Ethics in Religion Commons^™

Moral Discernment Through Praxical Pursuit Of God, Stephen M. Meawad

Catholic Studies Faculty Publications

Coptic Orthodox Christians might often be hesitant or even reluctant to speak in terms of ethics, since the language of ethics challenges the integrity between orthodoxy and orthopraxy. Generally, Western and Eastern approaches to ethics have had their pros and cons: systematization characteristic of the former has led to deep analyses of complex topics, but has often fragmented otherwise composite topics that require interdependence for the most accurate assessment. In contrast, non-fragmentation typical of the latter has preserved the holistic reality that characterizes the complexity of truths, but it has not always allowed for the same depth of analysis as …

Liturgy As Ethicizer: Cultivating Ecological Consciousness Through A Coptic Orthodox Liturgical Ethos, Stephen M. Meawad

Catholic Studies Faculty Publications

This project will examine the liturgical ethos of the Coptic Orthodox Church and how this ethos is effective in creating self-sustaining, ecologically aware communities.

Review Of: J. Denny Weaver, God Without Violence: Following A Nonviolent God In A Violent World, Brian Stiltner

Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies Faculty Publications

In God Without Violence, Mennonite theologian J. Denny Weaver ‘proposes new motifs for Christology and atonement’ and ‘highlights new versions of Christian practice’ based in ‘the nonviolence of God who is revealed in the life and work of Jesus’ (pp. 197–98). Weaver wrote this book to be a popular version of his previous books on atonement theology, accessible to church study groups and college classes.

Weaver, J.D. (2016). God without violence: Following a nonviolent God in a violent world. Eugene, OR: Cascade.

My Interview With Akan, Uwem Akpanikat

Writing Across the Curriculum

Editor’s Note: This Newsletter interview is a fictional story written by Uwem Akpanikat, a senior majoring in Theology and Religious Studies. Inspired by the film “Dear White People,” which was shown to the students in his Human Rights course, the piece aims to explore the intersection of race, free speech, higher education, media, and religion, in light of the critical and ethical thinking that is central to the Catholic intellectual tradition.

Christian-Stoicism: Exploring The Relationship Between Christianity And Stoicism And Constructing A Manual Of Christian-Stoic Wisdom, Trevor Kelly

Master of Arts in Religious Studies (M.A.R.S. Theses)

While the theological assumptions of Christianity and Stoicism may seem disparate, their philosophies are highly compatible. This compatibility is one of the reasons that early Christian authors looked to pagan Stoic authors for support and inspiration. Many Stoic and Christian authors compiled manuals for right living. The historical connections and conceptual similarities between the two schools of thought suggest the viability and value of constructing a combined Christian-Stoic manual of wisdom. Such is the constructive task of this thesis. Passages from Christian and Stoic sources are brought together to illustrate major common themes. The passages are followed by original commentaries …

The Trouble With The Death Penalty, Abigail Hood

Writing Across the Curriculum

For almost as long as the death penalty has been used, it has been a subject of debate.

Truth, Justice, And The Common Good: Core Capstone Final Essay, Valentina De Santis (Class Of 2016)

Writing Across the Curriculum

The course Truth, Justice, and the Common Good brought awareness to themes of the environment, common good, and social issues. Environmental justice is the involvement of the society to respect and care for environmental laws and regulations. It is a part of the common good to appreciate and respect the natural world. The common good is customized toward every individual and it is the decision of the human being to recognize the common good daily. From the readings and presentations in class, a correlation was formed between beliefs and values towards topics in religion, justice, and community.

The Abortion Debate In America, Trent Thompson

Writing Across the Curriculum

More than forty years after the landmark Roe V. Wade Supreme Court legislation, which deemed abortion a fundamental right under the U.S. Constitution, the debate over abortion roars on.

A Taste Of Armageddon: When Warring Is Done By Drones And Robots, Brian Stiltner

Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies Faculty Publications

Discusses the increasing use of drones and weaponized robots. Argues that the international community must put firm ethical guidelines in place before the technology becomes rampant.

Review Of: Andrew R. Murphy (Ed.), The Blackwell Companion To Religion And Violence, Brian Stiltner

Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies Faculty Publications

Blackwell Companions, and instalments from similar series, should be initially sized up according to their purpose and audience. Such hefty tomes present themselves first as reference books—as collections of articles by scholarly experts that treat the key methods, topics, historical developments, etc., in the field. Second, each Companion is addressed to students and teachers as a state-of-the-field resource that provides several benefits: a sound picture of the field, assessment of various theories and methods used in the field, a sense of the innovative developments and open questions, and plenty of information to follow up on. Finally, some Companions give primacy …

Protest, Alexandria Abel

PTRS Undergraduate Publications

Protest is a method used to oppose power or enact change. It is a multifaceted idea in that the type of protest used depends directly on the attainability of the goal. I will discuss the properties of protest and then show how individuals in Enrique’s Journey and Dorothy Day's Loaves and Fishes approach the act of protesting differently based on the actuality of the goals to be accomplished.

The Intricacy Of Death And Destiny, Christopher Rogers

PTRS Undergraduate Publications

It is our eternal shadow and our ultimate judge. It is our shared destiny and greatest fear; death. The conceptualization of death has always been a fascination of man; we have forever explored it, pondered it, dissected it, but never conquered it. We know how to live, but yet very few of us know how to die.

Two of the most brilliant explorations of this dynamic are vastly different yet inherently important works. The genius of both George Orwell’s political satire 1984, and Albert Camus’ The Plague is their accessibility to the imagination regarding dying, the authors ability to …

Review Of: Thompson, J. Milburn, Introducing Catholic Social Thought, Brian Stiltner

Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies Faculty Publications

This book enters a crowded field. There are many books on Catholic social thought (CST), as suggested by this book’s select bibliography of over 200 items. Most religious studies publishers—especially those of a Catholic orientation—have one or more books on the topic. There are roughly thirty to forty texts in print that a college professor would consider when teaching a course or a module on Catholic social thought. Nonetheless, J. Milburn Thompson’s Introducing Catholic Social Thought is a welcome addition to the field. Thompson has written a clear, informative, and fairly engaging book for college students and others wanting to …

Review Of: T. J. Gorringe. The Common Good And The Global Emergency: God And The Built Environment, Brian Stiltner

Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies Faculty Publications

Tim Gorringe follows up his positively reviewed 2002 book A Theology of the Built Environment with this offering from the same publisher. The former book was notable as a sustained attempt to think theologically about the ‘built environment’. The built environment is the context that humans construct for themselves through their industry and technology; it comprises all types of physical settlements (cities, suburbs, towns, and villages), roads and transportation systems, parks and outdoor spaces, and buildings of every sort. It matters to humans how we build social spaces, for this influences our individual flourishing and the common good. While any …

Mission And Catholic Identity [Booklet], Office Of Mission And Catholic Identity

Mission Integration & Ministry Publications

‌The Office of Mission and Catholic Identity at Sacred Heart University has as its primary purpose the articulation, promotion and transmission of the Catholic Intellectual and Spiritual Tradition.

"A Growth Industry" (Review Of "Peacebuilding: Catholic Theology, Ethics, And Praxis" Edited By Schreiter, Appleby, And Powers), Brian Stiltner

Brian Stiltner

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Daniel M. Bell, Jr., Just War As Christian Discipleship: Recentering The Tradition In The Church Rather Than The State, Brian Stiltner

Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies Faculty Publications

From his conversations in church settings and classrooms, Daniel M. Bell, Jr. has observed that Christians by and large do not know the church’s just war tradition very well, but that they are receptive to learning about it. Most theologians would likely agree that they know a number of Christians who are hungry to see better thinking and more effective action in response to war in our time. Bell, a Lutheran seminary professor and ordained elder in the United Methodist Church, wrote this book to interpret ‘the just war tradition in terms of concrete practices that might contribute to the …

Richard Newhauser (Ed.), The Seven Deadly Sins: From Communities To Individuals (Book Review), Denise A. Kaiser

History Faculty Publications

Book review by Denise Kaiser:

ISBN 9789004157859

Religion, Rhetoric, And Running For Office: Public Reason On The Us Campaign Trail, Brian Stiltner, Steven Michels

Political Science & Global Affairs Faculty Publications

It is common, almost expected, for candidates for office in the United States to affirm their religious identity and to employ broad religious themes in support of their political agendas. It is the rare candidate, especially for the Senate or the presidency, who completely eschews religious language due to the pressure and scrutiny of church leaders and advocacy groups with religous and moral agendas.

Britain's Bomb: What's Next? (Book Review), Brian Stiltner

Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies Faculty Publications

Book review by Brian Stiltner.

Wicker, Brian and Hugh Beach, eds. Britain's Bomb: What Next? London: SCM Press, 2006.

ISBN 9780334040965

By the time this review is published, Tony Blair will no longer be Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He pushed for a decision to be taken by the next general election: he wanted the UK to commit to replacing the current Trident system (a stock of 58 missiles and under 200 warheads, some of these housed on four nuclear submarines) with a new generation of nuclear weapons and submarines. The British Trident submarines are scheduled for retirement between …

Teaching About The Others' Ethics: A Response To Professor John Elias, Brian Stiltner

Brian Stiltner

No abstract provided.

What Do We Want The Other To Teach About Us?, David L. Coppola, Center For Christian-Jewish Understanding

Sacred Heart University Press Books

Based on five conferences, 'What Do We Want the Other to Teach About Us," held in Jerusalem (2000) on theological traditions; in Edmonton, Canada (2000) on historical traditions; in Rome, Italy (2001) on prayer and liturgy; in Bamberg, Germany (2002) on historical traditions; and in Fairfield, Connecticut (2003) on ethical traditions, and sponsored by the Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding of Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, Connecticut, in collaboration with the Elijah Interfaith Institute, Jerusalem; the Edmonton Interfaith Centre for Education and Action, Canada; the University of Bamberg, Germany; and Sacred Heart University.

Review Of: The Politics Of Human Frailty: A Theological Defence Of Political Liberalism, By Christopher J. Insole, Brian Stiltner

Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies Faculty Publications

Against the grain of much contemporary Christian theology, Christopher Insole’s The Politics of Human Frailty takes on the challenge of theologically defending political liberalism. Specifically, he defends a strand of political liberalism ‘informed by the theological conviction that the human person is a creature incapable of its own perfection, although nonetheless called to and made for this perfection’ (p. vii). Insole, University Lecturer in Philosophy of Religion at the University of Cambridge, attends to philosophers and theologians primarily in the British tradition, but also on the American side. Insole advances his argument mostly through readings of other authors. Positively, Insole …

Creating Space For Dialogue, David L. Coppola

SHU Faculty Publications

Judaism, Christianity and Islam teach that it is God’s will that all people live in peace with each other. Peace will be adequately advanced only when religious people and religious institutions are integral to the processes of social justice in every part of the globe. It is religion that can help to reach into the depths of humanity’s struggles and the heights of human accomplishments to salve such injuries. Unfortunately, dialogue for the sake of building mutual respect, understanding and ultimately, peaceful coexistence seems more difficult than ever, in part due to the resistance and obstruction by some who claim …

Religion, Violence And Peace: Continuing Conversations And Study Guide, David L. Coppola, Center For Christian-Jewish Understanding

Sacred Heart University Press Books

Continuing the conversation that began with the 1999 volume, Religion and Violence, Religion and Peace, this thought-provoking collection of essays also offers a Study Guide that explores the questions of violence and peace faced by people of the Abrahamic faiths. The essays in this work were presented by Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders and scholars at the 2003 conference, “Pathways to Peace in the Abrahamic Faiths,” sponsored by the Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding of Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut.

Contributors include David L. Coppola, Rabbi Rene-Samuel Sirat, Adolphe Steg, Rabbi Rene Gutman, James G. Williams, Jean Dujardin, Azizah …

Papal Sin: Structures Of Deceit, By Gary Wills, David L. Coppola

Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies Faculty Publications

Book review by David L. Coppola.

Wills, Garry. Papal Sin: Structures of Deceit. New York: Doubleday, 2000.

Morality, Religion, And Public Bioethics: Shifting The Paradigm For The Public Discussion Of Embryo Research And Human Cloning, Brian Stiltner

Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies Faculty Publications

Public ethics bodies play a major role in the development of public policies that govern scientific research and health care.' Their tasks include weighing the ethical ramifications of forms of research, educating the public about the research and its likely benefits, and recommending directions for institutional practices and legal policies. Much debate about public ethics bodies has concerned the mode and level of their ethical reasoning. Should public ethics bodies develop substantive moral arguments on issues that are subject to widely divergent moral and religious interpretations, such as the status of the human embryo? To develop such arguments would, of …

Reassessing Religion's Place In A Liberal Democracy, Brian Stiltner

Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies Faculty Publications

Reviews by Brian Stiltner of five books published between 1996 and 1997 on the topic of religion's role in politics and a liberal democracy.

Originally published: Religious Studies Review 26.4 (October 2000). pp. 310-325.

The Problem Of Religion, Violence, And Peace: An Uneasy Trilogy, David L. Coppola

SHU Faculty Publications

Drawing primarily on Jewish, Christian, and Islamic texts, as well as on philosophical and sociological concepts, I will examine religion and its relationship to violence from three distinct, but related perspectives; namely, that 1) religion is directly linked with violence; 2) religion functions as one among many factors that influence violence; and 3) religions are unwilling participants in the practice of violence. This essay begins by setting a context for the study of religion, violence, and peace, followed by a presentation of the three perspectives mentioned above, concluding with possibilities for the study and practice of future peace-making.

Fuchs, Joseph, S.J. Moral Demands And Personal Obligations (Book Review), John R. Berkman

Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies Faculty Publications

Book review by John R. Berman.

Fuchs, Josef. Moral Demands and Personal Obligations. Brian McNeil, tr. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press, 1993. ISBN 9780878405374; 9780878405435 (pbk.)