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Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Religious Scholars to Gather in January for Ground-breaking Conference in California
Group to launch new Jesus Project
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Nathan Bupp
Phone: (716) 636-7571 x 218
E-mail: nbupp@centerforinquiry.net
Amherst, New York (December 19, 2006)—The Committee for the Scientific Examination of Religion (CSER), a project of the Center for Inquiry/Transnational, will host a landmark conference on critical Biblical and Qur’anic research at the University of California at Davis on January 25–28 of 2007. The conference is being co-sponsored by the Department of Religious Studies at the University. Titled “Scripture and Skepticism,” the conference will explore the legacy of skepticism and historical-critical interpretation in the study of religious texts, founders and ideas. WORKING RELIGION WRITERS AND REPORTERS WILL BE ABLE TO ATTEND CONFERENCE SESSIONS FREE OF CHARGE.
“This era of heightened religious sensitivity and neo-fundamentalism is threatening our ability to objectively and critically examine the sacred texts of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam,” said CSER chair, R. Joseph Hoffmann. Historical-criticism emerged during the Enlightenment as a new way of interpreting religious texts that involved questioning the traditional understanding of the writings, as well as the authorship and dating of the texts themselves. In recent years, however, historical-criticism has been de-emphasized in favor of faith-commitments, theology, or literary experiments such as Postmodernism. The aim of the conference is to explore the grounds for this accelerating disuse of skeptical, historical-critical methods. Hoffmann argues, “How can the public trust that they are getting an objective illustration of historical fact from their clergy when critics are being silenced in our universities and seminaries across the country?”
“We have assembled a stunning group of scholars for this occasion, all of whom have made landmark contributions to the understanding of the Bible, the Qur’an, and their contexts,” said Hoffmann. Among the presenters are: Gerd Lüdemann, Adela Yarbro Collins, Andrew Rippin, James Tabor, Alfred-Louis de Prémare, Richard E. Rubenstein, Paul Kurtz, and Ibn Warraq. An awards banquet will also honor some leading lions in the field, such as John Dominic Crossan, Elaine, Pagels, and David Noel Freedman.
The conference will also initiate “The Jesus Project,” which will be devoted to examining the case for the historical existence of Jesus based on a rigorous application of historical critical methods to the gospels and related literature.
Unlike the “Jesus Seminar,” founded in 1985 by the late Professor Robert Funk of the University of Montana, the new Seminar regards the claim that Jesus of Nazareth was an historical figure as a “testable hypothesis.” Hoffmann said that the project has been called for by a number of scholars who felt that the first Jesus Seminar may have been—for political reasons—too reluctant to follow where the evidence led. Declared Hoffmann, “When you have pared the sayings of Jesus down to fewer than twenty, one begins to wonder about the survivors. Moreover, the Jesus Seminar was not successful in papering over fatal disputes about the authenticity of even those.”
According to Hoffmann, the goal is not to “disprove” Jesus or to sensationalize the question of his existence, but to acknowledge the question and examine it impartially—without theological or apologetic constraints. CSER will publish the results of the new Seminar’s work through an agreement with Prometheus Books of Amherst, New York.
Paul Kurtz, the chairman and founder of the Center for Inquiry and Prometheus Books, summed up the significance of these new endeavors when he said, “The public is largely unaware of the rich tradition of Biblical and Qur’anic criticism, which has existed for over 200 years. We need to make these findings available to all who wish to obtain a more critical and scientific explanation of the development of the world’s great religions.”
CSER was founded in 1983 and is now a research committee of the Religion and Science division of the Center for Inquiry in Amherst, New York. It encourages the use of the historical and applied sciences in the study of religion and provides educational programs for the public as part of its religious-literacy initiatives. Scholars and others interested in the work of The Jesus Project may contact R. Joseph Hoffmann at rhoffmann@centerforinquiry.net or Gwyneth MacRae at gmacrae@centerforinquiry.net.
The Center for Inquiry/Transnational, a nonprofit, educational, advocacy, and scientific-research think tank based in Amherst, New York, is also home to the Council for Secular Humanism, founded in 1980, the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (formerly CSICOP), founded in 1976, and the recently formed Commission for Scientific Medicine and Mental Health. Their research and educational projects focus on three broad areas: religion, ethics, and society; paranormal and fringe-science claims; and medicine and health. The Center’s Web site is www.centerforinquiry.net
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About Religion Press Release Services
Religion Press Release Services distributes press releases, press advisories, photos and other stories on behalf of religious organizations, denominational offices, think tanks, watchdog groups, advocacy groups, coalitions, foundations, colleges, universities, seminaries, publishers and others.
The organizations and/or individuals who submit materials for distribution by Religion Press Release Services are solely responsible for the facts in and accuracy of their materials. Religion Press Release Services will correct any errors brought to its attention.
Contact Us
To distribute press releases through Religion Press Release Services, contact Claudia Sans at csans@religionnews.com or 202-383-7870. For more information check out our PDF brochure.
Religion News Service, 1101 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036 (202) 463-8777
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Nathan Bupp
Phone: (716) 636-7571 x 218
E-mail: nbupp@centerforinquiry.net
Amherst, New York (December 19, 2006)—The Committee for the Scientific Examination of Religion (CSER), a project of the Center for Inquiry/Transnational, will host a landmark conference on critical Biblical and Qur’anic research at the University of California at Davis on January 25–28 of 2007. The conference is being co-sponsored by the Department of Religious Studies at the University. Titled “Scripture and Skepticism,” the conference will explore the legacy of skepticism and historical-critical interpretation in the study of religious texts, founders and ideas. WORKING RELIGION WRITERS AND REPORTERS WILL BE ABLE TO ATTEND CONFERENCE SESSIONS FREE OF CHARGE.
“This era of heightened religious sensitivity and neo-fundamentalism is threatening our ability to objectively and critically examine the sacred texts of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam,” said CSER chair, R. Joseph Hoffmann. Historical-criticism emerged during the Enlightenment as a new way of interpreting religious texts that involved questioning the traditional understanding of the writings, as well as the authorship and dating of the texts themselves. In recent years, however, historical-criticism has been de-emphasized in favor of faith-commitments, theology, or literary experiments such as Postmodernism. The aim of the conference is to explore the grounds for this accelerating disuse of skeptical, historical-critical methods. Hoffmann argues, “How can the public trust that they are getting an objective illustration of historical fact from their clergy when critics are being silenced in our universities and seminaries across the country?”
“We have assembled a stunning group of scholars for this occasion, all of whom have made landmark contributions to the understanding of the Bible, the Qur’an, and their contexts,” said Hoffmann. Among the presenters are: Gerd Lüdemann, Adela Yarbro Collins, Andrew Rippin, James Tabor, Alfred-Louis de Prémare, Richard E. Rubenstein, Paul Kurtz, and Ibn Warraq. An awards banquet will also honor some leading lions in the field, such as John Dominic Crossan, Elaine, Pagels, and David Noel Freedman.
The conference will also initiate “The Jesus Project,” which will be devoted to examining the case for the historical existence of Jesus based on a rigorous application of historical critical methods to the gospels and related literature.
Unlike the “Jesus Seminar,” founded in 1985 by the late Professor Robert Funk of the University of Montana, the new Seminar regards the claim that Jesus of Nazareth was an historical figure as a “testable hypothesis.” Hoffmann said that the project has been called for by a number of scholars who felt that the first Jesus Seminar may have been—for political reasons—too reluctant to follow where the evidence led. Declared Hoffmann, “When you have pared the sayings of Jesus down to fewer than twenty, one begins to wonder about the survivors. Moreover, the Jesus Seminar was not successful in papering over fatal disputes about the authenticity of even those.”
According to Hoffmann, the goal is not to “disprove” Jesus or to sensationalize the question of his existence, but to acknowledge the question and examine it impartially—without theological or apologetic constraints. CSER will publish the results of the new Seminar’s work through an agreement with Prometheus Books of Amherst, New York.
Paul Kurtz, the chairman and founder of the Center for Inquiry and Prometheus Books, summed up the significance of these new endeavors when he said, “The public is largely unaware of the rich tradition of Biblical and Qur’anic criticism, which has existed for over 200 years. We need to make these findings available to all who wish to obtain a more critical and scientific explanation of the development of the world’s great religions.”
CSER was founded in 1983 and is now a research committee of the Religion and Science division of the Center for Inquiry in Amherst, New York. It encourages the use of the historical and applied sciences in the study of religion and provides educational programs for the public as part of its religious-literacy initiatives. Scholars and others interested in the work of The Jesus Project may contact R. Joseph Hoffmann at rhoffmann@centerforinquiry.net or Gwyneth MacRae at gmacrae@centerforinquiry.net.
The Center for Inquiry/Transnational, a nonprofit, educational, advocacy, and scientific-research think tank based in Amherst, New York, is also home to the Council for Secular Humanism, founded in 1980, the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (formerly CSICOP), founded in 1976, and the recently formed Commission for Scientific Medicine and Mental Health. Their research and educational projects focus on three broad areas: religion, ethics, and society; paranormal and fringe-science claims; and medicine and health. The Center’s Web site is www.centerforinquiry.net
*****
About Religion Press Release Services
Religion Press Release Services distributes press releases, press advisories, photos and other stories on behalf of religious organizations, denominational offices, think tanks, watchdog groups, advocacy groups, coalitions, foundations, colleges, universities, seminaries, publishers and others.
The organizations and/or individuals who submit materials for distribution by Religion Press Release Services are solely responsible for the facts in and accuracy of their materials. Religion Press Release Services will correct any errors brought to its attention.
Contact Us
To distribute press releases through Religion Press Release Services, contact Claudia Sans at csans@religionnews.com or 202-383-7870. For more information check out our PDF brochure.
Religion News Service, 1101 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036 (202) 463-8777
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About Religion Press Release ServicesReligion Press Release Services distributes press releases, press advisories, photos and other stories on behalf of religious organizations, denominational offices, think tanks, watchdog groups, advocacy groups, coalitions, foundations, colleges, universities, seminaries, publishers and others. The organizations and/or individuals who submit materials for distribution by Religion Press Release Services are solely responsible for the facts in and accuracy of their materials. Religion Press Release Services will correct any errors brought to its attention.
Contact Us
To distribute press releases through Religion Press Release Services, contact Claudia Sans at csans@religionnews.com or 202-383-7870. For more information check out our PDF brochure.
Religion News Service, 1101 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036 (202) 463-8777
