Ray Lewis’ face is simply everywhere—on ESPN, of course, but also The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and before I forget, the Feb. 4edition of Sports Illustrated sitting on my desk. After all, he’s not just One-Time-Super-Bowl-Champion Ray Lewis but Two-Time-Super-Bowl-Champion Ray Lewis.
Faculty members representing several world religions spoke Thursday night at the Stanford Humanities Center about how different faiths – including Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and Judaism – can interact with democratic institutions. The event was a part of a larger year-long program by the Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies titled, “We the People: Islam and U.S. Politics.”
Christian faith and the complicated overlaps between religion and politics highlighted a talk by Dean of Religious Life Reverend Scotty McLennan and Ron Sanders, a member of the Stanford Association of Religions Executive Committee, Thursday afternoon. The event, “Looking at the Christian Faith and Politics in the 21st Century,” was part of a regular series of lunch panels and talks hosted by Stanford in Government (SIG).
As the Christmas (or holiday, if you prefer) season approaches, I’ve started thinking again about how tricky dealing with religion can be, both individually and as a society. It is a subject that has divided persons of a liberal political persuasion, like myself, into two main camps: those believing that we ought to be free to choose our own religion and those believing that society ought to be free from religion altogether.
I have had a fraught relationship with religion. As a queer person, I’ve always felt that I had to choose one or the other, that either I could be religious or queer. I could never be both.
I have never tried to convert anyone in my life. I am one of the most open-minded people you will ever meet. I rarely even tell people that I’m Catholic.
Harvard Kennedy School professor of public policy, award-winning academic and prolific author Robert D. Putnam spoke Monday evening in Hewlett Auditorium to a packed audience of students and community members looking to hear about the changing role of religion in American society.
On Wednesday the Graduate Student Council (GSC) discussed its position as a facilitator of freedom of speech on the Stanford campus.