2010 Spiral Conference Finalized Program

8/9/2019 2010 Spiral Conference Finalized Program

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2010 SPIRAL Graduate Student Conference on Religion

May 3rd 2010

Evans Room, Rozsa Centre, University of Calgary

Program of Events

Opening Remarks

Dr. Eliezer Segal

Religious Studies Department Head, University of Calgary

1:00 - 1:30

Revival and Reform in the Rockies: The Kootenay Evangelistic Campaign,

1909

Stuart Barnard,

Department of History, University of Calgary

1:30 2:00A Birds Eye View of God

Caleb LeePhilosophy Department, University of Calgary

2:00 - 2:30

Reader-Response Criticism and the Bhagavad Gt: An Argument for aResponsible Reading in Colonial and Post-Colonial India

Sunny V. T. VallyaraReligious Studies Department, University of Calgary

2:30 - 2:40 - Short Break

2:40 - 3:10

Taking down the Drapery: The Tearing of the Temple Curtain in Mark

Chelsey Vargo, University of Alberta

3:10 - 3:40

The Few, the Proud, the Martyrs

Angela Brkich-Sutherland, University of Alberta

3:40 - 3:50 Short Break


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3:50 - 4:20Pax Ottomanica: Group Rights, the Millet System, and Religious Tolerance in

the Early Modern Ottoman Empire

Michael Whitaker, University of Calgary

4:30 5:00 Christian and Muslim Non-Reductionist Voices of Religious Pluralism: NewDirections in Interfaith Dialogue

Mehmet Salih Sayilgan, University of Alberta

5:00 - 5:30

Discussion PanelTheories and Methods in the Interdisciplinary Study of Religion

Hsu Chien-Yuan, Kendra Marks, Tracy Derynck and Kyle Nunweiller

Religious Studies Department, University of Calgary

Abstracts

Revival and Reform in the Rockies: The Kootenay Evangelistic Campaign, 1909

Stuart Barnard, Department of History, University of Calgary

In the spring of 1909, the Presbyterian Church in Canada launched one of its most

ambitious evangelistic campaigns in the Kootenay region of the Canadian Rockies. Therevival campaign focused on issues of moral and social reform, aiming for renewed

activism of local churches in the mining communities of the region. At the same time,

negotiations between the regions mine operators and miners union broke down, leadingto a major strike that lasted for months. These events took place at a time of

transformation in Canadas religious history, when established churches sought an

effective response to growing intellectual challenges and social demands. In light of thegrowing social problems that accompanied urbanization and industrialization at the turn

of the twentieth century, the Presbyterians revival campaign was as much about saving

society from the perils of sin as it was about saving souls from the fires of hell. This

paper will focus on the Presbyterians efforts to bring impress upon workers in theKootenay the need for temperance and piety, and how the preachers language and

presentation aimed at these ends. Scholars have examined the relationship between labour

and religion, and the Kootenay evangelistic campaign and mining strike presents a uniqueopportunity to examine the work of preachers and labour leaders alongside one another.

Although the campaign organizers did not keep specific records of attendance or

conversions, the meetings were widely publicized and well attended. However, thechurchs lack of involvement in resolving the strike and the absence of reference to the

strike issues in the evangelistic meetings suggest that the efforts of church and labour

leaders were further apart than one might assume in light of the development of the

Social Gospel that would occur in the following decade.


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A Birds Eye View of God

Caleb Lee, Philosophy Department, University of Calgary

The later Wittgenstein holds that the role of Philosophy is to describe language.

His philosophical method can be described by two principles that are outlined in the

following passage taken from the Philosophical Investigations. Philosophy may in noway interfere with the actual use of language; it in the end can only describe it. It cannot

give it any foundations either. It leaves everything as is (PI 124). It is clear from this

section that, first, philosophy is to be purely descriptive and, second, that philosophy doesnot change the objects of its description. For Wittgenstein, Philosophy is descriptive and

inert.

In my paper, I will consider whether religious terms are able to endure

Wittgenstein's descriptive analysis unchanged. If they cannot, then Wittgenstein'sapproach to philosophy is ineffective. Religious discourse then would threatens the

viability of Wittgenstein's philosophical method. Ultimately, I will argue that this isn't the

case. However, I think the point is worth exploring as to avoid some misconceptions

about Wittgenstein's approach to philosophy as well as gleaning some interesting insightsinto the philosophical status of religious practice.

I believe this issue has not received enough attention in the literature. Mosttheorists who focus on Wittgenstein's philosophy of religion are more concerned with

what a Wittgensteinian analysis of religious discourse looks like and less concerned with

the implications such an analysis has for the integrity of Wittgenstein's philosophical

method. I believe theorists ignore this topic because they believe it to be a non-issue.There are two conflicting reasons one could think this is so. Firstly, it might seem

obvious that Wittgenstein's philosophical method does not change religion in anyway and

that the idea that it does is based on a misunderstanding. This is the view that that I willultimately defend. Secondly, however, it might be assumed that religious activity is itself

based on a misunderstanding. This second view I believe to be inconsistent with not only

what Wittgenstein says about religion but also his method in general.I will argue that religious discourse is left unchanged by Wittgenstein's

descriptive approach to philosophy for the simple reason that religious problems are not

philosophical problems. To see this, I will draw an analogy between a Wittgensteiniananalysis of scientific and religious discourse. Since, the only areas of language that

change by Wittgenstein's descriptive analysis are those founded on linguistic confusion, it

is possible for religious discourse to remain unchanged insofar as it is not simply the

result of linguistic confusion. Religious practice, I will argue, is then consistent with andpresents no challenge to a descriptive approach to philosophy.

Taking Down the Drapery: The Tearing of the Temple Curtain in Mark

Chelsey Vargo, University of Alberta

The image of the temple curtain tearing in half at the moment ofJesus death in the gospel of Mark is one which is heavily infused with the theology that

Mark is trying to present to his audience. First and foremost, I will argue that it is the

outer curtain of the temple, the one which would have been visible to all those outside of

the temple which is the one being referred to by the author of the gospel of Mark. This


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goes against past prevalent theories which argued that it was instead the inner curtain,

that which guarded the Holy of Holies, which was being referred to in the gospel of

Mark. This paper will then examine the inclusion of such curtain imagery and therelationship between the curtain and the apocalyptic nature of Marks narrative. The

tearing of the curtain is also included to highlight the relationship between the baptism of

Jesus, his transfiguration, and his crucifixion, as in all three instances the figure of Elijahis specifically mentioned. The inclusion of Elijah, and the tearing of the temple curtain all

speak to the prevalent Jewish nature of Marks gospel. This paper seeks to highlight

instances of Marks assertion that John the baptizer was the new Elijah required tousher in the arrival of the Messiah. Although not representative of the totality of

Marks theology, this paper will help to clarify some of the authors use of Hebrew bible

references to justify the divinity of Jesus, and to help explain the seemingly out of place

reference to tapestry tearing.

The Few, the Proud, the Martyrs

Angela Brkich-Sutherland, University of Alberta

A thorough consideration of historical evidence indicates that the concept of

self-sacrifice did not originate within early Christian communities. Long before early

Christians appropriated and redefined the Greek word , Jews as well as ancient

Greeks and Romans understood and accepted the concept of self-sacrifice. Thoughactually few in number, early Christians were able to transform their memory

of martyrs into a valorized spirit and theology of martyrdom by transforming the

ancient notion of the noble death. This paper will examine the advantages of consideringearly Christian martyrdom as a ritual. I will examine the manner in which early

Christians re-interpreted self-sacrifice in an attempt to understand sporadic but intense

persecutions. I suggest that such re-interpretation led to the ritualization of Christianexecutions where the memory of martyrs was reconstructed. I will consider whether this

reconstitution of martyrdom memory offered the early Christians a group identity that

provided them with a direct connection to Jesus, their proto-martyr. Finally, I willevaluate how the ritualization of self-sacrifice offered early Christians with a new

social identity which granted them the ability to transcend the negative stigma that was

associated with accepting death passively.

Pax Ottomanica: Group Rights, the Millet System, and Religious Tolerance in the

Early Modern Ottoman Empire

Michael R. Whitaker, University of Calgary

Examination of the Ottoman Empirethe epitome of Muslim civilization in the

early modern periodsuggests that, contrary to the phobias of early modern Europe

(some of which stubbornly persist to present day), there is nothing coded into Islam that

makes it intrinsically unwilling to countenance the existence of alternative faiths. On the


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contrary, religious edicts guaranteeing free worship for the Empires numerous non-

Muslim groups were augmented by secular laws directed towards preserving and

maintaining harmony of a distinctly pluralistic state. Islamic theology informed thecreation of a comprehensive social schema known as the millet system by which all

Imperial citizens were also sorted into semi-autonomous theocratic sub-nations according

to their particular confession. While this system allowed little room for flexibility interms of defining ones own identity, especially in view of the Western Enlightenments

apotheosis of personal liberty, it did afford a great deal of protection to group rights.

Significantly, Ottoman Christians, Jews, and Muslims in the early modern period seem tohave coexisted without major incident, and found the social arrangement more than

agreeable.

My paper will focus on the millet system in detail, trace its Koranic roots, and

explain how in spite of the fact that it enshrined religion as the primary and totalizingform of personal identity in fact served to minimize confessional violence and promote

harmony in the Ottoman Empire. In so doing, I hope to demonstrate that Islamic states

are more than capable of accommodating a robust religious heterodoxy without relying

upon Western models of individual freedom of conscience.

Christian and Muslim Non-Reductionist Voices of Religious Pluralism: New

Directions in Interfaith Dialogue

Mehmet Salih Sayilgan, University of Alberta

Muslim and Christian scholars criticize the current dialogue industry for its

reductionist approach towards religious pluralism. The presuppositions and assumptions

of interfaith advocates like John Hick or Leonard Swidler are very problematic for thevast majority of orthodox believers in every major religious tradition. An authentic

interfaith dialog has to guard the integrity of each faith tradition and should respect its

nonnegotiable elements. This paper argues that the non-reductionist approach towardsreligious pluralism as proposed by scholars like Ian S. Markham and Muhammad

Legenhausen is genuine and progressive in promoting dialogue, as it addresses a large

religious audience while preserving the uniqueness of each religious tradition.

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Thank you!

Spiral would like to thank the Religious Studies Department for showing its

continuing support for its graduate students and for this annual event. We would like tothank especially Rachel LeBlanc and Perlea Ashton for assisting in the planning of this

conference and Dr. Tinu Ruparell for serving as our referee. On behalf of all Spiral

members, Thank you!


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-The Spiral Events Committee: Sarah Gallant, Tenzan Eaghll, Kyle Nunweiler

2010 Spiral Conference Finalized Program

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Transcript of 2010 Spiral Conference Finalized Program