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College to Host North American Undergraduate Conference

Posted on Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Westminster College will host the North American Undergraduate Conference in Religion and Philosophy March 26-28. The theme of this year's conference is "The Legitimacy of Religious Traditions."

St. Francis University (Loretto) is a co-organizer, with support from the North American Association for the Study of Religion, the Consortium for Educational Resources on Islamic Studies, and Westminster's Heinz Lecture Series.

Mark Oppenheimer, writer and speaker on contemporary religion, will speak on "Scientologists and Mormons? How Two Religions Sought Legitimacy" Friday, March 26, at 7 p.m. in the Witherspoon Lakeview Room of the McKelvey Campus Center. He is a contributor to The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times Magazine and writes the regular "Beliefs" column for the New York Times. He is the author of Knocking on Heaven's Door and Thirteen and a Day.

Rosemary Hicks, instructor and Ph.D. candidate at Columbia University, will present "Islam and Humanitarianism: the Politics of Legitimacy" Saturday, March 27, at 5:30 p.m., also in the Witherspoon Lakeview Room. A scholar of Islam, mysticism, pluralism, and religious liberalism, her current research highlights how Americans conceptualize Islam and Islamic mysticism.

Undergraduate presentations from 17 students are scheduled for Saturday with students coming from the Universities of Vermont and Kentucky, Wheaton College (Mass.), and Barnard College (N.Y.), among others. Two Westminster College students will present their research projects in the Witherspoon Maple Room:

John Allison, a sophomore religion and philosophy major, is a son of Dale and Kristine Allison of Pittsburgh and a graduate of homeschooling. His paper, "Religious Pluralism and the Paradox of Choice: A Response to Dread," argues that modernity has given us the aphorism: "religion has become the sum of your choices." Belief in a transcendent reality is no longer the default position. Instead, we encounter all types of viewpoints, from hard materialism to traditional religious orthodoxies. Both the most secular atheist and believer realize that reasonable and well-meaning people disagree on matters of faith, and that we live in a situation of pluralism. He is scheduled to present during the 1:45-3:15 p.m. session.

Michael Gorman, a junior philosophy major, is a son of Mary Novak of Avonmore and a graduate of Kiski High School. His paper, "Are Cargo Cults Legitimate Religions?," aims to establish characteristics of legitimate religions by examination of existing religions that are considered legitimate. He is scheduled to present during the 3:30-5 p.m. session.

The speakers and student presentations are free and open to the public.

Subject to the discretion of a panel of judges, cash prizes will be awarded to the best paper in religion, in philosophy, and for a non-traditional presentation that deviates from the traditional format of a standard academic paper.

Conference organizers from Westminster are Dr. Bryan Rennie, professor and Vira I. Heinz Chair in Religion, and Dr. David Goldberg, associate professor of philosophy.

Contact Rennie at (724) 946-7151 (e-mail brennie@westminster.edu) or visit http://www.westminster.edu/staff/brennie/naucorp2010.htm for additional information about the conference.

Mark Oppenheimer
Rosemary Hicks