What’s God got to do with it?

CHASS Symposium

Thursday December 1, 1.00-4.30pm

Auditorium, Centre for Theology and Ministry

29 College Crescent, Parkville.

ANZATS, with the University of Divinity and AASR will be participating in the inaugural

Congress of the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Mebourne, 27 Nov – 2 Dec.

The symposium will be followed by the annual AASR Penny Magee lecture.

While much has been made about the census results which show a decline of Christianity in Australia, only slightly less than 40% of Australians said they had no religion. This means a majority of Australians identify as belonging to a faith tradition. This symposium will explore the impact of faith on Australian culture through two panel discussions.

1.30 – 2.30pm God and Religion in the Public Square – Religion has been the impetus for political and social activism for millennia and this is also true of Australia today. From issues such as domestic and family violence through to conversion therapy, reproductive health, social cohesion and multiculturalism, and Indigenous rights, people of faith often lead the discussion about moral and ethical requirements for a fair and just society.

2.30pm Complimentary afternoon tea

3.00 – 4.30pm Religious Studies, Higher Education and Australian Culture – The university sector is facing increasing pressure to give a financial accounting for all outcomes across the higher education sector. The study of religion, like other Humanities disciplines, often contribute benefits that do not have direct and tangible measures. This panel will discuss the varied contribution that studies of God, religion and faith make to Australian culture beyond publications and direct research outputs.

5.00 – 7.00pm Annual Penny Magee Lecture presented by Enqi Weng