Newspapers / St. Andrews University Student … / May 1, 1992, edition 1 / Page 10
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1992 The Lance • St Andrews Presbyterian College. Campus & City Evans Speaker Tolerance of other re ligions was stressed by an internationally known expert in world religions who recently visited St. Andrews Presbyterian College in Laurinburg, N.C. The Rev. Willard G. Oxtoby held several public lec tures during his stay and also visited several classes. Dr. Oxtoby was cho sen as this year's E. Harvey Evans Distin guished Fellow. Evans fellows are chosen for their significant contri butions to society, through both their worid and community activi ties. The program was es tablished in honor of E. Harvey Evans, a busi nessman from Laurin burg, N.C., who had strong ties to the Pres byterian Church. Evans was a ruling elder of the LaurinburgPresbyterian Church and served as a trustee of Union Theo logical Seminary in Richmond, Va., for 28 years. Dr. Oxtoby talked ex tensively about the evo lution of the primary world religions, as well as the conflict of the Jew ish state in Israel. Israel was formed primarily from "a desire for a ha ven from anti-Semitic persecution," as well as a means for greater Jew ish identification, he said. The major reason Christians, particulariy those in the West, find Eastern religions so hard to understand is because those religions do not separate church and state like the Christian reli gion does. "We don't subscribe to the theory that the church is the state. This colors our thinking about happen ings in the Middle East," he said. Dr. Oxtoby also dis cussed the importance 'of looking below the surface and avoiding ste reotypes when trying to understand other reli gions, saying knowl edge of other religions can help widen perspec tives and increase ap preciation for different points of vie>v. Modem technology has helped expand the world's knowledge of various religions, as has the migration of peoples from East to West and vice versa, according to It Could Happen. Dr. Oxtoby. This ex panded knowledge has brought about a greater tolerance of other reli gions, even in ^he face of conflicting social and cultural values. "The existence of other reli gions is a fact, not nec essarily a problem," he said. A professor of reli gious studies at the Uni versity of Toronto, Dr. Oxtoby is also involved in research in religions of Asia and interreli gious contact and dia logue. He has taught at ■'O Ifarvard and Yale Uni- vsrsities,andiscunently serving as president of the American Society For the Study of Reli- gion. Bom in Califor- nia, Dr. Oxtoby gradu ated with honors from Stanford University and received his masters and doctorate in Oriental Studies from Princeton University. He has also studied at the American School of Oriental Re search in Jerusalem and done post-doctoral work in world religions at Harvard University. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Going Places? Seniors; CP&PC would like to know what your plans are after graduation... GRAD SCHOOL? A JOB? MOVING? GETTING MARRIED? Please stop by the office (LA 188) or call us (x 5003) and let us know. Also, Look for the "Going Places" bulletin board in the LA building to see where all your graduating friends will be!! 0. 0„ 0„ Storage Solution Storage Spaces from 24 to 300 Sq. Ft. ' , Summer's Coming Call Now to Reserve Your Space Blake encounters art. 1610 Hickory Street 277-0331
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May 1, 1992, edition 1
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