Posts Tagged ‘Religion Communicators Council’
S+C | Religion, technology, and emerging media
Posted by: Shirley Paulson in Podcast on May 31st, 2009
Episode #23 is another conversation with Meg Ballias, a student at Butler University and Shirley Paulson, a Christian Scientist.
Meg is immersed in the issues of emerging media, and we decided to explore together the impact this new technology might have on religion, and vice versa. Meg is a Journalism student who was selected as one of the scholarship students attending the Religion Communicators Council (RCC) convention in Boston this year. She was featured on episode #21 also.
Globalization can offer exciting new opportunities, but the idea of a single currency for the world, for example, can also be scary if it leads to the end of society as we know it. Meg wonders aloud whether journalism technology is contributing to it or offering sufficient warnings against it. Some of our other questions have to do with the relationship between soul and digital machinery. Does God give humanity dominion, or are we victims of our own creations? Does moral strength play a role in the development of technology?
We feel like kids peering into an unopened treasure box, ready to discover things no one ever told us about before. We’d love to hear your insights and questions too. This is a topic that needs the best of everyone’s thinking. Please join in! Post your comments on the Spirituality and Christianity.com website. Subscribe to the podcass at the link on the right side of the website page: “Sunbscribe to S+C Podcast.” Thanks!
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S+C | Religious identity and diversity
Posted by: Shirley Paulson in Podcast on April 24th, 2009
Episode 21 is a conversation with Meg Biallas and Shirley Paulson.
Meg is a religiously minded Journalism student at Butler University. She is one of nine scholarship students who attended the recent Religion Communicators Council (RCC) convention this year, and I had the privilege of being appointed as her mentor. This year’s topic - Identity amid diversity - was a perfect springboard for our podcast conversation. Meg has just been discovering the depth of spirituality within herself, so the anchor of her identity is important while she navigates the contemporary pluralistic religious world. I have lived with a more secure religious foundation, but the security of my identity is increasingly challenged in the context of the same increasing pluralism.
Meg and I are happy to discover in our discussion how much the changing landscape of increasing contact with new religious communities has been enriching in our experiences. Meg points out that contact with her new Muslim friend at RCC (another scholarship student) made her ask herself about her own level of devotion. And I find it helpful to learn that others cope with feeling as isolated or different as I do. And an even greater benefit is the unifying power we discover together in our mutual love for God. Regardless of our different religious practices, our desire to be close to God and to live faithfully to God brings the security we need in the midst of the diversity.
Here are some questions we’d love to hear your thoughts on:
- How have you related to others with strong differences in faith backgrounds?
- How do you balance the need to establish an identity for your religious community, and yet maintain your unique individuality?
- How has your experience with religious pluralism benefited your own faith?
Please post your comments just below the links related to this podcast on the Spirituality and Christianity.com website. Also, if you haven’t subscribed to these podcasts, there’s an eas “Subscribe to S+C Podcast” link on the right side of the website page. Thanks.!
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S+C | What does the Bible really mean?
Posted by: Shirley Paulson in Podcast on June 14th, 2008
Episode #11 is a discussion about interpreting the Bible. What would this world be like if we all got the same meaning out of the Bible?
It’s strange that it means so many things to so many people, and yet it has held such a powerful hold on diverse people for some 2,000 years. Rather than arguing over who’s right or wrong about its meaning, John Spangler and I found a more useful approach to the Bible’s meaning by expanding our views of interpretation. John is a Lutheran teacher, serving as Executive Assistant to the President at
Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, PA. My seminary degree is from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, and I am a Christian Science practitioner.
We enjoyed sharing just a few of our experiences with our efforts at interpreting the Bible. John brings out one of the most significant difficulties in our modern-day understanding of the Bible by pointing to the importance of our culture when we read any ancient text. Considering the wide gulf between the culture of the early Christians in the Middle East and the American culture of today, it’s hard to imagine how the words could convey anything of meaning. And yet, the enduring part of the Bible is that it does appear to transcend all the human boundaries of time, culture, language, and history.
John’s story of a woman’s life-size pictures of dead birds, and my attempts to express the meaning of a psalm through ripping paper are two examples of the wonderful adventure of Biblical interpretation through art.
Tell us your stories. We’d love to hear from you. Enter them into “comment” just below this posting on episode #11 of Spirituality and Christianity. Thanks!
From the podcast:
S+C | The spiritual anchor for grace and happiness
Posted by: Shirley Paulson in Podcast on May 27th, 2008
Episode 10 is a conversation between Anuttama Dasa, a devotee of Hare Krishna and myself, a devout Christian Scientist.
We’re talking about the source of grace and happiness. Many Americans may relate to Anuttama’s Anglo-Saxon appearance, his American grown accent, his monotheistic beliefs, and his desire to live a life of grace. But his clothing and his name are non-traditional, and his religious practice originates in India. Despite surface differences, Anuttama makes it easy for his conversation partners to hear him. His
kind eyes and gentle demeanor inspire trust and an eagerness to know his spiritual story.
We found a number of perhaps surprising points of similarity in our spiritual foundations. For example, 1) our shared belief in monotheism, 2) that true happiness is found in Soul, not in the body, and 3) that every moment is a precious opportunity to discern deeper love for others.
Since we met each other our work together on the Board of Governors for the Religion Communicators Council (RCC), we share an interest in interfaith dialogue. Although neither of us wants to dilute or lose the close ties to our own faith traditions, we find that interfaith 
conversations such as this one, is actually a necessary part of our faith journeys. We value and learn from each other, as we discover what spiritual insights and faith dimensions lead to more gracious living.
Here are some links and websites that will guide you to a better understanding of Anuttama’s life: