RELIGIOUS AND ETHNIC RECONCILIATION

The Balkan wars of the 1990s, which violently fractured Yugoslavia, was a bloody conflict that institutionalized rape and ethnic cleansing as strategic instruments of war. Part of this barbaric strategy was the destruction of houses of worship on a mass scale.

This summer, people of all faiths are traveling to Bosnia to help rebuild churches and mosques destroyed in the war. One such group, participants in the International Summer School on Religion and Public Life (ISSRPL)—sponsored in part by Hebrew College and Andover Newton Theological School—will be returning from Bosnia and visiting our campuses in Newton for a week of study and reflection. Join us on the evening of August 14th to meet these unique individuals from around the world and to hear about their attempts to foster religious and ethnic reconciliation.

Dr. Adam Seligman, Director of the ISSRPL, will present an overview of the Bosnian situation and the dangerous challenges that still exist in that part of the world. Participants, many of whom come from strife-ridden areas, will describe their backgrounds, the ethnic and religious clashes in their own countries, and how their experience in Bosnia might be applied to create new paradigms for tolerance in their homelands.

The Misuse of Religion by Government and the Misuse of Government by Religion
Spring 2006
An ICPL initiative in cooperation with New York's Center for Religious Inquiry and The Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs

A series of conferences is being scheduled to present the following topics:
> Patriotism and Dissent
> Are We a Christian Nation?
> The Conflict Between Evolution and Intelligent Design

RELIGION AND WOMEN'S ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS:
FROM EXCLUSION TO INCLUSION
October 5–6, 2005
Andover Newton Theological School and Women's United Nations Report Network (WUNRN)

Carole R. Fontaine is now the director of the Boston Workshop (the first to be held in the United States) of the Women's United Nations Report Network (WUNRN), where she has served on the board from its early beginnings. WUNRN's goal is to bring together religious experts, academicians, leaders, Human Rights NGOs, Women's NGOs, civil and government sectors, and the various entities of the United Nations that work together on issues affecting women and girls. WUNRN is the most active gender ListServe in the world, and maintains a portal which allows access to extensive resources for women's development globally and practical approaches to the kinds of things that work locally. This exciting conference took place at Andover Newton on October 5–6, 2005.

INSIDE ISLAM: UNLOCKING TEXTS AND TRADITIONS
with Imam Mohamed Magid Ali, Taha bin Hasan Abdul-Basser and Intisar Rabb
May 23, 2005
Hebrew College and Andover Newton Theological School

Even as the Muslim community continues to grow in the West, Islam remains veiled behind a curtain of fear and misconception. Its very name, which means 'submission' in Arabic, has been overshadowed by media images of violence and terror. But this narrow view obscures the complex truth about Islam, the youngest of the three Abrahamic faiths and the world's second largest—and fastest-growing—religion.

What Muslims believe, how they interpret the Qur'an and the evolution of Islam's religious law are among the topics that were explored in this one-day conference. A day of learning for scholars, clergy and religious educators from the Jewish, Christian and Islamic traditions, the program was open to all members of the community seeking to reach beyond misunderstandings toward knowledge about Islam.

IN GOD'S NAME: WAGING WAR FOR THE SAKE OF HEAVEN
Jewish, Islamic and Christian Perspectives
with Reuven Kimelman, Colleen Keyes and Harvey Cox
April 6, 13 and 20, 2005
Hebrew College and Andover Newton Theological School

With so much blood spilled in God's name during the dawn of this new millennium, many are asking the questions humankind has been asking for millennia: What kind of God would condone brutality? What kind of religion would do so? What do sacred religious texts say about violence?

In this interfaith series at Hebrew College and Andover Newton Theological School, scholars of Judaism, Islam and Christianity explored the thorny theology of violence and the sacred. They applied the litmus test of their respective religious texts to violence through the ages—from the Crusades to Israel's wars to jihad to Iraq. According to each Abrahamic religion, does just war exist? How is it different from terrorism? When is violence forbidden, when is it justified—and when might it be a holy commandment?

HOMELAND INSECURITY: SHOULD WE PUT OUR FAITH IN THE U.S.A. PATRIOT ACT?
Sunday, October 17, 2004
Hebrew College

Weeks after the September 11 attacks, Congress passed the U.S.A. Patriot Act, one of the most controversial pieces of legislation in recent years.

The Patriot Act has been hailed as a vital weapon in the war on terror and essential to strengthening our national security. It has also been assailed as hastily crafted legislation that infringes on individual liberties, invades personal privacy and stifles dissent, yet does little to protect Americans from external dangers. Among its provisions, the act authorizes U.S. law enforcement agencies to subpoena medical, financial, Internet and other records of suspected individuals without disclosure; conduct search and seizure without notice and incarcerate suspected noncitizens indefinitely and without a trial.

Exactly what powers does the Patriot Act grant the government? What perspectives do the three Abrahamic faiths bring to the national debate and what are their views on ethnic profiling? This public forum brought together Jewish, Christian and Muslim scholars and writers — as well as a federal antiterrorism official and a past president of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts — for a potent and edifying conversation.

Featured Speakers:

• Dr. Charles Baron, Professor, Boston College Law School; Past President, American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts



• Reverend Nick Carter, President, Andover Newton Theological School



• Reuven Cohn, J.D., Adjunct Instructor in Rabbinics, Hebrew College



• Dr. Valerie Elverton Dixon, Assistant Professor of Christian Ethics, Andover Newton Theological School



• Richard Foltin, Legislative Director and Counsel, American Jewish Committee, Washington, D.C.



• Dr. David M. Gordis, President, Hebrew College



• Brian Leske, Assistant U.S. Attorney, Antiterrorism Unit, Boston



• Father Thomas Massaro, S.J., Associate Professor of Moral Theology, Weston Jesuit School of Theology



• Ayad Rahim, writer and journalist, Cleveland, Ohio

SACRED TEXT: THE USES AND ABUSES OF SCRIPTURE IN PUBLIC DISCOURSE AND POPULAR CULTURE
May 10-11, 2004
Hebrew College and Andover Newton Theological School

In this two-day conference, clergy, educators and religious leaders had an opportunity to train for interfaith and inter-congregational study of the sacred texts of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The conference was of particular significance at a critical time in the history of interfaith relationships — a time when world religious beliefs and pronouncements played an increasingly vital role in the formulation of public policy, in the declared interests of nation-states and in the mass media.

The way in which the Torah, the New Testament and the Qur'an are taught and interpreted is a key factor in the furtherance of respect and understanding among Jews, Christians and Muslims. When taught with sensitivity and knowledge, these sacred texts can be a source of enrichment for individuals, congregations and the wider community.

Featured Speakers:

• Reverend Walter Cuenin, Our Lady Help of Christians Parish, Newton, Mass.
• Dr. Carol Fontaine, John Taylor Professor of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, Andover Newton Theological School



• Dr. David M. Gordis, President, Hebrew College



• Rabbi Eric Gurvis, Temple Shalom of Newton, Mass.



• Reverend Daniel Harrington, S.J., Professor of New Testament, Weston Jesuit School of Theology



• Dr. Qamar-ul Huda, Assistant Professor, Theology Department, Boston College



• Rabbi Harold Kushner, Rabbi Laureate of Temple Israel, Natick, Mass.



• Dr. Gregory Mobley, Associate Professor of Old Testament, Andover Newton Theological School



• Ahmed H. al-Rahim, Preceptor in Arabic, Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University



• Ceilia Sirois, Instructor in Sacred Scripture for the Archdiocese of Boston



• Naomi Towvim, Curriculum Development and Family Education Consultant, Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Boston



• Rabbi Moshe Waldoks, Temple Beth Zion, Brookline, Mass.

THE OUTER LIMITS: DEFINING ETHICAL BOUNDARIES OF BIOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH
A Conference on Biotechnology, Ethics and Public Policy
March 9-10, 2003
Hebrew College and Andover Newton Theological School

Presented by The Wilstein Institute of Jewish Policy Studies and the Interreligious Center on Public Life

The drive to alleviate human suffering via biotechnology breakthroughs has created a profound moral dilemma: Do lifesaving treatments such as genome therapy fundamentally alter the course of nature, with dangerous unforeseen consequences?

How to resolve the tension between these two imperatives — to heal and save lives, and to protect the natural order — is at the heart of a national scientific and political debate about this emerging research frontier, its extraordinary potential and ethical limitations.

Are there shared moral values that can inform civic discourse as well as the debate over federal legislative guidelines governing the biotechnological future? A group of the nation's leading researchers and thinkers sought to answer these key questions, and examined the societal impact and public policy implications of biotechnology discoveries from a range of religious, legal and ethical perspectives. Conference participants included representatives from biotechnology, ethics, law, medicine, the social sciences, education and the major religious traditions.

Featured Speakers:

• Dr. George Annas, Edward R. Utley Professor of Health Law, Bioethics and Human Rights, and Chair of the Health Law Department of Boston University School of Public Health; Professor, Boston University School of Medicine and School of Law



• Dr. Avi Bernstein-Nahar, Director of Community Education and Assistant Professor of Jewish Thought, Hebrew College



• Dr. Lisa Sowle Cahill, J. Donald Monan Professor of Theology, Boston College



• Hon. Cynthia S. Creem, Senator, Massachusetts General Court



• Curtis Cutter, Chairman, Interworld Consultants, Boston, Mass.



• Dr. Rahul K. Danda, Director, Bioethics Program, Interleukin Genetics, Waltham, Mass.



• Dr. Elliot Dorff, Rector and Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, University of Judaism, Los Angeles



• Hon. Raya S. Dreben, Associate Justice, Massachusetts Appeals Court



• Dr. Ralph H. Elliott, Former Interim President, Andover Newton Theological School



• Dr. Valerie Elverton Dixon, Assistant Professor of Christian Ethics, Andover Newton Theological School



• Dr. Elkan R. Gamzu, enERGetics, Bio-pharmaceutical Consultants, Newton, Mass.



• Dr. Lisa M. Geller, Fish & Richardson, P.C.; Member, Genetic Screening Study Group, Boston



• Dr. David M. Gordis, President, Hebrew College; Director, Wilstein Institute



• Dr. Michael A. Grodin, Professor of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine; Professor of Health Law, Bioethics and Human Rights, Boston University School of Public Health



• Rabbi Zachary I. Heller, Associate Director, Wilstein Institute of Jewish Policy Studies



• Dr. Jonathan Imber, Class of 1949 Professor in Ethics and Professor of Sociology, Wellesley College



• Dr. Barry Mesch, Provost and Stone/Teplow Families' Professor of Jewish Thought, Hebrew College



• Dr. Khaleel Mohammed, Postdoctoral Fellow in Islamic Studies, Brandeis University



• Dr. David G. Nathan, Robert A. Stranahan Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics and Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; President Emeritus, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute



• Dr. Una Ryan, CEO, Immunotherapeutics, Needham, Mass.



• Dr. Mark Silk, Director, Greenberg Center for the Study of Religion in Public Life, Trinity College, Hartford, Conn.



• Dr. Norman Spack, Clinical Director, Endocrine Division, Children's Hospital, Boston; Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School



• Dr. David Steinberg, Chief, Section of Medical Ethics, Lahey Clinic, Burlington, Mass.



• Dr. Joseph Stern, Associate Professor of Jewish Law, Hebrew College



• Dr. David Todres, Chief of Bioethics, Pediatric Division, Massachusetts General Hospital; Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School

SOURCES OF HUMAN RIGHTS: RELIGION'S ROLE IN DEFINING HUMAN DIGNITY
October 6-7, 2002
Hebrew College and Andover Newton Theological School

Co-Sponsored by The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life and The Toleration Project at Boston University

At a time when headlines are dominated by human rights abuses worldwide, the ways in which religions define human rights merit closer scrutiny. Are human rights divinely ordained? Does one have to believe in God and divine revelation as the source of human rights, or are there equally valid secular sources for fundamental human rights? Do human rights, by definition, refer only to individuals or to collective rights as well? Are human rights universal or dependent on specific cultural and religious attitudes toward other faiths, women, children or social groups? These are among the challenging questions that were debated and discussed by scholars and lay leaders in Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Buddhism at this two-day conference.

Featured Speakers:

• Dr. Peter Berger, Professor Emeritus of Religion, Sociology and Theology, University Professor, Boston University



• Dr. Lisa Sowle Cahill, J. Donald Monan Professor of Theology, Boston College



• Dr. John Clayton, Chair, Department of Religion, Boston University



• Dr. Tom Cushman, Professor of Sociology, Wellesley College



• Shlomo Fischer, Director, Ysodot-The Center for the Study of Torah and Democracy, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem



• Dr. Carol Fontaine, John Taylor Professor of Biblical Theology and History, Andover Newton Theological School



• Dr. Marc Gopin, Visiting Associate Professor of International Diplomacy, The Fletcher School, Tufts University



• Dr. David M. Gordis, President, Hebrew College



• Dr. Benjamin Griffin, President, Andover Newton Theological School



• Dr. Leslie Griffin, Professor of Law, Emory College



• Dr. Riffat Hassan, Professor in Humanities (Religious Studies), University of Louisville



• Dr. Sallie B. King, Professor of Philosophy and Religion, James Madison University



• Dr. Eugene Korn, Director of Interfaith Affairs, Anti-Defamation League



• Dr. Hillel Levine, Professor of Religion and Sociology, Boston University; President, International Institute for Mediation and Historical Conciliation



• Dr. Tom McKibbens, First Baptist Church, Newton



• Dr. Barry Mesch, Provost and Stone/Teplow Families' Professor of Jewish Thought, Hebrew College



• Dr. Khaleel Mohammed, Postdoctoral Fellow in Islamic Studies, Brandeis University



• Rev. Dr. Rodney Petersen, Executive Director, Boston Theological Institute



• Dr. Henry Rosemont, Jr., Reeves Distinguished Professor of the Liberal Arts, St. Mary's College of Maryland



• Dr. Adam Seligman, Professor of Religion, Boston University



• Dr. Timothy Samuel Shah, Research Fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, D.C.



• Dr. Max Stackhouse, Professor of Christian Ethics, Princeton Theological Seminary



• Reverend John Stendahl, Lutheran Church of the Newtons



• Tad L. Stahnke, Acting Executive Director, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom



• Dr. Suzanne Last Stone, Professor of Law, Cardozo Law School, Yeshiva University

RELIGION, THE SELF AND HUMAN RIGHTS: JEWISH AND ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVES
October 22, 2001
Sponsored by the Interreligious Center on Public Life

Whether religion squelches or promotes individual human rights was the focus of a packed symposium at Hebrew College as a prelude to a major ICPL conference on this same topic that fall. In opening remarks, moderator Adam Seligman, Boston University Associate Professor of Religion and ICPL scholar-in-residence, framed the evening's discussion: "Within a particular religious tradition, do humans have rights independent of any community of which they are members? Does religion recognize the existence of a private realm as separate from a public system of law and regulation?"

Dr. Abdulaziz Sachedina, Professor of Religion at the University of Virginia, and Dr. Suzanne Last Stone, Professor of Law at Cordozo Law School, Yeshiva University, were the featured speakers at the conference. Reverend John Stendahl, Minister of the Lutheran Church of Newton, Mass., and a member of the ICPL steering committee served as respondent.

Featured Speakers:

• Dr. Abdulaziz Sachedina, Professor of Religious Studies, University of Virginia



• Dr. Adam Seligman, Professor of Religion, Boston University



• Reverend John Stendahl, Lutheran Church of the Newtons



• Dr. Suzanne Last Stone, Professor of Law, Cardozo Law School, Yeshiva University