Symposium to discuss religion

History, religion and English experts will come together on campus Friday to discuss conflicts created by religion.

The symposium, titled "Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Religion and Conflict," will analyze the relationship between religions and how they are connected to social-political elements. The panel includes experts on Christianity, Judaism, religions of China and religions of India, said Steven Ramey, assistant professor of religions studies.

"The idea is to try to increase the amount of conversation on campus as well as illustrate the complexity of these relationships," Ramey said.

One theme of the symposium will be that religion is not always the root cause of regional conflicts - economic, political, social and ethnic issues also contribute to disputes, Ramey said.

"We are trying to look at how these different factors play together," Ramey said. "It's not just that religion is good or bad, but that religion is a part of a complex whole."

The symposium will look at what defines a religion, Ramey said. It features a paper titled "Political Religion? Deploying the Sacred in Hitler's Germany."

"Patriotism can be very similar to religious response," Ramey said. "Is it a political system, or a religion? How do you tell the difference? You can see elements of both."

Troy Farsoun, a sophomore majoring in English who said he is attending the event, said he does not consider Hitler's Germany as a religion.

"Religion has a belief in an unworldly power, whereas Nazism is a belief in just a person," Troy said. "Nazism dealt with the temporal, not the spiritual."

David Bonilla, a sophomore majoring in French, said he agrees in some aspects with the notion that Nazism was a religion.

"Hitler did make many variations between the sacred and the profane," Bonilla said.

Bonilla also said he thinks it's a good idea for all students to attend the symposium, regardless of their belief.

"It is important to analyze other religion because through better understanding you take away the fear of the unknown," Bonilla said. "And fear usually turns to conflict."

The symposium is sponsored by the department of religious studies, the department of history, and the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. It starts at 8:30 a.m. in 205 Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library. Admission is free, and the event is open to the public.