in Nazi Germany
James Forbes, University of Lethbridge

11:15-11:45 Legalized Mass Murder: German Racial Hygiene, Anti-Semitism, and Eugenics
Krista Conrad, University of Lethbridge

11:45-12:15 Defying Dehumanization: Anticipating the 614th Commandment amidst Nazi Terror
Jenae Dunlop, University of Lethbridge

Session 2 C RELIGIOUS CHANGE AND RETENSION

10:45-11:15 Ecstatic Power: Examining the Rise of Pentecostalism through the Lens of Durkheim, Marx and Weber
Ron MacTavish, U of Lethbridge

11:15-11:45 Mu shu kyo for Young Japanese People
Marina Umeno, University of Lethbridge

11:45-12:15 The Family Analects: Interpreting Confucianism in Diasporic Chinese-Canadian Writing
Mimi Lin, University of Lethbridge

LUNCH 12:15-1:00

Session 3A ISRAELITE RELIGION

1:00-1:30 The Emergence of Ancient Israel
Corey Davis, University of Lethbridge

1:30-2:00 The Religion of the First Israelites
Matthew Pawlak, University of Lethbridge

5 minute Break (Session 3A Continues in the Same Room)

2:05-2:35 The Human Nature of Angels
Kristian Edosomwan, Rice University, Houston, Texas

2:35-3:05 Self-Justification and Social Function of the Exodus Covenant
Matthew Pawlak, University of Lethbridge

Session 3B BUDDHISM

1:00-1:30 The Smile of the Poor, Little, Young Prince, The Construction of the Early Mahayana Bodhisattva Image”
Cristina Atanasiu, University of Calgary

1:30-2:00 Blood Sacrifice and Spirit-Deity Worship in the “Healing Buddha Sutra”
Adeana McNicholl, University of Manitoba

5 Minute Break (Session 3B Continues in the Same Room)

2:05-2:35 The Origins of the Ishiyama-Hongan-Ji War and their Significance on the History of Japanese Buddhism
Ryan Pickard, University of Lethbridge

2:35-3:05 Paradoxical Buddhism: Warfare in History and Modernist Trends
Meaghan Snethlage, University of Lethbridge

Session 3C ISLAM

1:00-1:30 Thoughts on the Concept of Fana’ in Sufism
Hany Ibrahim, University of Lethbridge

1:30-2:00 The Inner and Outer Pilgrimage: Examining ‘The Conference of the Birds’
Julia Ramos-Strankman, University of Lethbridge

5 minute Break (Session 3C Continues in the Same Room)

2:05-2:35 Hierophanies and the Impact on Sacred Space and Social Order of Pilgrimage Rituals in Islam
Hany Ibrahim, University of Lethbridge

2:35-3:05 Medieval and Contemporary Perspectives on Homosexuality in Islam
Hussain Daya, University of Lethbridge

Session 3D FOUNDATIONS

1:00-1:30 Between Narrative and Teleology
Kyle Derkson, University of Manitoba

1:30-2:00 Toward an Ecology of Religion
Nikolas Miller, University of Lethbridge

5 Minute Break (Session 3E will begin in the same room)

Session 3E RELIGION AND THE ILLUSION-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX

2:05-2:35 Buddhism in Hollywood
Phelicia Hamilton, University of Lethbridge

2:35-3:05 Of Mascots and Messiahs: Simulacra as Guests of Honour in North American Marriage Rituals
Shea Manweiler, University of Regina

Break: 10 Minutes

Session 4A GODDESSES OF THE EAST

3:15-3:45 The Transformative Nature of Mago in Response to the Socio-Political Frameworks of Korea
Gina Carroll, University of Calgary

3:45-4:15 Sita: Not a victim but a symbol of subtle resistance and feminine strength
Rutika Gandhi, University of Lethbridge

Session 4B ANTISEMITISM

3:15-3:45 On The Protocols of The Elders of Zion and Conspiracy Theories in General
Jason Schultchen, University of Lethbridge

3:45-4:15 Antisemitism in Argentina from the End of the Second World War to the Turn of the Century
Danielle Simmons, University of Lethbridge

Session 4C ANCIENT NEAR EAST

3:15-3:45 Kemetic Magic: On the relationship between Society and Magic in Ancient Egypt
Zak Stinson, University of Lethbridge

3:45-4:15 Pessimism and Vanity: Wisdom Literature of the Ancient Near East
Jessica Swann, University of Alberta

BANQUET: 6:00 p.m. Markin Hall

Keynote Speaker: James Linville, University of Lethbridge

Is Religion a Thing? Does It Jiggle When You Poke It?

SUNDAY MAY 5

Session 6 A ILLNESS AND HEALTH

8:45-9:15 In Sickness and In Health: The Meaning of Illness in the Lives of Saints
Heather Penner, University of Manitoba

9:15-9:45 Rituals, Feasts and Fasts: The Ritualization of Disordered Eating
Gina Carroll, University of Calgary

9:45-10:15 Organ Donation: Religious Perspectives on the Transplant Process
Stephanie Smolensky, University of Calgary

Session 6B PROSE AND POETRY

8:45-9:15 Fractal Grimoire
Zak Stinson, University of Lethbridge

9:15-9:45 Mythological vs. Modern: Replacing the Gods
Julia Ramos-Strankman, University of Lethbridge

9:45-10:15 Liver: What the Jewish American Princess Will Not Cook and What Alex Portnoy Uses in an Obscene Manner
Michelle Elly-Anne Wagner, University of Regina

Session 6C REPRESSION AND RESISTANCE

8:45-9:15 Families Across Borders: State Conflict and Mormon Border Crossing in the Late Nineteenth Century
James Forbes, University of Lethbridge

9:15-9:45 Christian Responses to Slavery
Rebecca Deutsch, University of Lethbridge

9:45-10:15 Contesting Identities, Divine Lands and Talking Trees: Analyzing Yaqui resistance to the Porfiriato through spiritual healers
Brenda Garcia, University of Lethbridge

Session 6 D BIBLICAL STUDIES 2

Mnemonic Structures of Bounded Space in 2 Maccabees
Neil Thomson, University of Alberta

Don’t Go Away from Jerusalem: The (Re)Placement of Jerusalem in Acts’ Geography
Miriam L. C. Fry, The University of Calgary

Imagining Ethiopia: a “Fabular” History about Demonic Representations in Antiquity
Ryan C. P. Fics, University of Manitoba

Break 15 minutes.

Session 7 GOD IS DEAD! ISN’T HE?

10:00-11:00 Nietzsche’s Christianity
Daniel Fishley, University of Calgary

11:00-11:30 The Richard Dawkins Foundation Online: Inconsistency, Ideology, and Secular Activism
Stacie Swain, University of Alberta

11:30-12:00 An Atheist’s Quest to Outsource Religion
Scott Reesor, University of Lethbridge

12:00-12:15 Closing Comments

Categories: Biblical Scholarship, Education, Events, Religious Studies, University of Lethbridge
Tags: biblical studies, Religious Studies, Research in Religious Studies Conference, RRS Conference, University of Lethbridge

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Research in Religious Studies Conference Lineup, May 4-5, Lethbridge AB

Posted on April 24, 2013 at 11:15 am by Dr. Jim

As promised, the Complete List of Papers and Presenters for the 2013 Research in Religious Studies Conference May 4-5 in Lethbridge. All 49 of them.

They are roughly categorized, a full schedule will be sorted out in a bit.

Shamelessly lifted from: http://forsclavigera.blogspot.ca/2010/10/academic-conference-rules.html

Unlike other conferences, we sort out our sessions and topics AFTER all the papers are selected, so no good ones get left out. That makes grouping them together a tricky business.

ARCHAEOLOGY
Corey Davis, University of Lethbridge,
The Emergence of Ancient Israel

Elsa M. Perry, The University of Lethbridge,
Exotic to Local: Exploitations of Raw Copper Material Resources in the Near East from the Bronze to the Iron Age

Ariel Pollard-Belsheim, University of Lethbridge,
Hydrological Wonders of the Iron Age II period: Judah and Israel

Laura Shuttleworth, University of Lethbridge,
Fighting Words: The Attempt to Authenticate the James Ossuary Inscription

ANE RELIGION
Matthew Pawlak, University of Lethbridge,
The Religion of the First Israelites

Jessica Swann, University of Alberta,
Vanity: Wisdom Literature of the Ancient Near East

Zak Stinson, University of Lethbridge,
Kemetic Magic: On the relationship between Society and Magic in Ancient Egypt

EASTERN RELIGIONS
Cristina Atanasiu, University of Calgary,
The Smile of the Poor, Little, Young Prince, The Construction of the Early Mahayana Bodhisattva Image”

Adeana McNicholl, University of Manitoba,
Blood Sacrifice and Spirit-Deity Worship in the “Healing Buddha Sutra”

Ryan Pickard, University of Lethbridge,
The Origins of the Ishiyama-Hongan-Ji war and their significance on the History of Japanese Buddhism

Meaghan Snethlage, University of Lethbridge
Paradoxical Buddhism: Warfare in History and Modernist Trends

Rutika Gandhi, University of Lethbridge,
Sita: Not a victim but a symbol of subtle resistance and feminine strength

Gina Carroll, University of Calgary,
The Transformative Nature of Mago in Response to the Socio-Poltical Frameworks of Korea

RELIGION AND HEALTH
Gina Carroll, University of Calgary,
Rituals, Feasts and Fasts: The Ritualization of Disordered Eating

Stephanie Smolensky, University of Calgary,
Organ Donation: Religious Perspectives on the Transplant Process

RELIGION AND OTHER EXERTIONS
Taylor Grant, University of Calgary,
From the Ancient to the Modern: Examining the relationship between Athletics and Religion through Time

Lilian Marshall, University of Manitoba,
S&M and a goddess?

ANTI SEMITISM AND THE SHOAH
Jason Schultchen, University of Lethbridge,
On The Protocols of The Elders of Zion and Conspiracy Theories in General

Krista Conrad, University of Lethbridge,
Legalized Mass Murder: German Racial Hygiene, Anti-Semitism, and Eugenics

Jenae Dunlop, University of Lethbridge,
Defying Dehumanization: Anticipating the 614th Commandment amidst Nazi Terror

Danielle Simmons, University of Lethbridge,
Antisemitism in Argentina from the End of the Second World War to the Turn of the Century

CHRISTIANITY AND THE OTHER
James Forbes, University of Lethbridge,
“Broken-in Horse” or “Fiery Stallion”: Christian Fundamentalism and Resistance in Nazi Germany

Rebecca Deutsch, University of Lethbridge,
Christian Responses to Slavery

Ryan C. P. Fics, University of Manitoba,
Imagining Ethiopia: a “Fabular” History about Demonic Representations in Antiquity

ISLAM
Hussain Daya, University of Lethbridge,
Medieval and Contemporary Perspectives on Homosexuality in Islam

Hany Ibrahim, University of Lethbridge,
Hierophanies and the impact on Sacred Space and Social Order of Pilgrimage Rituals in Islam

Hany Ibrahim, University of Lethbridge,
Thoughts on the Concept of Fana’ in Sufism

Julia Ramos-Strankman, University of Lethbridge,
The Inner and Outer Pilgrimage: Examining ‘The Conference of the Birds’

FOUNDATIONS OF RELIGIOUS THOUGHT
Nikolas Miller, University of Lethbridge,
Toward an Ecology of Religion

Kyle Derkson, University of Manitoba,
Between Narrative and Teleology

BIBLICAL STUDIES
Kristian Edosomwan, Rice University, Houston, Texas,
The Human Nature of Angels

Matthew Pawlak, University of Lethbridge,
Self-Justification and Social Function of the Exodus Covenant

Neil Thomson, University of Alberta,
Mnemonic Structures of Bounded Space in 2 Maccabees

EARLY CHURCH
Miriam L. C. Fry, The University of Calgary,
Don’t Go Away from Jerusalem: The (Re)Placement of Jerusalem in Acts’ Geography

Heather Penner, University of Manitoba,
In Sickness and In Health: The Meaning of Illness in the Lives of Saints

RELIGION and RESISTANCE
Brenda Garcia, University of Lethbridge,
Contesting Identities, Divine Lands and Talking Trees: Analyzing Yaqui resistance to the Porfiriato through spiritual healers

James Forbes, University of Lethbridge,
Families Across Borders: State Conflict and Mormon Border Crossing in the Late Nineteenth Century

GO WEST, EASTERN RELIGION, GO WEST
Phelicia Hamilton, University of Lethbridge,
Buddhism in Hollywood

Keightley Bertram, University of Calgary,
Westernization of Yoga: The West’s Devotion to Lycra and the Mat

Mimi Lin, University of Lethbridge,
The Family Analects: Interpreting Confucianism in Diasporic Chinese-Canadian Writing

CHANGING RELIGIOUS LANDSCAPES
Ron MacTavish, U of Lethbridge,
Ecstatic Power: Examining the Rise of Pentecostalism through the Lens of Durkheim, Marx and Weber

Marina Umeno, University of Lethbridge,
Mu shu kyo for Young Japanese People

LITERARY STUDIES
Zak Stinson, University of Lethbridge,
Fractal Grimoire

Julia Ramos-Strankman, University of Lethbridge,
Mythological vs. Modern: Replacing the Gods

Michelle Elly-Anne Wagner, University of Regina,
Liver: What the Jewish American Princess Will Not Cook and What Alex Portnoy Uses in an Obscene Manner

GOD IS DEAD, ISN’T HE?
Daniel Fishley, University of Calgary,
Nietzsche’s Christianity

Scott Reesor, University of Lethbridge,
An atheist’s quest to outsource religion

Stacie Swain, University of Alberta,
The Richard Dawkins Foundation Online: Inconsistency, Ideology, and Secular Activism

Shea Manweiler, University of Regina,
Of Mascots and Messiahs: Simulacra as Guests of Honour in North American Marriage Rituals

Research in Religious Studies Conference: Another good one in the works

Posted on April 15, 2013 at 11:17 am by Dr. Jim

The 2013 Research in Religious Studies Conference for undergraduates and MA students (May 4-5) is shaping up. We were getting a bit concerned about low submission numbers up until the deadline (last Friday) when we got a truckload of them. We now have 37 papers accepted and we are extending the CALL FOR PAPERS to April 21. We might end up a few papers shy of last year’s total, but not much.

As usual, there is a great variety of topics. Here is a selection:

Rituals, Feasts and Fasts: The Ritualization of Disordered Eating, Gina Carroll, University of Calgary.

Imagining Ethiopia: a “Fabular” History about Demonic Representations in Antiquity, Ryan C. P. Fics, University of Manitoba.

Contesting Identities, Divine Lands and Talking Trees: Analyzing Yaqui resistance to the Porfiriato through spiritual healers, Brenda Garcia, University of Lethbridge.

The Family Analects: Interpreting Confucianism in Diasporic Chinese-Canadian Writing, Mimi Lin, University of Lethbridge,

S&M and a goddess? Lilian Marshall, University of Manitoba.

Families Across Borders: State Conflict and Mormon Border Crossing in the Late Nineteenth Century, James Forbes, University of Lethbridge.

The Richard Dawkins Foundation Online: Inconsistency, Ideology, and Secular Activism, Stacie Swain, University of Alberta.

Antisemitism in Argentina from the End of the Second World War to the Turn of the Century, Danielle Simmons, University of Lethbridge.

Vote for my curious kitty!

Even though the number of universities represented is a bit lower this year (which I blame on increasing travel costs and no funding for student travel), we are even having one intrepid soul journey up from Rice University in Texas, with a paper on the angelic figures in Genesis!

And since our own budget has been cut and our catering expenses soaring because we have a new caterer we can’t afford the luxury of inviting a keynote speaker from afar this year, so folks will have to make do with little old me. As is usual, I will be up to a bit of intellectual mischief, and poke some fun at myself, my colleagues and Religious Studies as a whole.

Is Religion A Thing? Does it Jiggle When You Poke It?

The Essay Formerly Known as:

Gods Grate: How Everything Poisons Religion

Both the so-called “New Atheists” and scholars of Religious Studies have found enthusiastic audiences among impressionable university students. For one camp, religion can be surgically removed like a tumor while the other treats it like a vital organ. In actuality, however, Religion jiggles so much at the slightest intellectual poke that nailing it down to an operating table or a pedestal is a rather messy affair. But are the Gurus of Taking Religion Seriously any more suitable reading for the interested beginner than the Atheists? Not really. Standard introductions to Knowing Religion as a Good Thing typically teach students to pay no attention to the man behind the curtain because it is the unknowable “Sacred”. In these cases, a good dose of New Atheism’s “nothing’s sacred” creed would hardly go amiss. And besides, some people’s gods are just plain jerks and there is no point in selling students short on that issue.

And the atheists don’t get through it unscathed, either!

GO TO THE CONFERENCE FACEBOOK PAGE AND LIKE IT!

Dr. Jim speaking in Calgary this Friday: And the Lord Human made Huey, Dewey, Louie, Wall-E, and Eve. The Deification of Humanity in Silent Running and Wall-E

Posted on March 10, 2013 at 3:11 pm by Dr. Jim

http://www.wall-e-wallpaper.com/wall-e-wallpapers2.html

Please come…. please…

The paper was originally intended for an SBL session in 2012 (Chicago), but I had to back down after another new section was approved for two sessions instead of the expected one, so I ended up over-committed. Anne Moore, my good friend from the University of Calgary was on the Bible and Film committee, so felt a little betrayed, so I will be making good my treachery! I don’t know where ST 130 is on the U of C campus, but I suspect I will get there, sooner or later! I think I will start with a nice Midrash on Genesis.

Poster

Also, a BIG apology to Douglas Trumbull, director of Silent Running for misspelling his name on my abstract. The error is mine, not the person who made the poster at the U of C!

huey

I will be reprising the paper (probably a somewhat longer version) in Lethbridge in a few weeks.

Categories: Entertainment, Events, Religious Studies, Science Technology & Gadgets
Tags: Andrew Stanton, bible., Douglas Trumbull, Genesis, Robot, Silent Running, University of Calgary, Wall-E

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Metacriticism of Biblical Scholarship Consultation Needs Consultants!

Posted on February 25, 2013 at 11:40 am by Dr. Jim

It’s crunch time for the 2013 Baltimore (Nov. 23-26) Baltimore AAR/SBL Call for Papers! I’m on two steering committees, the Israelite Prophetic Literature section, and the Metacriticism of Biblical Scholarship Consultation. the IPL has a number of proposals already in, but the MBS one is lagging behind a little. Maybe a good number will come in in the final few days but the new session is not that well known, so I thought I would plug it again.

Metacriticism of Biblical Scholarship Consultation evaluates suppositions in and underlying biblical scholarship, including how an explicitly non-religious approach differs from what is even now represented as historical-critical scholarship, especially when compared to other secular disciplines within the Humanities (history, classical studies) and the Social Sciences (e.g., anthropology, sociology). At the Baltimore Annual Meeting, we plan three sessions: (1) one assessing how scholarship has addressed biblical passages urging mass violence toward targeted groups, including scholars’ use or avoidance of the term ‘genocide,’ jointly sponsored with the Use, Influence, and Impact of the Bible Unit; (2) a session on academic freedom in biblical studies, across all types of institutions; and (3) an open session, for which we welcome proposals on any subject within our Consultation’s purview.

So, if you need a home for a paper on biblical violence, academic freedom and job security, or would like to offer reasoned complaints about the state of biblical scholarship, we are your Consultation!

Categories: Biblical Scholarship
Tags: AAR, American Academy of Religion, Metacriticism, SBL, Society of Biblical Literature

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Academic Freedom at SBL 2013! Get your proposal written!

Posted on January 4, 2013 at 3:12 pm by Dr. Jim

The call for papers for the 2013 Society of Biblical Literature conference in Baltimore (Nov. 23-26) is up and running, and I thought I would advertise one of the sessions/topics that the Metacriticism of Biblical Scholarship Consultation is hosting.

The consultation is co-chaired by Rebecca Raphael and myself, and we are hoping for some good proposals and good turnouts to our sessions. This will be the first year we open the unit to all and sundry, so hopefully we will get a lot of responses and our Consultation will prove its value.

Brought on by the number of cases in which scholars have been disciplined when their academics interfere with the faith statements of their schools, the MBSC thought it would open up a conversation on the topic. Of course, the most recent example of this situation has only just been “resolved,” with Prof. Christopher Rollston voluntarily leaving Emmanuel Christian Seminary (Johnson City TN) where he was being disciplined for criticizing in a Huffington post article the tradition of not seriously questioning the biblical marginalization of women. The ridiculous over-reaction to this by Emmanuel, and especially Prof. Blowers, would have been comical if someone’s career was not on the line! Basically, Blowers and the school’s president not only made asses of themselves, but managed a Keystone Cops series of screw ups in trying to claim the moral high ground as they were selling out to a donor who seemed to have no appreciation of real academics. Various idiots weighed in affirming the school’s right to defend itself from education (see my long post, here).

Anyway, Rollston took up a Visiting Professorship at George Washington University for the Spring 2013 semester. I hope he finds a permanent position somewhere soon! See Robert Cargill’s most recent blog post for his assessment of the situation. Cargill has been a major supporter of Rollston from the start and he has followed the story on his blog very closely.

There have been other examples of this recently, too, including Peter Enns stepping down from Westminster Theological Seminary 4 years ago or so. Clearly there is lots to talk about, even in a “secular settings” since so much good secular work is done by scholars of faith, even against the wishes of their own seminaries or doctrinally based schools.

Anyway, here is our official Call for Papers:

The Metacriticism of Biblical Scholarship Consultation evaluates suppositions in and underlying biblical scholarship, including how an explicitly non-religious approach differs from what is even now represented as historical-critical scholarship, especially when compared to other secular disciplines within the Humanities (history, classical studies) and the Social Sciences (e.g., anthropology, sociology). At the Baltimore Annual Meeting, we plan three sessions: (1) one assessing how scholarship has addressed biblical passages urging mass violence toward targeted groups, including scholars’ use or avoidance of the term ‘genocide,’ jointly sponsored with the Use, Influence, and Impact of the Bible Unit; (2) a session on academic freedom in biblical studies, across all types of institutions; and (3) an open session, for which we welcome proposals on any subject within our Consultation’s purview.

I’m really glad we got these two topics and thanks to the crew at the Use, Influence, and Impact of the Bible Unit, teaming up with us for the violence one (violence is best with a mob…).

Of course, there are other academic freedom issues too:

phd072011s

Categories: Anti-Education, Biblical Scholarship, Secular Life
Tags: Baltimore, Christopher Rollston, Emmanuel Christian Seminary, Metacriticism of Biblical Scholarship, SBL, Society of Biblical Literature

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Pathetic Piety and Protected Privilege

Posted on December 27, 2012 at 12:14 pm by Dr. Jim

Back in early December, the Member of Parliament for Lethbridge, Conservatively Rootin’, Tootin’, Shootin’, Jim Hillyer, published his monthly column in the Lethbridge Herald.

His latest misfire is now posted on his own website.

Jim Hillyer (Right) and P.M. Steven Harper (further to the Right).
Photo stolen from Hiller’s website.
Notice how even Harper doesn’t want to sit too close to him.

It was a stupid column, quite representative of its author with his almost completely shot-off foot, which is often in his mouth. Basically, Hillyer was trying to use our freedom of religion to affirm obligations to preserve Christian privilege (Mr. Hillyer is a Mormon).

Leastllikely.net

He writes:

Freedom of Religion does not mean that public spaces and public discourse must be free from religious expression. We should not, in the name of tolerance become completely intolerant of public worship in any form.

The difference, of course, is between public worship and worship on behalf of their body politic by those who confuse their elected office with the right to choose for the electorate what or who should be worshipped, or that there is something worth worshipping.

He quotes a Sikh MP (Nina Grewal, Vancouver) who told Parliament about the “forces of political correctness” and said that:

To embrace a diverse, secular, multicultural, multi-religious and multi-ethnic society, there is no need to preclude the celebration of Christmas. Rather than diluting the traditions, they should be celebrated, whether they are Vaisakhi, Diwali, Chinese New Year, Eid, Hanukkah or Christmas.

Sure, how about a public self-flegellation on Parliament Hill next Ashura. Or, in respect to those with ancient Aztec heritage, a few human sacrifices. Ah, but I forget. All religion is good (at least up to the point where you then affirm that your religion is best, or normative).

Take Christianity for example:

A religious group practicing justice, apparently…

Finally, justice catches up with the heretic, William Tyndale.

Hillyer then celebrates religion’s impact on “civil virtue”, which he then defines as

the Christian values of responsibility and accountability, of loving your neighbour as yourself, of stewardship, of self control, and whatever the word would be to describe the opposite of the sense of entitlement that seems to be creeping into the public mindset more and more.

Hillyer also makes the completely asinine claim that the name of our fair country, “Dominion of Canada” implies that this is a Christian country. He is probably thinking of “He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth (Psalm 72:8)”. But isn’t the dominion a democracy? Isn’t it supposed to be “WE shall have dominion”?

Now, Canada is not a republic. It should be, but not in that sort of way. But I digress…

Our honorable MP also complains of the “tyranny of tolerance” whatever the hell that is. Anyway, the Lethbridge District Skeptics, a motley group of folks who don’t collectively drink enough, wrote a response after wrangling over the wording for a few days and it finally got published. Here are some excerpts.

Mr. Hillyer fails to understand that our federal government should not be involved in encouraging religion. What he calls the “tyranny of tolerance” asks only that the privileged recognize theirs is not the only faith and respect the inclusive nature of Canadian society.

…

There is no evidence that “dominion” was used by the founders of Canada to mean “Godly kingdom,” and to suggest otherwise is historical revisionism.

Separation of church and state “doesn’t mean the elimination of church.” Neither does it mean the encouragement of the church by the state. It means that no flavour of religion has a role in governance by the state. This protects the religious as well as the non-religious…

(Signed by 11 people, including myself and the Real Mrs. Dr. Jim).

Folks that want to read or comment on the letter can do so on the Herald’s website. Heck, you can comment here, too.

Note how in the quotes above Hillyer switches from “freedom of (any) religion” to affirming Christian privilege. At one point he refers to Ghandi’s peaceful resistance to Britain to demonstrate that virtue can be found in other religions, saying

Acknowledging this historic fact in no way offends my Christian sensibilities nor does it insinuate that non-Hindu values are inferior or that only Hinduism is capable of uniting a society to help bring about a better world.

http://www.theanglocatholic.com

My, isn’t that gracious of him? He’s not offended. But just to prove to his Mormon/Christian readers that his tolerance is not tyrannical, he then is quick to point out that this does not challenge non-Hindu legitimacy. Of course, one of the major principles of the imperialism Ghandi was resisting was the “bettering” of the world through the invasion, coercion, exploitation and religious conversion of non-Christian nations, efforts that lead to tremendous hardship, injustice, torture, etc. etc. (all for the heathens’ own good, you understand). Indeed, both the LDS (i.e., the Mormons, not the Lethbridge District Skeptics ) and hundreds of “mainstream” Christian sects stil devote a tremendous effort at proselytizing not only Hindus, Muslims, Atheists, etc. BUT EACH OTHER!

The “tyranny of tolerance” is merely the pathetic rhetoric of appropriating the “other” to uphold the privilege of the powerful.

Protestant triumphalist tradition falls victim to tyranny of tolerance
Photo from ITV.com

Sometimes tradition has to change.

Dominated Native students of the “Dominion” of Canada in a residential school, learning Christian tolerance of others.

Categories: Politics, Secular Life, University of Lethbridge
Tags: Canada, Christian privilege, freedom from religion, Ghandi, Jim Hillyer, Lethbridge, Lethbridge District Skeptics, lethbridge herald, Member of Parliament, religious freedom

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God Hates Chipmunks?

Posted on December 23, 2012 at 10:08 pm by Dr. Jim

Stolen from James McGrath who stole it from some other guy.

Ok, it gets a little preachy at the end, but the very end is still pretty darn good

Boneheads

Categories: Fun, Politics, Religion
Tags: chipmunks, Christianity, funny, homophobia, homosexuality, satire, Westboro Baptist Church

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Christmas shopping surprise! It’s all done, and now for the Lamentations

Posted on December 16, 2012 at 5:28 pm by Dr. Jim

I’ve been a good boy this year! All of my Christmas shopping arrived on Friday all at once and I never ordered ANY of it!

I got my copy of a volume I contributed to last year!

Remembering and Forgetting in Early Second Temple Judah

Ed. by Ehud Ben Zvi and Christoph Levin

This volume collects revised versions of essays from a 2011 workshop held in Munich onRemembering and Forgetting in Early Second Temple Judah . The authors of the essays address these issues from both general methodological perspectives and through case studies emerging out or associated with a wide range of texts from the prophetic literature, the Pentateuch, the historical books, Psalms and Lamentations. All these texts share one main feature: they shape memories of the past (or future) and involve forgetting.

Contributors: Bob Becking, Ehud Ben Zvi, Kåre Berge, Diana Edelman, Christina Ehring, Judith Gärtner, Friedhelm Hartenstein, Michael Hundley, Jörg Jeremias, Sonya Kostamo, Francis Landy, Christoph Levin, James Linville, Zhenhua Meng, Bill Morrow, Reinhard Müller, Urmas Nõmmik, Juha Pakkala, Hermann-Josef Stipp

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Now, I’m not giving this away but the publisher, Mohr Siebeck, bless their souls, included TWENTY FIVE OFFPRINTS of my essay!
YES! Christmas shopping is DONE, DONE, DONE! Muwahahahaha!

My papers first page or so:

Lest we Forget our Sins: Lamentations, Exilicism and the Sanctification of Disjunction

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George Santayana is remembered for saying that “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” I would offer my own little twist. Those who do remember the past are doomed to repeat it and recreate it in a myriad of ways through stories, myths, rituals, and art, sometimes in traditional ways and sometimes with great innovation. Memory is subjective and the same event or idea may be remembered in different ways at different times, in association with a variety of other memories. As Francis Landy has reminded us elsewhere in this volume, social memory is made up of the individual memories of the people within a society. My contribution is to think around the edges of Lamentation in terms of the interplay between personal and socially transmitted memories of the fall of Jerusalem and to explore the notion of exilicism – a term I coined for better or worse in my doctoral work on the book of Kings. I concluded that Kings was a Persian-era text best characterized as exilicist in perspective as opposed to exilic in date. I find the typical historical periodization based on the Exile ill conceived since we cannot find a definite end to the exile that all ancient Jews would have recognized, a recognition that would have influenced the content of their writing. As is well known, some Jewish writings from the second century BCE, including Daniel and Enoch, construed the state of the Jewish people as remaining in exile up to the contemporary period. This is so despite the facts that Jerusalem had for centuries a functioning temple cult and, according to the ideology in some now-biblical books, was populated by a community that was restored from their exilic state.

Categories: Biblical Scholarship, Cats & Lolcats
Tags: Christoph Levin, Ehud Ben Zvi, Exile, Lamentations, Mohr Siebeck, Old Testament

1 Comment

Barefoot and Nerdy

Posted on December 15, 2012 at 8:46 am by Dr. Jim

Found this on I Can has Cheeseburger. I’m not a gamer, but I think this is pretty true of some aspects of the secular movement too, so I thought I would share. It’s also reflective of some attitudes in the Bible-blogging sphere. And politics. And… In fact, it’s reflective of a lot of the modern world.

Categories: Politics, Secular Life
Tags: sexism

1 Comment

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Proprietor

2013 RRS CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

Research in Religious Studies Conference Lineup, May 4-5, Lethbridge AB

Research in Religious Studies Conference: Another good one in the works

Dr. Jim speaking in Calgary this Friday: And the Lord Human made Huey, Dewey, Louie, Wall-E, and Eve. The Deification of Humanity in Silent Running and Wall-E

Metacriticism of Biblical Scholarship Consultation Needs Consultants!

Academic Freedom at SBL 2013! Get your proposal written!

Pathetic Piety and Protected Privilege

God Hates Chipmunks?

Christmas shopping surprise! It’s all done, and now for the Lamentations

Remembering and Forgetting in Early Second Temple Judah

Ed. by Ehud Ben Zvi and Christoph Levin

Barefoot and Nerdy

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