Dr. Jim to Speak in Calgary

Yup, I’m going to try this again.

I’m really pleased to be travelling up to Calgary at the end of the month to speak at a meeting of the Centre for Inquiry (part of the Evil Atheist Conspiracy). This was originally scheduled for late 2010, but my mom fell ill (she died a short time later) so I had to cancel.

Thanks to Nathan Phelps, director of CFI Calgary, I’m back in the loop.

Here’s the facebook blurb:

Calgary’s Centre for Inquiry is proud to present University of Lethbridge professor Jim Linville for a talk on the challenges of teaching religions as a non-believer.

The field of Religious Studies is constantly battling with questions of “insider” versus “outsider” knowledge of religious traditions, ideas, and societies. Many people—even on the “outside”– assume that Religious Studies scholars necessarily belong to the traditions they teach and research. Many others, however, assume that academic examination of the Bible or Judeo-Christian religious traditions are intended to challenge or even subvert the teachings and integrity of those faiths. As an atheist researcher and teacher of the Hebrew Bible (who also dabbles in introductions to Judaism and mythology) there are many roadblocks and pitfalls, especially if one is also an active advocate for secularization and humanism in the public sphere. In presenting these potential land mines Jim will also point to the riches in teaching in these fields.

3:30 p.m. Saturday January 28.

University of Calgary – MacEwan Student Center – Bianca Room, 2500 University Dr NW , Calgary

TICKET PRICES:
General Admission: $10
Student Admission: $5
Friends of the Centre & U of C Freethinker Members Admission: FREE