Soul Solidarity Day to Focus On Religious Issues And Their Relation to Academia

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The University at Buffalo will take the lead as one of the first public universities to initiate a campus-wide dialogue on religious issues and their relation to academia when Soul Solidarity Day, a day-long spiritual exchange, is held on Wednesday, Sept. 16.

Soul Solidarity Day will mark the beginning of a two-year initiative headed by the Rev. David Moore, a Presbyterian minister with the Campus Church ConneXtion, to help the UB community recognize the religious diversity of its population by providing an opportunity for inter-religious dialogue and activity.

It will be a collaboration of the Campus Ministries Association, Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, Campus Church ConneXtion, Newman Center, Student Health Center and Living Well Center, all at UB, and the Presbytery of Western New York.

Moore encourages students, faculty, staff and members of the community to participate in this special event and is asking faculty members to try to incorporate it into their course curriculums.

"UB must be a place where religious issues are acknowledged," said Moore. "We want people to move from an attitude of indifference toward religious issues to at least tolerance, if not affirmation. Indifference is the greatest form of hostility."

It is not just religious issues, but cultural traditions, that need to be addressed, explained Moore. "Everyone needs to realize that many people in this world still identify with spiritual tradition and ritual as part of their culture. Public universities may overlook the degree to which students' lives are often shaped by religious faith and spirituality."

Donna Rice, associate vice president for student affairs, heads the university-wide Committee for the Promotion of Tolerance and Diversity that is involved in the planning and support for Soul Solidarity Day.

"Our campus is fortunate to have so many people of different religious backgrounds because it creates a natural learning environment for cultural and religious diversity," said Rice. "It is important for students to explore the spiritual aspect of their lives, especially how it relates to academic progress."

Rice added that Soul Solidarity Day is in accordance with the broad definition of diversity embraced by the university, which acknowledges racial, ethnic, religious, cultural and intellectual differences.

The initiative evolved out of a 1995 proposal called "The Areopagus Project," by Moore and members of Presbytery of Western New York, which addressed concerns that many faculty members in higher education had adopted a secular world view that did not take into consideration the minority of scholars who practiced religious faith traditions.

Moore and his colleagues felt that all religious faiths were being deprived of a generation of bright young leaders since they were not developing strong religious identity as adults. He said Soul Solidarity Day will provide an opportunity to begin the exploration of such issues as interfaith marriages, the separation between church and state, the role of women in religion, science and religion, sexual practices, rituals of different faith traditions and their meanings, religious issues surrounding gays and lesbians, religious conflicts on an international scale and how to achieve universal peace.

Soul Solidarity Day will feature a performance by Buffalo's Theatre for Change at noon, to be followed by a discussion at 12:30 p.m. in the Student Union Theater on the North (Amherst) Campus.

At 1 p.m., Clark Pinnock, professor of theology at McMaster Divinity College and author of "The Wideness of God's Mercy," will discuss "Christian Faith in A Multi-Religious Context," to be followed by a question-and-answer session. Break-out groups from 2-3 p.m. will reflect on issues and offer feedback to facilitators, as well as proposals for action.

The day will conclude at 3 p.m. with the Dances of Universal Peace performed by Susan Slack in the Student Union Social Hall.

All events associated with Soul Solidarity Day are free and open to the public.

For more information, call Moore at 639-0277.