February NCLUDE
Office of Diversity and Inclusion
Author
03/01/2022
Added
7
Plays
Description
Although faith is in many cases an “invisible” aspect of diversity, there are a vast number of different religious, spiritual, and humanist identity groups present on our campus. Because our faith systems influence our understanding of values, morals, and community, they inherently affect our approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion work. For our third session of the academic year, we hosted a panel of community leaders, moderated by Dr. Max Perry Mueller of The Department of Classics and Religious Studies. Panelists will discuss their religious, spiritual, and humanist communities, how they have found these communities in Nebraska, and how their identities and beliefs influence their approaches to social justice and diversity, equity, and inclusion work.
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- [00:00:00.870]Nclude session. Thank you, Ryan for getting me
- [00:00:02.880]started here today. Elevator music would be great,
- [00:00:07.050]but I don't have competence on myself to be able
- [00:00:09.390]to manage all that tech stuff. I know Ryan could
- [00:00:12.120]do it. He's very tech savvy. But today we have our
- [00:00:17.370]February includes sessions, our second session of
- [00:00:21.630]the academic year. So welcome, everybody. We're so
- [00:00:25.440]glad to have you today. Um, I'm going to start off
- [00:00:29.880]just with some introductions, starting off with
- [00:00:33.870]our land acknowledgement. So hopefully you can all
- [00:00:37.200]see my screen and everything is working out well.
- [00:00:41.370]So with our land acknowledgement here, University
- [00:00:45.570]of Nebraska is a public land grant institution
- [00:00:48.840]with campuses and programs on past, present and
- [00:00:52.410]future homelands of the Pawnee, PANCA Otama,
- [00:00:56.160]Zarya, Omaha, Dakota, Lakota are a PAHO Cheyenne
- [00:01:01.740]coffee peoples and Winnebago as well as the
- [00:01:04.350]relocated Ho Chunk, Iowa and second box peoples
- [00:01:08.910]with this land acknowledgement. We affirm Native
- [00:01:11.190]American sovereignty and commitment to working in
- [00:01:13.860]right relationship with our Native American
- [00:01:16.440]relatives and neighbors as well as with the land
- [00:01:19.560]they were and historically and continue to be
- [00:01:22.260]protectors and stewards of. So thank you for
- [00:01:26.340]joining us today. For our include session I want
- [00:01:30.480]to start by introducing who is here from the ODI
- [00:01:33.180]office to help us out today on this call. So I'm
- [00:01:37.140]Megan Cardwell. I am the graduate assistant for
- [00:01:39.450]inclusive leadership and learning. And I'll let my
- [00:01:43.200]colleagues introduce themselves as well.
- [00:01:47.430]And afternoon, everyone, I'm in Kenji Friday, I
- [00:01:50.460]have the pleasure of serving as the Assistant Vice
- [00:01:52.110]Chancellor for strategic initiatives here in the
- [00:01:54.360]office of diversity and inclusion. And welcome you
- [00:01:57.450]all to our February session. And thank you all for
- [00:02:00.300]joining us.
- [00:02:05.190]And good morning, I
- [00:02:06.810]am Jerry Harner, the executive specialist here and
- [00:02:10.377]I will be providing support today. Thank you both.
- [00:02:13.944]So before we get started with our session and kind
- [00:02:17.511]of welcoming our community, we're in a webinar
- [00:02:20.798]style format today. So go ahead and use the chat.
- [00:02:24.296]To ask any questions of the panelists. We'll have
- [00:02:27.793]a short q&a session at the end of the panel. So
- [00:02:31.150]around a little after 1230, we'll start a little
- [00:02:34.578]q&a. So if you have any questions, as our
- [00:02:37.515]brilliant panelists are speaking, please do drop
- [00:02:40.942]those in the chat. And we'll go ahead and relay
- [00:02:44.300]those to our our panelists at the end. For our
- [00:02:47.587]session today, starting with kind of an
- [00:02:50.385]orientation to include so for those of you who are
- [00:02:53.952]joining us for the first time, include as our
- [00:02:57.170]Nebraska community of learners understanding
- [00:03:00.317]diversity through education, and we are a group
- [00:03:03.674]that is open to UNL personnel, faculty, staff and
- [00:03:07.172]students, alumni and friends of university. So
- [00:03:10.459]we're so glad that you signed up to join the
- [00:03:13.607]conversation today. We've offered a number of
- [00:03:16.824]sessions since the our first include session in
- [00:03:20.181]this year, we've offered sessions on our new
- [00:03:23.329]chosen name and gender identity policy. We welcome
- [00:03:26.896]Dominique Morgan to present on her her work and
- [00:03:30.253]her experience being a trans woman of color in
- [00:03:33.541]Nebraska. And today, we're offering a session on
- [00:03:36.968]religious spiritual and humorous humanist
- [00:03:39.906]identities in Nebraska. So when we think about
- [00:03:43.193]diversity, sometimes religious, spiritual and
- [00:03:46.411]humanist identities go a bit under notice they're
- [00:03:49.908]not necessarily visible, and sometimes we don't
- [00:03:53.265]talk about how important they are to diversity,
- [00:03:56.623]equity and inclusion and coming off of our MLK
- [00:03:59.910]celebrations for Reverend Martin Luther King.
- [00:04:03.127]We're thinking a lot about how our humanists
- [00:04:06.275]orientation and sexual orientations spiritual
- [00:04:09.492]orientations toward life and community and service
- [00:04:13.060]and existential responsibility really enrich our
- [00:04:16.487]approaches to diversity, equity, inclusion and
- [00:04:19.774]social justice work. Additionally, here at UNL,
- [00:04:23.132]one of the nine dimensions of well being outlined
- [00:04:26.629]by Big Red resilience, his spiritual well being
- [00:04:29.986]and so we want to make sure we're including
- [00:04:33.064]spiritual being in this conversation today. So I
- [00:04:36.491]want to introduce our panelists that will be
- [00:04:39.639]speaking today. Today we have Rabbi Alex belch,
- [00:04:42.996]who represents the Jewish community of LinkedIn.
- [00:04:46.423]Reverend Carla Cooper of Doane University and
- [00:04:49.641]Allen St. John's Amie church in Kansas City. We
- [00:04:52.998]have Ryan master who serve with Lincoln atheists
- [00:04:56.425]here in Lincoln and representing a mom he burking
- [00:04:59.922]Muhammad all clean of the Islamic foundation of
- [00:05:03.280]Lincoln will be a Beulah Hammad today. So our
- [00:05:06.497]moderator for today's session was Dr. Max Perry
- [00:05:09.855]Mueller, Dr. Mueller ran into some flight
- [00:05:12.792]cancellations and travel issues and couldn't make
- [00:05:16.290]it today. He's been a champion of interface
- [00:05:19.367]visibility in service across our campus, as many
- [00:05:22.794]of you know, and he will definitely be missed
- [00:05:26.012]today. But he has some words to share in his
- [00:05:29.159]absence that I'll go ahead and read for you all
- [00:05:32.517]right now. So he says this is American diversity,
- [00:05:36.014]and in particular American religious and ethnic
- [00:05:39.371]racial diversity. Diversity is a descriptive term,
- [00:05:42.938]it's an adjective, it describes the fact that
- [00:05:46.156]America is diverse. Today, this wonderful group of
- [00:05:49.723]panelists whom Dr. Friday has gathered, will, I
- [00:05:53.080]believe, do do something else something more
- [00:05:56.228]profound, they will do more than describe and
- [00:05:59.445]represent American religious diversity, which of
- [00:06:02.873]course includes our atheist and humanist fellow
- [00:06:06.230]citizens and siblings in the spirit of human
- [00:06:09.377]connection. Today, I believe they, you dear
- [00:06:12.455]panelists, will be engaging in pluralism. Unlike
- [00:06:15.882]diversity, which describes what is pluralism as an
- [00:06:19.450]action word. pluralism is the active and
- [00:06:22.317]intentional engagement of people of diverse
- [00:06:25.395]traditions and no traditions, but people who
- [00:06:28.542]belong to other traditions and no traditions,
- [00:06:31.760]liberalism at its best, and it can be at its
- [00:06:34.907]worst, one that I hope in future includes sessions
- [00:06:38.474]on this vital topic has two goals. The first goal
- [00:06:41.972]is to learn from one another to find similarities
- [00:06:45.469]of beliefs, ethics, action practices, and just as
- [00:06:48.966]vitally, identify and describe differences.
- [00:06:52.044]Pluralism isn't simply creating a new tradition of
- [00:06:55.611]Least Common denomination
- [00:06:58.620]for to do that would lose the richness that comes
- [00:07:01.290]with highlighting difference, it would also be a
- [00:07:03.420]lie, religious differences caused great strife,
- [00:07:06.390]conflict and wars to deny this reality only serves
- [00:07:09.960]to perpetuate these conflicts based on the
- [00:07:12.720]similarities and differences. The second goal of
- [00:07:15.480]liberalism is to work together to better our own
- [00:07:18.120]community and our particular communities, to
- [00:07:20.790]promote justice for all and to deepen our own
- [00:07:23.220]commitment to our diverse religious traditions. I
- [00:07:26.610]think Dr. Friday for stepping into moderate what
- [00:07:29.100]I'm sure will be a wonderful session, I think all
- [00:07:31.860]of our panelists for participating. I wish I could
- [00:07:34.440]be there with all my heart, but my heart is with
- [00:07:37.140]you in spirit, as Buddha taught, many, May you all
- [00:07:41.340]be happy, healthy, and move through the world at
- [00:07:43.980]ease today. So after that statement from Dr.
- [00:07:47.490]Mueller, I want to pass things over to Dr.
- [00:07:50.040]inconjunct. Friday to moderate this conversation
- [00:07:52.800]on Dr. Miller's behalf.
- [00:07:56.190]Thank you so much, Megan. Thank you all so much
- [00:07:58.680]for joining us. As Megan noted, I'm in Kenji
- [00:08:01.740]Friday, I have to say, I'm very excited to be a
- [00:08:04.650]part of this conversation. I'm even more excited,
- [00:08:07.920]I think, to have representation across Lincoln.
- [00:08:11.190]These are vital conversations that are currently
- [00:08:13.590]happening in different spaces, not just our city,
- [00:08:17.130]but in our state. And we're now seeing this even
- [00:08:19.410]unfold on the national and global scale. And as we
- [00:08:22.050]think about diversity, equity inclusion, our
- [00:08:25.140]office really wants to make sure that we're
- [00:08:26.820]representative of that. And so when we think about
- [00:08:29.130]that, we have to make sure we're leaving space for
- [00:08:31.260]all types of diversity. So this conversation about
- [00:08:34.020]religion, spirituality, secular humanist
- [00:08:37.590]identities is so critical. And so before I get
- [00:08:40.140]started, I do want to offer a sincere thank you
- [00:08:42.180]all for joining us. I know being on a panel,
- [00:08:44.910]especially in a virtual panel can be a little bit
- [00:08:46.770]different. So I'm thankful that you are part of
- [00:08:49.800]this. And so we had a number of questions that
- [00:08:52.590]were submitted. As we talk to Dr. Mueller, who
- [00:08:55.980]again, was unfortunately unable to join us today,
- [00:08:58.500]we've thought about ways we wanted to arrange
- [00:09:00.120]these questions so that we're, I think we're as
- [00:09:02.340]representative but also as inclusive as possible.
- [00:09:05.190]So we want to be, we want to be that. And so I
- [00:09:07.680]think I want to start with the fact that many of
- [00:09:09.840]our participants and across the scale, may just be
- [00:09:12.900]even struggling with understanding who's
- [00:09:15.150]representing what. So that's my first question.
- [00:09:18.600]And I think that's to start us off, I really want
- [00:09:21.510]to ask about your own respective traditions, ways
- [00:09:24.300]in which it's represented. So the question I have,
- [00:09:27.600]and I will frame this in the best way is what are
- [00:09:30.420]some of the most important ideas of your
- [00:09:32.790]tradition? Where do they come from scripture,
- [00:09:36.120]they've experienced his history, but giving us I
- [00:09:38.820]think, a broad a broad overview of your tradition
- [00:09:42.870]will be great, I think for our panel for our
- [00:09:44.970]participants. And if you will, I'll start perhaps
- [00:09:48.570]with rebel Filch and then I'll follow that up with
- [00:09:52.050]Ryan McMaster.
- [00:09:56.070]Thank you, thank you for your invitation and For
- [00:10:00.990]all the other panelists, here today, all of us
- [00:10:04.590]sharing from our own traditions, and for the very
- [00:10:07.860]many that I see close to the one people that are
- [00:10:12.090]participating, and witnessing this, this wonderful
- [00:10:17.910]exchange. So as a monotheistic religion, that goes
- [00:10:24.120]back more than 4000 years in the Jewish tradition,
- [00:10:30.300]we, we believe in the Bible, and what I call the
- [00:10:33.060]Bible specifically is what we're calling Hebrews
- [00:10:36.720]10 is the Hebrew Bible, aka also known as, as the
- [00:10:42.030]Old Testament, the Jewish people consider it to be
- [00:10:45.690]the Bible formed by three different sections. And
- [00:10:50.430]therefore, specifically, the first part of that
- [00:10:53.790]Bible is called Torah, the Five Books of Moses,
- [00:10:57.540]which we consider depending on what Jewish person
- [00:11:02.550]you speak to, to have some sort of divine origin,
- [00:11:05.460]whether it's divine inspiration, Juliet, myself
- [00:11:08.760]will speak about the fact that was transcribed by
- [00:11:12.180]people with divine inspiration, others may be more
- [00:11:15.720]fundamentalist about it or more literal as to how
- [00:11:18.780]they interpret the text. But the bottom line is
- [00:11:22.560]that a lot of the truths and values that appear in
- [00:11:26.430]Judaism come from the tenor of the Hebrew Bible in
- [00:11:31.860]general, and the Torah, the Five Books of Moses,
- [00:11:34.710]in particular. And as such, you know, we believe
- [00:11:38.280]that all people are created equal, that everybody
- [00:11:41.610]deserves to live in love and peace and protection.
- [00:11:46.440]And when full embrace of others, there are
- [00:11:49.800]specific texts that perhaps you know, may take us
- [00:11:53.610]there, everybody remembers, obviously, the very
- [00:11:56.730]first one that is central. In that five books of
- [00:12:01.800]Moses in the Book of Leviticus, you shall love
- [00:12:03.870]your neighbor as yourself. From there, some rabbis
- [00:12:07.320]said that is the biggest rule, the biggest
- [00:12:10.410]teaching of the Torah, and the other rabbis that
- [00:12:12.780]do it in a different in a different way. By the
- [00:12:15.450]way, when I speak about rabbis, and please cut me
- [00:12:18.630]when send me a text, when you think that I should
- [00:12:20.850]check when you think that I should carry it, okay,
- [00:12:22.740]I don't want to take anybody else's time. So we
- [00:12:27.450]believe in the Jewish tradition, that this
- [00:12:30.960]revealed, inspired text in whatever way we want to
- [00:12:35.370]use, it has two sides, the written tradition,
- [00:12:39.360]which is the five books that we can read in any
- [00:12:41.340]Bible, and the oral tradition, which are the
- [00:12:45.270]interpretations of that text, and from there,
- [00:12:48.600]therefore, you know, we, as rabbis for the past
- [00:12:52.140]few 1000s of years, we tried to make explicit that
- [00:12:56.370]which is implicit. So when we read about the
- [00:13:00.930]Leviticus 19, some rabbis thought that that is the
- [00:13:03.060]most important thing, which is Love your neighbor
- [00:13:05.400]as yourself. Now, there were other rabbis that
- [00:13:07.860]said, and this will be a surprise to many, that
- [00:13:10.890]the most important verse in the Five Books of
- [00:13:13.980]Moses appears in chapter five, in the book of
- [00:13:17.580]Genesis, where it says, this is the record of
- [00:13:21.900]Adam's line, when God created the human being that
- [00:13:27.000]made the human being in God's likeness. And that
- [00:13:30.930]means that therefore, we only send from that very
- [00:13:36.000]first line. So according to some rabbis, this is
- [00:13:38.610]more important. Meaning that, of course, we should
- [00:13:42.630]love our neighbor as ourselves, because we are all
- [00:13:45.720]coming from the same creation from that very same
- [00:13:51.330]human being, are human beings. So therefore, if we
- [00:13:55.620]don't all descend from that very same human
- [00:13:58.230]beings, those very same human beings, therefore,
- [00:14:01.350]we're all equal, we are all part of the same
- [00:14:03.390]family, whether we are people that look like me,
- [00:14:07.650]or that look different than me that have a
- [00:14:09.690]different accent from mine that have a disability
- [00:14:12.630]or that have in a different ethnicity, or a
- [00:14:16.260]different way of believing we are all part of this
- [00:14:20.580]human brotherhood and sisterhood of all of us
- [00:14:24.090]descending from that very, very same original
- [00:14:28.500]person or group of people if you want to take a
- [00:14:30.690]data with either way, that a literal aspect of the
- [00:14:36.090]text is unimportant. What is important is what
- [00:14:39.510]it's trying to teach us. And therefore, we should
- [00:14:42.750]embrace one another, because no one can claim we
- [00:14:46.140]all descend from the same original human creation.
- [00:14:50.640]Nobody can say my ancestor was more important than
- [00:14:53.520]yours, or I am more important than you are, we are
- [00:14:56.430]all equal. We all descend from there refers
- [00:15:01.080]created human being, symbolically speaking,
- [00:15:06.390]perhaps, but also in concrete terms.
- [00:15:09.600]Thank you so much for that help. Ryan McMaster.
- [00:15:13.170]Well, I might not go on as long as that. But I
- [00:15:18.090]appreciate being asked here. And I enjoy
- [00:15:22.470]listening, and hearing new ideas. And I think a
- [00:15:25.740]lot of my traditions just come from my life
- [00:15:27.900]experience. I'm taking this as a personal
- [00:15:32.940]question. Don't necessarily think I'm speaking for
- [00:15:36.810]all atheist. But I was a religious person growing
- [00:15:45.900]up and was raised that way. And then through my
- [00:15:49.950]life experiences. For me going into the military,
- [00:15:54.480]and meeting people from various walks of life. And
- [00:15:59.070]hearing new ideas I've left, I guess you can say I
- [00:16:05.010]left religion and for my own ideas. So to say,
- [00:16:12.120]Where do my traditions come from, I think it's
- [00:16:13.920]just my past. And I always form new new traditions
- [00:16:17.640]with everyone else. Even if it's just small,
- [00:16:23.430]little phrases with my family and my friends have,
- [00:16:28.950]or a mistake that happened at a party, and now
- [00:16:34.260]it's something that we carry on every time we meet
- [00:16:36.420]up. So I don't know. Anything else. I mean, if we
- [00:16:43.710]want to go traditional atheist, it's just
- [00:16:46.860]basically the concept of not believing in a god or
- [00:16:50.370]gods. That's it.
- [00:16:54.330]Thank you, Ryan, especially I think the importance
- [00:16:56.580]of telling personal connections, right. And part
- [00:16:59.850]of this is make sure that we, as we're thinking
- [00:17:02.880]about this, we're looking at this as a personal
- [00:17:05.370]connection. Many people of course, are
- [00:17:06.870]representing a cross. But our goal, of course, is
- [00:17:10.530]to make sure that we understand that every
- [00:17:12.060]individual coming here, why not perhaps
- [00:17:14.040]representative of everyone, but they also have
- [00:17:16.410]their own personal collections here. And I want to
- [00:17:18.720]follow that question up, pose it to the same with
- [00:17:21.120]Reverend Cooper.
- [00:17:23.790]Alright, thank you for the opportunity. My
- [00:17:26.520]theological frame theology is God. ology is the
- [00:17:29.850]study of is from a cosmic Christology, a universal
- [00:17:34.170]understanding of the historical Jesus that radical
- [00:17:37.260]inclusive Reto read, radically inclusive,
- [00:17:40.770]revolutionary, who was executed for his stance on
- [00:17:45.120]compassion, and validating the humanity of all who
- [00:17:50.100]stood on the side of justice and in the margins of
- [00:17:53.370]the does it disenfranchise the disinherited, and
- [00:17:57.900]my Christology is not portrayed and the Michael
- [00:18:01.350]Angelo version, I believe that my Jesus has
- [00:18:03.840]dreadlocks, and he walks in the struggle with the
- [00:18:06.810]people, and that he is from the diaspora. And it
- [00:18:12.960]had not had borders been had been built around the
- [00:18:20.010]place in which he was born, he would not have ever
- [00:18:23.370]made it to Bethlehem. And so there you have my
- [00:18:28.200]version of this Jesus, who was enlightened and
- [00:18:33.120]brought in light and was killed by the government
- [00:18:38.400]for his inclusive stance of everybody.
- [00:18:44.130]Thank you, Reverend Cooper. So I will now I will
- [00:18:48.120]repeat the question. We now have a mom on the
- [00:18:51.210]line, I want to make sure I'm repeating the
- [00:18:52.710]question but what we're at we were asked asking of
- [00:18:55.620]all the panelists right now are what are some of
- [00:18:57.420]the most important ideas of your tradition? And
- [00:19:01.290]where do they come from that scripture from lived
- [00:19:04.320]experience from history, but providing us with a
- [00:19:07.170]framework or some foundation so that we can better
- [00:19:09.480]understand your tradition? That's the question we
- [00:19:12.840]have.
- [00:19:15.900]Okay. Thank you. I'm sorry. It's a great honor for
- [00:19:24.120]me to be with you in this conference. Yes, in
- [00:19:32.100]every society, traditions, and customs are derived
- [00:19:38.370]from live experiences, and peoples pass them on
- [00:19:45.270]from generation to generation. The Muslim
- [00:19:48.720]communities like other human societies, in this
- [00:19:53.130]map, belonging to Islam provided a framework for
- [00:19:58.920]those traditions. allowing Muslims to honor them
- [00:20:03.210]and less they conflict with the teaching of Islam.
- [00:20:07.890]Where then Islam is Islam is ruling takes
- [00:20:12.480]precedence. Islam considered the norms of society
- [00:20:21.090]in many issues such as husbands being financially
- [00:20:26.310]responsible of his wife. The Quran states in
- [00:20:31.050]chapter two Al Baqarah
- [00:20:34.260]verse yet has a lot of color fee an Islam enema
- [00:20:40.140]Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Lana and Libby whole Islam
- [00:20:45.210]now We'll show him what
- [00:20:46.950]Jani mathan Tauheed was salam ala bought mob Villa
- [00:20:54.120]Derek
- [00:20:57.540]Okay. Okay. I'm sorry. Okay, I will speak in
- [00:21:03.960]Arabic. And with me Dr. Ahmed or brother Abdullah
- [00:21:12.660]can't translate Baba and Islam. Okay, Dean. You're
- [00:21:25.080]30 years one. Know who your rock is? What is your
- [00:21:30.180]journey but Rohi. With gentlemen, January actually
- [00:21:32.940]was January this is one of the great merits of
- [00:21:38.520]Islam is that there is it's a religion that does
- [00:21:43.290]not only focus on spirituality alone. And at the
- [00:21:48.030]same time, is not just a philosophy of life, that
- [00:21:52.950]focus on the material world. Rather, it is a way
- [00:21:58.500]of life that gives attention to the spirituality
- [00:22:03.090]of the soul, the healthiness of the body, and the
- [00:22:08.040]nourishment of the mind. Islam recognizes these
- [00:22:12.510]three aspects of the human being and aims to bring
- [00:22:17.400]tranquility to them
- [00:22:23.790]yes, no, let's go to a net who had a better
- [00:22:29.340]mentality we'll call it a U shaped in your
- [00:22:33.780]dialogue with Islam in the form of Islam in higher
- [00:22:37.800]Islam in the manner who do Nikita Billa Quran on
- [00:22:41.190]Islam that interview SallAllahu sallam was limited
- [00:22:45.540]to lluvia acquired falou with a three urato Hula
- [00:22:49.800]Tiara Han to Marwaha and slamming Alba Zevon was
- [00:22:54.810]number two minha and hook man and a shirt with
- [00:22:58.020]Hook mallet here. He then now who the hell that
- [00:23:01.410]mean turkeys Islami Alexandria ro Amara decree
- [00:23:05.040]with the Karela Tala Amara, Amara Salah imaginable
- [00:23:11.730]athletes Al Quran, Corona Corona with Rona L.
- [00:23:16.470]There we are Mr. Rashid konu, remarketed higher.
- [00:23:21.090]So sorry, sorry, we were, we had difficulty
- [00:23:25.590]signing in initially. So we probably lost the
- [00:23:28.560]beginning of these plans for this discussion. So
- [00:23:32.880]I'm, I'm gathering it, he thought he was going to
- [00:23:35.910]go through the whole thing, and I'm guessing you
- [00:23:37.680]are asking particular questions to address
- [00:23:40.620]particular thing. So just briefly, if the
- [00:23:43.890]understanding is correct, that of the question is
- [00:23:47.100]to say what the origins of these teachings of
- [00:23:51.060]Islam we take them from, then what he said is that
- [00:23:54.570]we take him from the reveal book, it's revealed
- [00:23:57.960]religion, and that is the reveal that we believe
- [00:24:01.080]from God Himself to the prophet, and then he his
- [00:24:04.590]teachings, the teachings of the Prophet taco apply
- [00:24:06.660]that, and we follow them as close as possible. And
- [00:24:09.990]of course, he earlier were saying that the the
- [00:24:13.890]Islamic religion takes into account the nature of
- [00:24:18.030]the human needs, and in relation to that religion.
- [00:24:22.380]Does that. Is that fair? Abdullah, or you want to
- [00:24:25.830]add a couple more things about what the question
- [00:24:29.040]was?
- [00:24:29.910]No, I think that's good. The only thing that I
- [00:24:32.130]would maybe add is that when it comes to all these
- [00:24:35.400]three things, are those things are told to us by
- [00:24:38.670]the Quran. And so how we know for example, that
- [00:24:41.730]not only is spirituality important to us, but also
- [00:24:44.070]the mind is important to us. Because in the Quran,
- [00:24:46.410]you find a lot of spaces or places where God tells
- [00:24:48.660]us, Hey, do you not think of the world around you
- [00:24:51.540]do not ponder over the creation of the heavens and
- [00:24:53.760]the earth, and so on and so forth. And so we have
- [00:24:57.330]all of these things in encompassed and
- [00:24:59.250]encapsulated In the Quran, which is the holy book
- [00:25:02.430]of the Muslims that we believe is the revealed
- [00:25:04.650]word of God. And then also in the teachings of the
- [00:25:07.590]Prophet, Muhammad peace be upon him who we think
- [00:25:11.070]was inspired by God. And we follow his teachings
- [00:25:14.040]and his actions.
- [00:25:17.190]Thank you. And just so that our audience or
- [00:25:19.680]participants are aware that we do have a mom Alki
- [00:25:23.040]here who has a translator as well. So that's why
- [00:25:25.200]you'll hear different people speaking. So it's
- [00:25:27.180]just everyone's aware. And in case we didn't, we
- [00:25:29.820]fail to mention that. So apologies if we did fail
- [00:25:32.670]to mention that. But thank you so much, mom. So
- [00:25:35.790]our next question is really similar to this. There
- [00:25:39.210]many times, many times, I should say that we have
- [00:25:42.750]language just kind of thrown around, we're not
- [00:25:44.610]sure if we're using the right terminology, etc.
- [00:25:47.430]And I want to make sure that especially for our
- [00:25:49.320]participants, it's really important for people to
- [00:25:51.210]make sure that language is reflective of who you
- [00:25:54.150]are, what you represent. So my question is, what
- [00:25:57.360]is the language we should use when referring to
- [00:25:59.790]individual of your tradition, your faith, and in
- [00:26:03.270]the tradition in itself, so that we're being very,
- [00:26:05.550]I think, we're being I should say, inclusive, but
- [00:26:09.060]we're also being accurate and how we describe who
- [00:26:11.130]you are. I'll pose it first, to Reverend Cooper,
- [00:26:14.670]and then I'll follow up with the next individual.
- [00:26:18.390]So I'm unapologetically a Christian or better
- [00:26:23.790]historically, context, a follower of the way, the
- [00:26:27.540]TRUTH and the light. And unfortunately, today,
- [00:26:31.200]Christianity has has been hijacked by a movement
- [00:26:35.700]that is so far from the original intent of
- [00:26:40.980]standing on the side of the poor, and the
- [00:26:43.350]disenfranchised. And so just to reclaim this whole
- [00:26:47.100]idea that Jesus in history was so well thought of
- [00:26:54.420]across various platforms, that, that his life is
- [00:27:00.210]still a story that is told, and so many various
- [00:27:04.620]ways, but unfortunately, his his legacy has been
- [00:27:09.360]politicized and hijacked, and, and that was not
- [00:27:13.800]the intent of the original movement and has been
- [00:27:16.440]capitalized, commodified. But that is not the
- [00:27:19.530]intent of the original movement. The original
- [00:27:21.570]movement was to reimagine a way in which, as my
- [00:27:25.350]other colleagues have shared humanity can coexist
- [00:27:29.010]with all creation, not to condemn or to embark
- [00:27:32.490]upon hate or even fighting each other, but to live
- [00:27:35.370]at peace.
- [00:27:37.290]Thank you. And the question is posed, again,
- [00:27:40.350]because we hear a lot of things right in Griffin
- [00:27:42.210]Cooper, you're absolutely correct. Sometimes
- [00:27:44.160]language people are hijacked because of
- [00:27:48.180]misunderstandings, ignorance, etc. We want to make
- [00:27:51.030]sure that that's something that we represent here
- [00:27:53.820]today. So I'll pose that same question to you
- [00:27:56.220]Rabbi Filch is what language should we be using
- [00:27:59.280]when we're referring to individuals your faith?
- [00:28:02.580]Because again, I'm sure many times we see that it
- [00:28:05.670]may not be always representative of who you are,
- [00:28:08.550]or what you are, of course.
- [00:28:14.820]You're on mute Ribbit Rabbi Filch.
- [00:28:23.070]I would say that it was a blessing that I was
- [00:28:26.490]muted, because you know, once they get talking and
- [00:28:29.460]never stop, so having said that, look, I'm Jewish,
- [00:28:38.100]and part of the religion called Judaism, which
- [00:28:43.020]comes from the tribe of Judah, one of the children
- [00:28:48.300]of Jacob also known as Israel later on, and
- [00:28:53.520]eventually as the people of Israel settle down the
- [00:28:57.150]promised land, there was a specific section where
- [00:29:02.070]the tribe of Judah settle down. Eventually, there
- [00:29:04.890]was the last independent kingdom that existed, so
- [00:29:10.590]in eventually destroyed by by the Babylonians in
- [00:29:13.980]the year 586, before the Common Era, or before the
- [00:29:17.760]Christian era. Either way, people who descend from
- [00:29:23.220]that specific group, from this area where the
- [00:29:26.880]tribe of Judah settled down and eventually the
- [00:29:29.130]village dynasty came forward, and so on and so
- [00:29:31.740]forth. Are people that observe a religion called
- [00:29:35.250]Judah ism. So we are juge. Unfortunately, the word
- [00:29:40.740]Jew, Emma rabbi, by the way, which means teacher
- [00:29:45.090]and I'm not a preacher. I don't have any more
- [00:29:50.700]rights than anyone else in my religious tradition
- [00:29:56.190]and just somebody that has studied, but I'm equal
- [00:29:59.220]to everyone else. I'm not in a higher hierarchy of
- [00:30:03.360]any kind whatsoever. But at the end of the day,
- [00:30:09.090]it's unfortunate that the word, you know, Jew, has
- [00:30:13.170]also been hijacked to mean ugly things in modern
- [00:30:17.550]German. By the way, I'm a Spanish speaker. So I
- [00:30:20.520]represent not just Jewish people, I mean, Latino,
- [00:30:23.580]okay? I'm an Argentinian by birth, they speak
- [00:30:26.670]Spanish, in addition to other languages, too, but,
- [00:30:30.780]you know, I'm here also with my Latino hat, or my
- [00:30:34.020]Latino keeper, this is called the keyboard.
- [00:30:37.080]Anyway, having said that, in the word Drew, from,
- [00:30:42.750]whether it came from The Merchant of Venice, to
- [00:30:46.740]the Inquisition in Spain, was hijacked to mean
- [00:30:50.790]somebody who is cheap, that is a hypocrite. You
- [00:30:55.320]know, at times, even in the English modern jargon,
- [00:30:59.040]the word Jew is being used in ugly terms to say,
- [00:31:03.750]you know, somebody is trying to squeeze somebody
- [00:31:06.900]else in a disadvantageous way of course, or taking
- [00:31:10.290]advantage of somebody else. So, the language is
- [00:31:14.130]important, needless to say, words are important.
- [00:31:19.410]But, you know, for us, we are all used the Hebrew
- [00:31:24.840]word to Hebrew words. connected to what I said
- [00:31:29.430]earlier, we are benighted down, Binya dam in
- [00:31:32.610]Hebrew means, we are all the children of Adam,
- [00:31:35.370]Adam and Eve. symbolically speaking, we can be
- [00:31:40.710]atheists, we can be secular, we can be religious,
- [00:31:45.000]doesn't matter. It's all an important value. That
- [00:31:48.750]means that we all descend from a common origin. So
- [00:31:53.280]whether we are of a specific religion of a
- [00:31:56.970]specific ethnicity. In Jewish tradition, we learn
- [00:32:01.290]that, and this is a rabbinic explanation. It says
- [00:32:05.670]that, when when God created the human being, you
- [00:32:12.870]know, when a person and I'm going to quote here
- [00:32:16.320]from this specific teaching, in the rabbinic
- [00:32:19.950]tradition, in a section, from the oral tradition
- [00:32:23.580]called the Talmud, it says that, when a person
- [00:32:27.840]while a person may stem many coins from a single
- [00:32:31.380]die, and they are all alike, the creator has
- [00:32:36.510]stamped every person with a die of that first
- [00:32:39.300]human being of Adam, Adam and Eve, yet, not one of
- [00:32:43.560]them is like their fellow person. In other words,
- [00:32:46.890]we all come from the same origin, but God in an
- [00:32:50.160]amazing way of creation, whether we want to think
- [00:32:53.250]that literally or figuratively or poetically, or
- [00:32:57.210]metaphorically,
- [00:32:59.730]the Creator made us all different, even though we
- [00:33:03.300]all come from the same origin, difference in the
- [00:33:06.510]sense that we look the difference in the sense
- [00:33:09.270]that we may use different language different in
- [00:33:11.610]the sense that we may have abilities and
- [00:33:15.330]disabilities in which in how we perform. And, and
- [00:33:21.990]there is an important but we all have the same
- [00:33:24.240]inherent rights. There is a blessing that we say
- [00:33:29.160]every morning, in the Jewish tradition, when we
- [00:33:32.820]start praising the Almighty. And we say, we praise
- [00:33:38.160]God. And the Hebrew words are ascended Sal mode,
- [00:33:41.910]Selim in Hebrew means image. So what does it mean?
- [00:33:46.980]We praise God that God made me in God's image?
- [00:33:51.870]What does it mean? It look, the way I look. Back,
- [00:33:55.560]I'm part of God's image. People look different.
- [00:33:58.770]They're part of God's image. People believe
- [00:34:01.410]different. They're also part of God's image,
- [00:34:04.050]whether or not they choose to embrace the word
- [00:34:06.030]God, or call God in a different way. We are all
- [00:34:09.150]part of the beauty of creation that God made us in
- [00:34:14.520]God's image. Therefore, we must respect each and
- [00:34:17.760]everyone because, you know, we are all part of the
- [00:34:21.870]same family.
- [00:34:23.310]Thank you so much Rabbi felt, and I'll ask the
- [00:34:25.590]same question. Especially because we have a lot of
- [00:34:28.740]terminology that we use. So secular, humanist,
- [00:34:33.750]agnostic. I mean, we throw around a lot. And I
- [00:34:36.630]think and that's why this question is so
- [00:34:38.310]important. But Ryan, I would be very interested in
- [00:34:41.340]hearing your response here. What is the language
- [00:34:44.820]we should use and referring to individuals of your
- [00:34:46.950]tradition in particular, so as an atheist, what is
- [00:34:49.860]the language we should be using? That really is
- [00:34:52.500]reflective of who you are, your history etc.
- [00:34:56.520]Um, that's a good question. I was typing up in
- [00:35:00.000]answer to q&a question for that exact, that exact
- [00:35:04.290]topic. Atheism in me, a lot of people want to get
- [00:35:09.390]on the semantics of the different degrees of
- [00:35:11.850]Atheism and agnosticism. And the whole spectrum of
- [00:35:17.850]not believing in gods or gods. And so, with the
- [00:35:24.540]rise of more and more people calling themselves
- [00:35:27.510]non believers, I think that the term atheism is
- [00:35:34.170]kind of fading into history. So our organization,
- [00:35:44.250]while we are called like an atheist, we do have a
- [00:35:48.450]lot of people that are may call themselves
- [00:35:55.620]agnostic, which is they believe that there,
- [00:35:59.700]there's probably not, but there could be. So it's
- [00:36:03.090]just that extra step of believing that there could
- [00:36:05.640]be. And as an atheist, I'm more of like, there's
- [00:36:10.590]no evidence. And so therefore, I'm just going to
- [00:36:13.260]say that there is not. But if there is evidence, I
- [00:36:18.660]will look at it in reevaluate my decision. So I
- [00:36:23.760]mean, you can look at the terms as as hard as you
- [00:36:32.190]want. But I'm trying to be a little bit more
- [00:36:36.030]incorporating to it or including, or include as to
- [00:36:41.520]put it as just calling themselves nonbelievers. So
- [00:36:47.250]I think a lot of those terms of law are
- [00:36:50.100]interchangeable. So I hope I help answer that
- [00:36:53.670]question. And you told me it was a q&a question as
- [00:36:56.640]well.
- [00:36:57.450]No, absolutely. And even noting the importance of
- [00:37:00.270]the degrees, right? We do know that it's not all
- [00:37:03.660]encompassing. And also, as part of this, we'll
- [00:37:06.300]mention this as we prepare to wrap up. But we do
- [00:37:09.060]have a resource guide, so designed to help you all
- [00:37:11.940]learn a little bit more about all the individuals
- [00:37:14.430]we have featured today. Traditions just resource
- [00:37:17.970]so that you can learn more, because we want to
- [00:37:20.190]make sure that as you walk away today that you can
- [00:37:21.930]continue your own learning in this space. Yeah.
- [00:37:24.720]Now, it's
- [00:37:25.530]time to add on just a little bit more. If you are
- [00:37:28.170]a little bit more curious. We do have a term page
- [00:37:31.140]on our Lincoln atheists website. So if you go
- [00:37:33.060]under the education community, there's a the
- [00:37:35.040]source, if you want to look for a dictionary of
- [00:37:38.940]all the different terms that are commonly used in
- [00:37:42.750]atheism.
- [00:37:44.610]Absolutely. Thank you so much, Ryan. And I'll ask
- [00:37:47.250]that same question for our mom here is the
- [00:37:50.460]language that we should be using. Sometimes we
- [00:37:52.830]hear Islam, then we hear Muslim, we hear so many
- [00:37:55.830]different things. But I would love to hear from
- [00:37:58.350]you here in this space. What are what what
- [00:38:00.300]language should we be using to make sure that we
- [00:38:02.220]are representative and appropriate in our actions
- [00:38:04.980]in our speech as well?
- [00:38:08.340]Thank you, okay. Islam is an Arabic word. That
- [00:38:13.860]means submission. When used in the context of
- [00:38:19.560]religion, it refers to submitting to the will of
- [00:38:24.240]God. The followers of Islam are called Muslims.
- [00:38:30.150]Which literally means the ones who practice Islam
- [00:38:35.250]are the ones who submit to the will of God.
- [00:38:40.740]Muslims from different countries have different
- [00:38:44.790]languages, cultures, and ways of interaction. In
- [00:38:51.630]North Africa, for example, we have differences,
- [00:38:55.050]compare it to the Middle East, in things such as
- [00:38:59.910]clothing, marriage, and speech, despite that, we
- [00:39:04.860]don't feel like strangers. And the subject becomes
- [00:39:11.700]one of cryos city. And at times, a moment of
- [00:39:20.940]laughter, and immune amusement.
- [00:39:26.220]Yeah, it's a matter of basically, between them
- [00:39:30.660]talking to each other is like, like that. There's
- [00:39:32.850]some differences.
- [00:39:33.450]Yeah, I can. Yeah, I can add something in Arabic.
- [00:39:36.750]But it's taboo to say, well, it's most likely
- [00:39:41.700]Muslim in a couple more Muslim or Quran said who
- [00:39:44.670]was a machmood Muslim in Quran you can see the
- [00:39:47.820]Abraham Ali's Sarah, who was a macro Muslim in
- [00:39:52.380]battle ism hole is mil dollar hole is the
- [00:39:57.420]elimination Yeah, that will Mr. Magnus In Huneck a
- [00:40:03.840]wife of Europe OSHA Matt has met with IBM and
- [00:40:09.030]highly developed smart lists if you wish good luck
- [00:40:12.240]to them so Now apart from names coming to Sydney
- [00:40:14.700]she has here estimated to clip on either
- [00:40:19.410]unforeseen Leyzaola come look at this. If it is
- [00:40:22.680]MIA elimate Allah COVID Deen masala katholische de
- [00:40:25.860]Maria and out of Italy de la mouche, the Mad
- [00:40:29.040]Valley Lisa, Yanni Hora karma TT
- [00:40:33.990]so as far as he had a couple of things, a couple
- [00:40:37.560]of things briefly. So he's saying, you know,
- [00:40:41.250]again, the word Muslim means the one submit to
- [00:40:44.460]God, and then what the Muslim themselves mean are
- [00:40:48.840]generally poorer for Muslim. And, and so in our
- [00:40:54.510]religion, our text is it says that of course,
- [00:40:57.240]Abraham, the Prophet Abraham, who called us, the
- [00:40:59.790]prophet called the followers, as mostly mean
- [00:41:03.120]almost to me, literally in the prophets were
- [00:41:04.710]mentioned. And then he mentioned to in a Muslim
- [00:41:07.890]societies, there are different kinds of groups,
- [00:41:10.590]like Sunni, Shia, you hear those, but they are
- [00:41:13.170]within their, within Islam, general Muslim belief.
- [00:41:17.610]And also I will add to the word Imam means like
- [00:41:21.090]the leader, or the one who needs the prayer, the
- [00:41:24.060]leader of the Muslim society, and there are
- [00:41:26.100]certain terms, of course, you might hear the you
- [00:41:29.010]know, you sort of have to kind of follow those
- [00:41:30.990]things and Ask a Muslim or somebody to look up
- [00:41:34.830]certain dictionaries, sometimes you can get the
- [00:41:37.530]right word, some definition, but you want to be
- [00:41:41.400]accurately as a Muslim. So really, it's, it's hard
- [00:41:45.570]to go through all of these now in this discussion.
- [00:41:50.760]I step in an ad, if that's okay. And one of the
- [00:41:55.320]things that you hear a lot, for example, is when
- [00:41:57.240]it comes to Islam, we hear it said, for some
- [00:41:59.520]reason with the word z. So you have you have
- [00:42:02.580]Muslim and Islam rather than Islam and Muslim. And
- [00:42:07.530]I think that's one of the smaller details, that
- [00:42:09.870]doesn't matter too much. But I think one of the
- [00:42:11.820]bigger details that matters as much is a lot of
- [00:42:15.540]times you have and this is mostly I think, due to
- [00:42:19.620]media and spread of false misinformation, is in
- [00:42:23.550]terms of association of terrorism, and certain
- [00:42:26.970]extremist groups with Islam. And and it's, it's
- [00:42:30.180]really not a fair concoction of what Islam truly
- [00:42:33.150]is. And, you know, if you go into the text, and
- [00:42:36.570]you actually read, what's what's in the, in the
- [00:42:38.760]Quran, what you if you read what's in the, in the
- [00:42:41.370]sayings of the Prophet in the Hadith, then you'll
- [00:42:44.160]find that, you know, in the Quran, for example, it
- [00:42:46.590]says, He who kills one life, it is as if he has
- [00:42:50.190]killed all of humanity. And so in that light, that
- [00:42:55.110]prescription of, of, or description, I should say,
- [00:42:58.200]of Muslims being terrorists, or people of evil
- [00:43:01.500]that are out to get you and hurt you, is not true.
- [00:43:05.100]And it's not right. And just like, you know,
- [00:43:07.500]Muslims have extremist groups, just like any other
- [00:43:09.450]groups, you know, there are extremist groups that
- [00:43:11.790]are, you know, within the Christian community
- [00:43:13.140]there extremist groups, even you know, in terms of
- [00:43:16.260]historically with atheism, when you had, for
- [00:43:18.300]example, the Maoists regime when you had Stalin
- [00:43:22.140]with in the USSR, and, you know, all the horrible
- [00:43:25.770]things that all these different people did. Of
- [00:43:28.050]course, we don't ascribe those people to to those
- [00:43:30.300]traditions in those religions. Because, you know,
- [00:43:33.390]those are not what the what the religions are
- [00:43:35.640]actually, you know, saying to do.
- [00:43:39.480]Thank you so much, the mom to your doula for
- [00:43:42.390]additional follow up. So I want to jump in. And as
- [00:43:46.680]I'm seeing our time is ticking away. And the
- [00:43:48.480]conversations getting very much I should say, more
- [00:43:51.960]engaging here. But I do want to jump in part of
- [00:43:54.600]what we wanted to do with this panel is to think
- [00:43:56.790]about this in the in, in the framework of thinking
- [00:43:59.760]about diversity, equity, and inclusion. That's the
- [00:44:02.940]purpose really to think about ways in which we
- [00:44:05.580]build community, we build who we are, for our own
- [00:44:09.360]social, our own mental, our own overall well
- [00:44:11.820]being, through our own religion, spiritual
- [00:44:15.150]humanist identities, we build it. And so I do want
- [00:44:17.850]to think about how we can frame this as we're
- [00:44:19.830]thinking about social justice in particular, for
- [00:44:23.250]many of you, it perhaps is a little bit more
- [00:44:24.900]salient. For example, we just recently, Megan
- [00:44:28.590]mentioned this a little bit earlier, which is
- [00:44:30.270]recently commemorated, the Reverend MLK like the
- [00:44:34.740]MLK week, right? And we know the importance of
- [00:44:37.650]putting Reverend there because you know, the
- [00:44:39.120]social justice movement, especially civil rights
- [00:44:40.830]movements, it's always like going back to to
- [00:44:43.440]faith, Christianity, etc. So I really do want to
- [00:44:46.140]ask this question and think about the role of
- [00:44:48.120]social justice in your own tradition, if there is
- [00:44:51.930]a role, so as we're thinking about diversity,
- [00:44:54.540]equity and inclusion, as we're thinking about
- [00:44:59.160]social justice In particular, I want to ask you,
- [00:45:02.310]what is the role of social justice? Especially if
- [00:45:04.890]we can even find it today? Right? We can frame it
- [00:45:08.010]thinking about what is the role of social justice
- [00:45:10.200]in your tradition? I'll start with Ryan, and then
- [00:45:13.290]we'll jump, we'll jump across from there. But
- [00:45:15.510]what's the role, if any, that you see?
- [00:45:20.820]I mean, atheism is, and our organization is a big
- [00:45:29.850]supporter of the separation of church and state.
- [00:45:36.090]Don't think that our laws should be written for
- [00:45:43.200]one specific religion. And therefore, if we don't
- [00:45:48.030]have our laws made around religion, it'll be more
- [00:45:53.730]inclusive of everyone. I mean, it kind of sounds
- [00:45:57.300]like a weird way of looking at it. But if one
- [00:46:01.020]religions laws are negatively, in fact, impacting
- [00:46:05.790]another, it's not. You got conflict. And I think,
- [00:46:14.400]if we remove I mean, that's why we're big
- [00:46:18.660]supporter of right to choose laws, is usually the
- [00:46:29.280]counter argument that it's a life and depending on
- [00:46:37.260]where you agree, when life is, is irrelevant, I
- [00:46:42.000]think the abortion situation is something that
- [00:46:45.300]should occur between the person and their doctor
- [00:46:50.220]or the person that they trust. And that's not my
- [00:46:53.730]business. I don't think it's the government's
- [00:46:57.510]business. And that's one of those things that the
- [00:47:03.390]reason why they a lot people want to put those
- [00:47:08.310]laws into effect are backed by religion. And I say
- [00:47:11.070]if we get rid of the religion part, we can all
- [00:47:14.730]argue or discuss real topics. So our social
- [00:47:19.050]justice is separation of church and state abortion
- [00:47:23.340]thing is just an example but displaying religious
- [00:47:29.070]things in public spaces, like the Capitol, we do
- [00:47:39.690]reason this season pre regularly where we go into
- [00:47:43.470]the Capitol and we put up atheist displays and
- [00:47:49.200]people are like, Well, what's an atheist display?
- [00:47:51.150]It's usually just some visualization of separation
- [00:47:54.360]of church and state now it's been looked upon and
- [00:48:01.020]proper ways of maybe help.
- [00:48:05.190]Thank you so much. Yeah.
- [00:48:08.070]Thank you. Sorry, it was a see Miko suddenly it
- [00:48:10.050]wasn't.
- [00:48:10.320]It was a good delay. It was a good time to stop.
- [00:48:14.550]Thank you so much. And I will follow up with that.
- [00:48:17.730]That social justice question in your tradition.
- [00:48:19.980]I'll follow up with Reverend Dr. Paula Cooper
- [00:48:22.560]here. Yes, same question for you.
- [00:48:26.640]So the institution of slavery was in the United
- [00:48:30.060]States was supported by a misrepresentation of the
- [00:48:35.370]Bible. And and it was so misinterpreted by slavers
- [00:48:40.740]to were using the language and English language.
- [00:48:44.820]word slave was interpreted to include enslaved
- [00:48:49.650]Africans in America that built this economy. And
- [00:48:52.440]so in 1787, was slavery was still going on. There
- [00:48:56.340]was a free man by the name of Richard Allen and
- [00:48:59.970]Absalon Jones, who were praying at St. George's
- [00:49:02.700]Methodist Episcopal Church in the city of
- [00:49:04.710]brotherly love. 1787 was also the year that the
- [00:49:07.800]framers of the Constitution, which didn't include
- [00:49:10.320]black people in it didn't even include women
- [00:49:13.410]include white landowners, they framed the
- [00:49:15.990]Constitution. And in 1787, just up the street were
- [00:49:19.980]this revolt first oldest civil rights
- [00:49:22.380]organization, this country is the African
- [00:49:24.330]Methodist Episcopal Church, and on this Sunday, at
- [00:49:27.780]St. George's Methodist Episcopal Church, Richard
- [00:49:30.660]Allen epsilon Jones walked out from praying,
- [00:49:34.170]kneeling down at the altar praying and declared
- [00:49:36.990]that the God that they serve did not discriminate.
- [00:49:39.930]Fast forward, slavery was still going on in this
- [00:49:42.420]country and the laws the framers of the
- [00:49:44.580]Constitution did not include black people in
- [00:49:46.770]America still does it actually, in so many ways,
- [00:49:50.190]but that's another tangent. But here we have freed
- [00:49:54.510]slaves like didn't work Vesey and that Turner, who
- [00:49:57.450]decided to revolt against the institution of so
- [00:50:00.000]slavery. So this whole idea that our faith
- [00:50:03.000]traditions are now and it bothers me when we use
- [00:50:07.020]the language, progressive Christian movement,
- [00:50:09.540]because Jesus historically was always a justice
- [00:50:13.440]minded person. We don't need committees to or
- [00:50:16.710]mission groups or any of these things if we
- [00:50:19.650]actually live out by precept and example, Denmark
- [00:50:22.620]Vesey Richard Allen, Absalon John's net Turner,
- [00:50:26.220]they look at the historical Jesus movement in
- [00:50:28.830]terms of what does it mean to help the
- [00:50:31.500]disinherited and disenfranchise to live at peace
- [00:50:35.070]with each other. And so by by birthright, this
- [00:50:40.680]justice movement should be the order of the day
- [00:50:43.860]for all of humanity, it should not be politicized,
- [00:50:47.430]or even as, as Ryan mentioned, a platform to offer
- [00:50:52.050]reproductive rights. That was the whole thing with
- [00:50:54.810]Mary. You know, Joseph was we throw her to protect
- [00:50:58.170]her virginity. But she was pregnant with Jesus,
- [00:51:01.920]right. And so this whole hijacking women's bodies,
- [00:51:05.460]and I like to use the word hijack, because it's
- [00:51:07.410]colorful to me, because that's what our
- [00:51:09.810]institutions have historically done. Women's
- [00:51:12.570]rights, rights of free, black people in this
- [00:51:16.260]country, other people of color color in this
- [00:51:20.040]country have been pretty much dismantled in so
- [00:51:24.270]many ways. And so hopefully, our religious
- [00:51:26.880]practices offer a way in which we can live in this
- [00:51:31.350]spiritual connectedness that's much deeper than
- [00:51:34.620]the temporary shell in which we house as bodies,
- [00:51:38.550]but our spirits matter. And that's the only thing
- [00:51:41.040]that lasts eternally. We want to be on the side of
- [00:51:43.590]of history where somebody can remember that we
- [00:51:46.830]stood for equity and justice for all people, not
- [00:51:51.000]just our own little conclave of folks who believe
- [00:51:53.430]like us worship like us, think like us smell like
- [00:51:56.280]us look like us live like us and these shores, but
- [00:51:59.700]this whole cosmic reality that we're all
- [00:52:01.830]interconnected.
- [00:52:04.470]Thank you so much. Reuben Cooper, thank you so
- [00:52:06.840]much, Ryan, as well, for your follow up on this
- [00:52:08.850]question. I'm going to reframe it a little bit for
- [00:52:11.310]our next panelist. Because I do want to think
- [00:52:14.220]about this, and ways in which it connects to the
- [00:52:17.520]work that we do here in Nebraska. Because many of
- [00:52:21.570]the questions that we've received really talked
- [00:52:23.520]about how, how do the most important ideas of your
- [00:52:26.790]tradition so if you think about important ideas of
- [00:52:29.100]your tradition of your religion of your faith, of
- [00:52:32.130]your of who you are, how do they influence how you
- [00:52:35.430]approach social justice and equity work. And not
- [00:52:40.620]only do that within your, your own community, but
- [00:52:43.770]how you do that outside of your own community as
- [00:52:45.900]well. outposts at first I'm trying to look at my
- [00:52:50.220]screen to make sure the mom still there yes to
- [00:52:51.960]mark to mom, Alkalete and then I'll go to you
- [00:52:54.390]Rabbi Filch.
- [00:52:58.200]Thank you. Social justice, for us is very
- [00:53:04.740]important. And society cannot be organized with
- [00:53:09.660]out it. The principle and Islam we have is Give
- [00:53:16.350]everyone their due rights. The Quran enjoyed it,
- [00:53:22.320]in many verses, one of which is Allah subhanaw.
- [00:53:27.330]Taala says, in Allah higher mobility will Yes,
- [00:53:30.360]anyway he tell you there is a means in English.
- [00:53:34.050]Indeed, the chapter and verse 90. Indeed, Allah
- [00:53:40.560]orders, justice and good conduct and giving to
- [00:53:45.630]relatives and forbids immorality and bad conduct
- [00:53:51.270]and oppression. The end of verse also we Muslims
- [00:53:57.900]are commanded that people's rights should be given
- [00:54:01.500]to them, even if they are opposed to us or our
- [00:54:07.290]enemies. God in the Quran says in Elma in verse
- [00:54:14.520]eight. All you who have believed persistently
- [00:54:19.650]standing firm for a law, witnesses injustice and
- [00:54:24.810]do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from
- [00:54:29.700]being just be just that is nearer to righteousness
- [00:54:36.390]and fear Allah. Indeed, Allah is acquainted with
- [00:54:43.290]what you do, the end of verse and for us, keeping
- [00:54:49.020]up justice between people is one of the most
- [00:54:53.100]important reasons that the Prophet peace be upon
- [00:54:57.360]him was sent to the people Quran says in chapter a
- [00:55:02.520]hadith, verse 25, we have already sent Our
- [00:55:09.510]Messengers with clear evidences, and sent down
- [00:55:14.490]with them, the Scripture and the balance, that the
- [00:55:18.420]people may maintain their affairs in justice, and
- [00:55:23.640]of verse. Thank you.
- [00:55:29.340]Thank you. And I'll ask that same question to you
- [00:55:31.800]Rabbi felt.
- [00:55:37.530]In Your Honor, mute, just in case you are
- [00:55:38.940]speaking.
- [00:55:43.230]So let me just provide you two three little, tiny,
- [00:55:46.440]brief texts, and then try to translate that into
- [00:55:50.010]specific actions as to how we behave. So then,
- [00:55:56.250]first and foremost, you know, we, we do have
- [00:56:00.750]several teachings that speak about that, but I'm
- [00:56:02.820]just going to provide one to start with, that is
- [00:56:06.210]part of the rabbinic tradition. But it's
- [00:56:08.250]reflective of aspects of Scripture. Having said
- [00:56:11.970]that, there is this great rabbi, very beloved, and
- [00:56:17.670]embracing of all, and for universities all over
- [00:56:22.020]the United States. Whenever there is a Jewish
- [00:56:24.840]presence, they have something called a Heelan
- [00:56:26.850]house, Hillel was this Rabbi that means about 100
- [00:56:31.560]years before the Common Era. And he embraced
- [00:56:36.420]anybody that came his way with great love and
- [00:56:39.480]affection. He, among many of the teachers that he
- [00:56:43.260]taught was one that said, if I'm not for myself,
- [00:56:46.530]who is going to be for me? In other words, I need
- [00:56:48.690]to take care of myself. But if I'm only for
- [00:56:51.630]myself, what am I? What kind of a person human
- [00:56:54.510]being I am? And if not, now, when, and if I don't
- [00:56:58.080]act like that, by starting to care about others,
- [00:57:01.800]when we like, when will I start in other words, we
- [00:57:04.380]care about ourselves, but also we care about
- [00:57:06.420]others. And, and that is a basic tenet. In the
- [00:57:11.940]Jewish faith. In other words, we go out, we
- [00:57:16.440]embrace, a cause whatever that may be. Jewish
- [00:57:21.180]people live by a specific concept called mitzvah.
- [00:57:25.620]It's typically translated in American jargon as a
- [00:57:29.820]good deed, good action, meets face a commandment,
- [00:57:33.930]things that we must do. So if we need to be
- [00:57:36.720]charitable, is a commandment, it's not a feeling,
- [00:57:39.990]if we need to help somebody else is a commandment
- [00:57:42.960]is not a, a, an isolated, specific action. Jewish
- [00:57:48.210]people believe in having their faith, but only a
- [00:57:53.400]faith that should lead to action. Otherwise, it's
- [00:57:56.370]just mere ritual and mere lip service. So a Jewish
- [00:58:01.110]person will always try to translate those values
- [00:58:04.860]into specifics, even if that means a times, you
- [00:58:08.280]know, also arguing with the Almighty, like Abraham
- [00:58:12.000]did, who said to the Midas they are made according
- [00:58:15.090]to this teaching in the book of Genesis, about to
- [00:58:17.880]destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham argues with
- [00:58:21.330]the Almighty, and says, what the judge for the
- [00:58:25.290]Earth is not going to do just so we need to behave
- [00:58:29.250]according to justice. And also therefore of loving
- [00:58:32.370]kindness, do the right thing means to act in a
- [00:58:36.600]specific action of loving kindness. So for
- [00:58:38.640]example, my Jewish community here in Lincoln,
- [00:58:41.760]constantly embraces causes, we have specific
- [00:58:46.590]individuals within our religious community that go
- [00:58:49.350]representing the Jewish community, and donate
- [00:58:52.800]their time, their efforts, even their means, for
- [00:58:56.760]instance, to clinic with a heart. So that is a
- [00:59:00.120]specific thing that we do. Our congregation
- [00:59:05.850]has been always open to people in need. Perhaps
- [00:59:10.830]they're from AA, or from other causes. When our
- [00:59:15.270]community was attacked about two years ago. People
- [00:59:20.010]paid us in the very same loving way. People
- [00:59:23.010]understand what is justice, what is social
- [00:59:26.220]kindness, what it means social action. So Judaism,
- [00:59:31.440]that does not involve itself in society, with
- [00:59:34.920]concrete actions. It's not real Judaism. We are
- [00:59:38.460]here to affect the world in a positive way. And
- [00:59:42.930]affect the world means affect the people around us
- [00:59:45.720]in a positive way, affect the environment in a
- [00:59:48.300]positive way. treating everybody with with respect
- [00:59:52.740]and kindness, and if we can help by getting
- [00:59:57.240]involved in and In speaking up whenever is needed,
- [01:00:02.730]even if that means arguing with God, because if we
- [01:00:06.570]don't speak up, who is going to speak, if we are
- [01:00:10.440]quiet when other people are being decimated, who
- [01:00:13.470]is going to be advocating for them. So, regardless
- [01:00:18.660]of the cause, Judaism believes in having a faith
- [01:00:23.400]that leads to action, faith for the sake of faith,
- [01:00:27.270]that only, you know, suits just our spirit, but
- [01:00:32.790]does not involve itself with the world is a very
- [01:00:36.540]selfish faith in Judaism, at least this Jew and
- [01:00:40.560]this rabbi, and the people with whom I engage with
- [01:00:45.360]believing there. And there is a basic Jewish
- [01:00:48.750]tenet.
- [01:00:50.910]Thank you so much for myself. And thank you all
- [01:00:52.980]for for those responses. And you want to pause
- [01:00:55.260]just one moment, I did see that we had Dr. Max
- [01:00:58.380]period, Mueller joined us a few minutes ago. And
- [01:01:00.870]he wanted to say a few words to the group. We did
- [01:01:02.850]let everyone know, of course, the travel hiccups
- [01:01:04.980]that you've been having. But we love a few words
- [01:01:07.260]from you, I know that you really want to get on
- [01:01:09.600]and join us. So a few words from you would be
- [01:01:11.400]great. And I will say in advance, I think that
- [01:01:13.440]you're still at the airport. So maybe a little bit
- [01:01:15.810]of disruption behind Dr. Mueller. But please, we'd
- [01:01:18.720]love to hear from you.
- [01:01:21.300]Well, can everyone hear me? Okay? Yeah, wonderful.
- [01:01:25.230]Yes, I'm here at I wouldn't say forget to make
- [01:01:29.550]some joke about that hearing. But at the Denver
- [01:01:33.600]International Airport, might might if I'd like to
- [01:01:38.670]get get to fly into Kearney this evening. But I
- [01:01:42.000]just wanted to offer my great appreciation for all
- [01:01:46.800]the panels in my hand. And I've already enjoyed
- [01:01:49.980]the conversation. And I just want to say thank you
- [01:01:52.410]for including me. And I appreciate everyone's
- [01:01:55.560]flexibility as we adapt to travel in the winter.
- [01:02:01.290]And I'm happy to participate as as we go along.
- [01:02:07.080]It's it's fitting. But of course, the main focus,
- [01:02:11.580]of course, is on our wonderful panelists. So thank
- [01:02:13.830]you so much. Thank you, Dr. Mueller.
- [01:02:17.070]And thank you for trying to join us I know these
- [01:02:19.350]travel hiccups can how they can Yeah, how they can
- [01:02:22.080]disrupt. So I will say that we do have a question
- [01:02:25.350]or two in the chat. I do want to be able to segue
- [01:02:27.840]and be mindful of those who submitted a few
- [01:02:30.840]questions. As I will say this, as with any panel,
- [01:02:34.410]it's always very difficult to get to the questions
- [01:02:37.200]that we have. We have four individuals here who
- [01:02:41.250]are quite passionate about not only your
- [01:02:44.670]representation, your communities, your traditions,
- [01:02:47.430]but wanting to make sure that you also have an
- [01:02:49.470]opportunity to hear from our audience as well. So
- [01:02:52.140]let me just hand it off. I think we do have a
- [01:02:54.120]question or two, Megan, that you'd like to pose to
- [01:02:56.310]the panels.
- [01:02:57.660]Yeah, absolutely. So two of our excellent
- [01:03:00.690]panelists have already done some q&a Answering
- [01:03:03.690]here on Zoom. So I do want to get to those
- [01:03:06.780]questions permitting that we have time. But we
- [01:03:08.820]have a question that came through here. Are there
- [01:03:13.410]any events or initiatives in Lincoln that allow
- [01:03:16.320]our cities religious communities to interact and
- [01:03:19.050]appreciate or respect each other's traditions? I'm
- [01:03:22.410]so glad that Dr. Mueller has logged on. So Dr.
- [01:03:27.300]Mueller, if you want to start with anything, you
- [01:03:29.910]know, and then we can move on to our other
- [01:03:31.470]panelists of events and initiatives that that they
- [01:03:34.470]know of that are
- [01:03:35.760]interfaith. I'll just briefly mentioned the
- [01:03:42.120]wonderful work that happens. Sorry, construction,
- [01:03:48.240]by me. But the every spring, there's the mayor's
- [01:03:54.720]interfaith breakfast. And the folks are those
- [01:03:59.340]folks who are interested in participating in it,
- [01:04:03.390]perhaps not this year, but folks gathered here
- [01:04:06.150]interested in participating, both students staff,
- [01:04:08.970]and obviously, members of the various religious
- [01:04:11.880]and non religious communities want to participate
- [01:04:14.400]in events. I think that's a wonderful, wonderful
- [01:04:16.980]event. And some of my students have participated.
- [01:04:20.310]I know there are some other work goes on through
- [01:04:22.560]interfaith Power and Light, which is more
- [01:04:24.960]environmentally focused, another wonderful
- [01:04:27.840]organization, but I'll just briefly mention, and
- [01:04:31.350]maybe this is their, their there's a huge lacuna,
- [01:04:36.030]a huge gap, frankly, between what happens in the
- [01:04:39.480]community, the great, rich religious diversity in
- [01:04:45.300]our community and what the university takes
- [01:04:48.330]advantage of. And so one of the projects that I'm
- [01:04:50.940]really interested in, is trying to figure out how
- [01:04:53.760]we can build systems and Institute and
- [01:04:56.280]institutional systems that take that that are
- [01:05:00.840]mutually beneficial both for the community, the
- [01:05:02.970]diverse religious communities, inter religious,
- [01:05:06.750]interfaith, and also multi faith work that
- [01:05:10.380]connects better the student body populations,
- [01:05:13.410]because frankly, the student body population is
- [01:05:15.840]very, very well served. Certain student body
- [01:05:20.820]populations are very, very well, sir. Especially
- [01:05:24.390]Christian, predominantly Christian traditions. And
- [01:05:26.880]I like to make the point that those folks are
- [01:05:28.950]also, you know, most people here, gathered here
- [01:05:33.930]come from immigrant traditions, right, I just want
- [01:05:38.400]to make the point, even those buildings that long
- [01:05:41.040]that, that circle, the university almost literally
- [01:05:44.370]circled University and present themselves as
- [01:05:46.770]permanent edifices like they've been there
- [01:05:48.960]forever. No, they are historical, right? They
- [01:05:52.320]represent past generations of immigrants, and the
- [01:05:57.510]religious traditions they brought, and now more
- [01:05:59.760]recent religious immigrants, and international
- [01:06:03.450]students who have come on, they don't have they
- [01:06:08.070]are not served by the surrounding communities. And
- [01:06:11.670]I think it's incumbent, in fact, it's a
- [01:06:13.380]responsibility. And I'll dare say that the
- [01:06:17.700]university when we talk about diversity, inclusion
- [01:06:20.760]really is missing religion, what in that, in
- [01:06:25.500]spirituality, we are under serving our diverse
- [01:06:28.260]religious community members here. And so I'd
- [01:06:34.740]really love to work with all of you, fellow
- [01:06:37.920]panelists, and obviously, folks gathered here
- [01:06:42.510]virtually, to how can we what are the ethics
- [01:06:45.420]involved? What are the practical questions
- [01:06:48.510]involved in creating spaces on campus, where
- [01:06:52.470]people can gather both in their own faith
- [01:06:54.510]traditions, right to worship, and and contemplate
- [01:06:59.880]the great human existence? Right, but also, to
- [01:07:03.030]gather insert, it's a religious thing. And so
- [01:07:06.750]that's the work that I'm actively engaged in and
- [01:07:09.000]out, this is a launching pad. This, these kinds of
- [01:07:12.000]vents are launching pads. So thank you.
- [01:07:17.760]Thank you, Dr. Mueller. Do any of our other
- [01:07:20.640]panelists want to comment on any interfaith
- [01:07:24.510]experiences or opportunities in their communities
- [01:07:28.380]that any of our attendees may be able to take part
- [01:07:32.010]in?
- [01:07:36.750]I will say that, usually I fol the solid
- [01:07:40.320]foundation of Lincoln, we're always happy to have
- [01:07:42.210]people at any time. You just have to we have a
- [01:07:45.840]phone number, you can contact us either through
- [01:07:48.180]their through email, or you can just hop in
- [01:07:50.730]whenever we have prayer times, and we'd be happy
- [01:07:53.850]to have people there.
- [01:07:59.340]I want to just say that I think that it most of
- [01:08:02.310]our traditions are open to folks. Or, or maybe I'm
- [01:08:08.100]inferring too much. But I know that whenever there
- [01:08:12.180]were unfortunate events that happen, especially
- [01:08:16.380]the the shooting and mothering manual, when I
- [01:08:21.180]served as pastor Quinn chapel, various communities
- [01:08:25.890]came to the grounds of the church and offer but it
- [01:08:29.850]shouldn't take a tragedy to pull us together, that
- [01:08:33.720]our doors hopefully are revolving and it doesn't
- [01:08:37.080]mean that it's not opening to those who are
- [01:08:41.100]limited to our faith traditions, or our racial
- [01:08:43.410]identities, it should be open always. It's like
- [01:08:46.290]when we travel around the world, and we go visit
- [01:08:48.510]historic buildings. I can't tell you how many
- [01:08:50.790]times I've gone to Hindu temples, and various
- [01:08:55.830]Buddhist spaces, and various historical places
- [01:09:02.400]around the world and they have been opening it's
- [01:09:04.920]just seems like only in the United States, our
- [01:09:07.290]church doors are closed, our temples are closed,
- [01:09:11.100]our worship spaces are closed, and that should not
- [01:09:13.590]necessarily be the case.
- [01:09:18.390]Just just to brief thoughts as we learn from
- [01:09:23.580]again, I'm not trying to be fundamentalist here
- [01:09:25.980]because I am not okay. And I definitely say to
- [01:09:31.140]whoever has a desire to reach out in any way,
- [01:09:34.290]shape or form, please do so. But you know, some
- [01:09:38.700]people prayed to God, but God has different names.
- [01:09:42.090]Some people had the desire to pray to whom it may
- [01:09:45.900]concern, and that is perfectly kosher. So if you
- [01:09:50.940]want to pray to the moon, pray to the moon. If you
- [01:09:53.970]want to pray to the tree, pray to the tree as long
- [01:09:57.030]as it is that we are here. carrying whatever faith
- [01:10:01.260]or lack of faith to specific actions and deeds,
- [01:10:04.440]that's what unites us, in our houses of worship
- [01:10:08.820]are open to visitors to people that want to follow
- [01:10:12.600]a Jewish path to people that want to just learn
- [01:10:17.820]about what are the different religious traditions,
- [01:10:20.790]and our specific Jewish religious tradition have
- [01:10:23.970]to have to teach about values about ways of
- [01:10:28.560]conducting oneself ethically, and how to how to do
- [01:10:32.730]social action, obviously. But at the same time,
- [01:10:36.510]obviously, there are many other activities going
- [01:10:39.270]on here. And we have seen there as to how, you
- [01:10:45.420]know, there is obviously a wonderful Thanksgiving
- [01:10:48.840]program every year there is a link and faith
- [01:10:51.660]coalition to which with which I participate in
- [01:10:55.560]addition to, by the way, this year, the specific
- [01:10:59.850]prayer breakfast is going to be on Zoom. So we are
- [01:11:03.480]already going a couple of years without feeding
- [01:11:05.940]the body, but we are feeding the soul and those
- [01:11:08.310]prayer breakfasts is virtual virtual breakfast.
- [01:11:13.500]But a lot of you know, food for the mind, and for
- [01:11:16.800]the spirit and for the heart. A at the same time.
- [01:11:20.070]Obviously, we want to reach out to everybody and
- [01:11:23.970]we want to be reached out as well. Look, we do not
- [01:11:27.000]live in a vacuum. We are all members of the same
- [01:11:31.710]office, same world. We're all people who who love
- [01:11:34.920]and care about everybody else. And our prayers go
- [01:11:38.100]out to whoever is suffering today. And, you know,
- [01:11:44.250]even here today, I hope that people in Ukraine
- [01:11:49.830]will be able to live and enjoy their desire to
- [01:11:55.470]live according to the way in which they want so
- [01:11:58.230]like that there are many other groups and
- [01:11:59.820]nationalities. But the images that we see is the
- [01:12:04.170]barbarity still alive. And in order for us to end
- [01:12:08.100]barbarity we need to start one person at a time so
- [01:12:17.700]doesn't send him inside
- [01:12:21.030]by opening our homes by opening our hearts and by
- [01:12:25.500]embracing the other and respecting the other
- [01:12:31.110]Thank you um, I'm Oakley did you want to add
- [01:12:33.240]something?
- [01:12:35.730]Yes. And I feel Marquez stackable added the KB
- [01:12:42.780]oldman Deanna Zuma at Metallica. We even painted
- [01:12:49.320]our Atlas era Can I cut the mafia Mahabharata if
- [01:12:53.250]it is will be added to steamin while being an
- [01:12:57.060]actor I will add Gemma athletic Natalie for my
- [01:13:02.730]liking been in a town urban America is Islami of
- [01:13:06.240]the added minute and we'll add Tara butley about
- [01:13:11.100]the latter version adminer La Jolla, Indiana to
- [01:13:18.420]get out of it late to eat follow Baba Baba pasado
- [01:13:24.690]mana Annie Sudan Islamia Shaka via tabula and anti
- [01:13:28.440]output Emacs.
- [01:13:30.420]So to translate what he said, you said that we in
- [01:13:34.260]the, the AFL, we often receive visitors and
- [01:13:40.560]receive groups and both to, to, to inquire about
- [01:13:46.590]the religion but also to the number of times to to
- [01:13:50.010]provide support. When especially when problems
- [01:13:54.930]happen to Muslim communities in Bangkok, for
- [01:13:57.510]example, were times when there are some the
- [01:14:00.900]terrorism situations in the other places and stay
- [01:14:05.400]in the US. And they would call them the AFL and
- [01:14:11.190]offer their their support in the visited. And they
- [01:14:16.290]often even work so nice to even some of them
- [01:14:20.490]participate in a in an offer of support in our own
- [01:14:24.900]ritual prayers. And this happened across the
- [01:14:29.070]country to other asks have a word you know,
- [01:14:33.990]attacked in some cases and they certainly
- [01:14:36.690]certainly we we try to work he said we work with
- [01:14:40.530]groups and try to provide the the support whenever
- [01:14:44.010]we can to in their in their need as well. So we we
- [01:14:49.320]we expect that and we do that that's what he said.
- [01:14:55.320]Thank you so much. Thank you all for sharing the
- [01:14:58.020]ways that you um reach across lines of faith and
- [01:15:02.040]spirituality to support one another. That's really
- [01:15:06.510]great and kind of what include is all about
- [01:15:08.790]learning those avenues to do so. And I see many
- [01:15:11.250]people in the chat shouting out a crew as a
- [01:15:14.640]resource that we can use as a as a campus resource
- [01:15:19.410]and Global Studies has a list of a list of places
- [01:15:23.550]of worship as well from you. And Alan, we'll send
- [01:15:25.710]out some resources after after this meeting. And
- [01:15:30.240]thank you, Rabbi pelt for shouting out the faith
- [01:15:35.370]coalition of Lancaster County, another kind of
- [01:15:38.190]interfaith group and resource. So as we, Dr.
- [01:15:42.330]Mueller has kind of alluded to and some are
- [01:15:44.040]alluding to in the chat, there may be some groups
- [01:15:47.580]that are a little bit underrepresented in terms of
- [01:15:50.370]connecting with the campus. So as our final
- [01:15:53.700]question, are any final thoughts from our
- [01:15:55.530]panelists? What are the things that we can do here
- [01:15:59.400]at UNL, to better support students from all
- [01:16:03.330]different faiths or nonbelief backgrounds.
- [01:16:11.460]I would just simply say Be nice. Just be nice. And
- [01:16:18.960]that niceness that great energy draws others
- [01:16:27.150]like to add my own just specifically for groups,
- [01:16:33.420]religious groups, or religious persuasions, that
- [01:16:37.140]are probably much less represented in terms of
- [01:16:39.390]numbers. In England, specifically, that's what
- [01:16:44.940]we're talking about, is, you know, perhaps help us
- [01:16:49.620]to create those spaces within the university. In,
- [01:16:55.050]you know, the Jewish population of UNL is not
- [01:16:58.350]large. But it's meaningful. And they would like
- [01:17:03.630]perhaps to receive specific services. We've had
- [01:17:07.560]some of those things with one of the Jewish
- [01:17:11.520]professors in the university, perhaps to create a
- [01:17:14.640]space where we have some sort of, I don't know
- [01:17:18.810]less physical space available, some sort of
- [01:17:21.750]Interfaith Chapel that I may not be available for
- [01:17:24.420]an interface or room where we can plan a program
- [01:17:29.880]and perhaps through you or through others, that it
- [01:17:32.550]be known to the people of our specific faith
- [01:17:35.520]tradition and others that may want to hear about
- [01:17:39.090]or learn about Nadine and Nadine. proselytising
- [01:17:43.980]proselytizing way. By the way, Jewish people are
- [01:17:46.410]not proselytizing, the you know, welcome people,
- [01:17:50.430]but we don't go around trying to gather
- [01:17:53.490]necessarily, you know, followers on faith by just
- [01:17:59.970]you know, by providing a space and a place where
- [01:18:03.420]we can maybe you know, and publicize it that we
- [01:18:07.890]will be doing those programs at the university so.
- [01:18:20.520]Does anyone else have any ideas on how to create
- [01:18:23.250]space for diverse, diverse students in terms of
- [01:18:27.300]their religious, spiritual and humanist
- [01:18:30.840]communities?
- [01:18:32.490]Sure, the the man here has got
- [01:18:39.030]paper on occasion liminal is Lucha taka denim was
- [01:18:43.770]certainly academia in Berea tibia how to say the
- [01:18:47.100]Mr. Nam membrane had the shallot or willen Lamin
- [01:18:55.350]Allah is if permitted either you know so it pains
- [01:18:58.380]me as well. I didn't know how to use him if he had
- [01:19:02.820]to be there another Letitia hoodie to be heard at
- [01:19:09.000]Melissa Taenia covered tonight then go on midst
- [01:19:14.250]Mavado long story would have been an hour later to
- [01:19:17.550]have the camera here the battle at the end of our
- [01:19:22.410]home yet but the darkness tonight yet? Where the
- [01:19:27.090]sheer mobile data tower of a Dini with the coffee
- [01:19:31.950]bean LLC at will mocha we need to deal with coffee
- [01:19:36.720]while talking to Evan has a guitar movie like
- [01:19:40.020]sugar. So, yeah.
- [01:19:41.670]So yeah, the what he said is that of course the
- [01:19:46.800]the institute could could could adopt and and
- [01:19:51.660]effectively do and follow certain certain programs
- [01:19:58.410]to to effectuate the justice between all kinds of
- [01:20:03.660]groups and especially cultures. And, and this
- [01:20:08.460]discussion in this meeting, for example, is an
- [01:20:11.190]example of that, that that is, is an important
- [01:20:13.950]aspect that we think is important. And then also
- [01:20:18.210]the allow the freedom of the allow these different
- [01:20:22.500]groups to have the freedom to, to, to follow their
- [01:20:27.330]own beliefs and cultures, and also the institute,
- [01:20:32.550]the university are nice to be basically minimize
- [01:20:41.490]the unfair events against these these these
- [01:20:48.690]different groups, different religious groups, and
- [01:20:51.060]any injustice is done to them.
- [01:20:56.910]Thank you very much. That's Those are excellent
- [01:21:00.420]points. And we hope that we see some change at the
- [01:21:04.290]university some, some, some positive interfaith
- [01:21:10.590]change happening. Ryan, do you have any, any
- [01:21:15.120]thoughts on ways that we can better accommodate
- [01:21:19.080]students from humanist tradition?
- [01:21:22.080]days? I think a lot of religion comes around from
- [01:21:28.230]our culture, our culture. And I think all humans
- [01:21:33.540]on Earth like to eat. And I think if we share our
- [01:21:37.770]food with one another, we will bridge the gap of
- [01:21:42.990]our differences. I know I love food days at work,
- [01:21:46.320]and when my co workers from India bring their
- [01:21:49.080]dishes is amazing. I always get to ask them
- [01:21:51.600]questions. And, and that's how we learn from one
- [01:21:55.290]another, and we tear down the barriers. So food
- [01:21:59.010]day, maybe a food day will help.
- [01:22:02.400]Thank you for highlighting the ways that we come
- [01:22:04.230]together through your culture and traditions in
- [01:22:07.080]different ways to learn about each other. I am
- [01:22:09.060]also a huge proponent of this. So we are running
- [01:22:13.320]out of time, unfortunately. So I am going to, and
- [01:22:17.760]I hope you'll join me in thanking our panelists
- [01:22:20.970]for that they've spent on this call today. Thank
- [01:22:24.270]you, Dr. Mueller, for among chaos, and for joining
- [01:22:29.070]us. And thank you all of our to all of our
- [01:22:31.080]attendees who who logged on today for this
- [01:22:33.960]conversation. It was great. I've learned a lot.
- [01:22:37.530]And I really appreciate what you've done here
- [01:22:40.770]today for us. I want to remind you of our next
- [01:22:45.690]session, which is April 4, featuring Dr. Arden
- [01:22:48.450]Hills, who will talk to us a little bit about
- [01:22:51.120]inclusive classroom materials. So we will send out
- [01:22:55.350]more information soon on our next session. And of
- [01:23:00.360]course, make sure to share your include story, get
- [01:23:03.990]in touch with the Office of Diversity and
- [01:23:05.880]Inclusion. Jerry has just dropped in the chat a
- [01:23:09.630]PDF of some resources, ways that you can learn
- [01:23:12.780]more about the individuals represented today in
- [01:23:16.590]their their organizations, a few links that were
- [01:23:18.780]talked about in the chat for some university
- [01:23:22.290]resources and how to get involved, subscribing to
- [01:23:25.200]calendars and making sure you find ways to
- [01:23:27.780]continue your education. Dr. Friday, any other
- [01:23:31.410]information to bring us home?
- [01:23:34.110]No, I just want to thank our panelists. Again,
- [01:23:36.930]thank you all for dedicating not only your time,
- [01:23:40.560]but your own respective personal your your your
- [01:23:43.410]lived your scholarly expertise in this space. It's
- [01:23:47.910]always quite difficult when we think about a
- [01:23:49.860]panel, especially a panel these diverse, our goal
- [01:23:53.640]with this panel and future ones will be to make
- [01:23:56.610]sure that is representative of who we have not
- [01:23:59.040]only at UNL. But who we have in Nebraska, which is
- [01:24:02.160]quite difficult to do. I did see quite a few of
- [01:24:05.100]the comments in the chat, asking for
- [01:24:08.190]representation across into note that we do
- [01:24:11.040]understand the the populations we serve here at
- [01:24:14.040]UNL. And in Lincoln in particular. And we've
- [01:24:16.920]reached out to a number of organizations before so
- [01:24:19.710]a number of reasons we don't always get responses
- [01:24:22.020]are just there's not enough time for us to to
- [01:24:24.420]navigate that. But do know that this is the first
- [01:24:26.970]conversation. We do understand that when you're
- [01:24:30.030]trying to do something of this scale, that it's
- [01:24:32.130]impossible to be reflective of everyone. But our
- [01:24:35.460]goal in the Office of Diversity Inclusion is to
- [01:24:37.200]continuously offer opportunities to do that. So
- [01:24:41.010]this is the first of many. And as always, there
- [01:24:44.010]are different ways for you to get in touch with
- [01:24:45.330]us. If you want to continue this conversation or
- [01:24:48.690]if you have questions about ways in which
- [01:24:51.630]different types of faiths, secular identities were
- [01:24:54.390]not represented today. Feel free to reach out to
- [01:24:56.550]us we're always open to feedback at
- [01:24:58.650]diversity@unl.edu But again, this is the first of
- [01:25:01.440]many conversations that we hope to have. And it's
- [01:25:03.720]foundational, it's what we do is foundational in
- [01:25:06.300]our understanding and our approach, because we
- [01:25:09.240]know that our university in particular is made up
- [01:25:12.360]of a host of individuals of identities. And our
- [01:25:17.610]goal is always be inclusive of that pursuit. So
- [01:25:19.650]please understand that this is the first
- [01:25:21.780]conversation but most importantly, we are so
- [01:25:24.060]thankful to our our panelists, Dr. Mueller, for
- [01:25:27.810]your your your ongoing support your work in this
- [01:25:30.570]space, it obviously helped to bridge this gap and
- [01:25:34.470]to even start this conversation. So thank you to
- [01:25:36.870]our panelists. Thank you, Dr. Mueller. And thank
- [01:25:39.420]you all for joining us again, and we're always
- [01:25:41.430]open for for ongoing conversations and
- [01:25:43.890]opportunities to engage well, in thoughts. So
- [01:25:46.650]thank you. Yeah, thank you. Thank you so much.
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