Release date: Feb. 9, 2005

Emory Theologian to Examine Religion And Violence

Contact:
Katherine Baust: 404-727-0642, katherine.baust@emory.edu

Emory University's M. Thomas Thangaraj, a leading scholar of world religions, will examine the role of religion in violent conflicts in his lecture "Religions in a World of Violence: Virus or Vaccine?" at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 3. Held at the Miller Ward Alumni House at 815 Houston Mill Road, this event is part of Emory's Great Teacher Lecture Series and is free and open to the public.

In his presentation, Thangaraj will explore how to better understand religions and view them as deterrents to violence rather than causes of conflicts. "We live today in a new situation," he says. "Religious conflict has come to the forefront of our daily experience. It appears as though religion and violence are partners now with each side in a conflict claiming a religious legitimacy for its actions."

According to Thangaraj, programs of inter-religious cooperation and dialogue have increased significantly and are helping people to engage in critical appreciation of each other's religions. "We cannot simply wish religion away into non-existence," he says. "Religions are here to stay, and in fact, we have seen rather a revival of religion."

Thangaraj is the D. W. & Ruth Brooks Associate Professor of World Christianity at the Emory's Candler School of Theology. Before joining Emory, he served as minister in the Church of South India in the Tirunelveli area and taught at the Tamilnadu Theological Seminary in Madurai, India. He has given guest lectures in Burma, Denmark, Germany, India , Japan, Norway, the Philippines, Sweden, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States, and he has been actively involved in programs of inter-religious dialogue at both the national and international levels.

He also is a member of "Thinking Together," a think-tank sponsored by the Office of Inter-Religious Relations at the World Council of Churches in Geneva, Switzerland, bringing theologians of various faiths together to examine world religions. Thangaraj teaches at Emory during spring semesters and is associated with the work of the Bishop Stephen Neill Research and Study Centre in Tirunelveli, India, during the fall semesters.

Each year the Great Teacher Lecture Series showcases some of Emory's most gifted faculty members. Thangaraj's lecture is one of a series sponsored jointly by Emory's Center for Lifelong Learning, the Emory Office of Public Affairs and the Association of Emory Alumni. For more information please visit www.cll.emory.edu/gtls..

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