Emerson to Host World Religions Class

Beginning Tuesday, February 3, 2009 and continuing for six consecutive Tuesdays, Emerson will host a series of free classes on World Religions sponsored by the Amazing Faiths Project. The lectures will be in the Sanctuary from 7:00 – 8:30 pm. A basic understanding of world religions is increasingly important in our society as we seek to create peaceful coexistence among people of all faiths and no faith.

Fellows at The Boniuk Center for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance at Rice University, Heba Khan and Andrea Jain, will explain the basics of six major world religions. People of all backgrounds are welcome, and will find this class helpful regardless of any prior knowledge about religion. Emersonians will remember Ms. Khan and Ms. Jain from their previous, well-received presentations for our Sunday Adult Religious Education program.

The Amazing Faiths Project is co-operated by Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston and The Boniuk Center with the support of the Mayor's Office, City of Houston, TX. For more information about the Amazing Faiths Project or to register for the classes, go to "Houston Area Events" at http://www.amazingfaithsproject.org.

Classes will be held from 7:00 to 8:30 pm on the following Tuesday evenings:

• February 3, 2009: Scientology
• February 10, 2009: Jainism
• February 17, 2009: Daoism
• February 24, 2009: Shinto
• March 3, 2009: Zoroastrianism
• March 10, 2009: Baha'i

Childcare will be provided at no cost courtesy of Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church to participants in the World Religions classes; however, preregistration is required no later than the Thursday prior to each class. Please contact Karen Van Horn at 713-782-8250 for childcare reservations.

Speaker Biographies:

Heba Khan is a sixth-year doctoral student in the department of Religious Studies at Rice University. She works in the Islamic tradition, especially in comparative mysticism, philosophy, Neoplatonism, poetry, and gender. Heba is also an Editorial Fellow at the Journal of Feminist Economics at Rice University.

Andrea R. Jain is a lecturer in the Religious Studies program at the University of Houston, teaching Religions from India and Introduction to Hinduism and Jainism. She is currently a fifth-year doctoral student in the Religious Studies Department at Rice University with majors in Hinduism and Jainism and Psychology of Religion. Her primary interests are in the categories of gender, sexuality, and the body in Indian religious traditions. Alongside her doctorate, she is earning a Graduate Certificate in the Study of Women, Gender, and Sexuality at Rice. Finally, she is a Public Scholar Fellow at The Boniuk Center.