Sinclair Community College will be holding World Religions and Spiritualties Week on April 1 through April 5.
The week is sponsored by the Office of Campus Ministry and the Religious Studies Department.
Events will be held throughout the week for a variety of different religions and spiritual traditions.
“It’s not a focus on any one specific tradition. Its intent is to give some exposure to as many traditions as we can,” Barbara Battin, Campus Ministry reverend said.
The week will start off with the presentation Geography of World Religions presented by Mo Khani.
“We begin with a general focus on the geography of world religions so the people have an idea of at least where religions have come from, where they’ve spread to, all those sorts of things that give people an image of the world and its religions,” Battin said.
Battin hopes the events of the week will help others understand other religions, spiritualties and traditions.
“We live in a world that is becoming more and more aware of the many religious expressions and spiritual practices, and sometimes that awareness can cause fear or misunderstanding. Sometimes it causes deep violence. Our hope is that by introducing people to other traditions, that we increase people’s understandings,” she said.
Another event that will be held during the week is a teaching of Seder at Passover. The event will tell the story of the Exodus.
“We have a Jewish Seder, Tuesday afternoon…Rabbi Karen Bodney-Halasz will be here to lead the Seder, so it’s an opportunity to experience a Jewish Seder and learn more about that tradition… it’s a way of telling the story through ritual elements. This is an opportunity to encounter the story,” Battin said.
Author of the book “The Accidental Buddhist,” Dinty Moore will be speaking on Tuesday.
Battin said the book is used in many of Sinclair’s eastern religions classes.
“He’s going to tell a little bit about his work with that book and then about his spiritual journey since then,” she said.
Other events during the week include Silent Meditation, Chanting for Peace, Agnosticism, Atheism, Secular Humanism: A Conversation and more.
An information table will be in the Library by the Tartan Markeplace, Monday through Thursday, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The table will have schedules with all of the week’s events.
Information of the events can be found in the Campus Ministry office or on the bulletin board outside of the office.