The Religious Studies Student Association (RSSA) held “The Community of Tolerance” conference Friday. Professors from the religious studies department and others participated.
Professors Ron Dubay and Sophia Pandya, and retired professor Robert Eisenman took part in a panel discussion, where they answered anonymously submitted questions having to do with their views on religious tolerance, past and present. Other questions asked how religious intolerance is born and how it could best be eliminated.
Eisenman expressed his view of the university experience and how it relates to intolerance.
“We are the citadel of Thomas Jefferson,” Eisenman said. “We are the citadel of the U.S. Constitution. We are the citadel of the Aristotelian learning experience. We can’t surrender our past to some other version of cultural history. There is no creed. There is only study, enlightenment and tolerance.”
Dubay explained that one way to diffuse tension in a conversation with a possible religious conflict is to agree to let others believe what they will and then approach the matter with a bit of humor. He advised to focus on common ground rather than on differences, which could result in anger.
Other topics discussed by the panel included representations of various faiths in the media, and the conflict of beliefs here in the West and the Middle East.
“The dialogue turned out to be a little more political than I had expected and a little less religious than I had hoped for,” said Joseph Angelfield, a sophomore religious studies major, of the panel discussion.
Approximately 40 students attended the event. Student Vice President Jennifer Iovanovici said she hoped for higher attendance in future events. She said that because the event took place on a Friday, attendance may have been lower than expected. She also offered another possibility for the low turnout.
“I think that people, when they hear ‘religious studies,’ just might think that we’re like Bible-thumping Christians or that we’re trying to convey a certain view, which is false,” Iovanovici said. “We embrace diversity. We embrace different views and that’s what we’re all about.”
Other speakers included: Jeff Klaus, director of Student Life and Development; James Sauceda, director of the Multicultural Center; and Julie Wakelee-Lynch, director the University Interfaith Center. The three directors all urged students to become involved in their respective organizations.
Religious studies department chairman Carlos Piar also spoke, as did Rene Castro, vice president of the National Coalition for Community and Justice. Piar explained the importance of studying religion and gave the requirements for the major and minor, as well as information about the graduate program at Cal State Long Beach.
“I’m really happy they could put on something like this,” Dubay said. “I’m just really floored that we had the attendance that we did.”
