Developing Understanding
Featured Sacred Trees in Crete: Religious and Folk Traditions and Their Contribution to Environmental Awareness View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Evangelos Markantonis
On the island of Crete there are several cases of centuries-old trees and shrubs that are considered sacred. There are plenty of religious traditions and folk customs associated with these trees, in which a large number of people participate. It is an ancient tradition (from the Minoan era) that survives to this day and has been adopted by the Christian church. In this paper, after a relevant literature review, such cases of sacred trees and the associated traditions are considered. In a world dominated by the lack of spirituality, loss of values, individualism, over-consumption of natural resources, which are the main causes of environmental and social problems, it is demonstrated how the preservation and revival of these religious traditions, especially for young people, contribute to the cultivation and adoption of spiritual values, such as reverence and respect for the natural environment, in order to promote ecological sensitivity and balance.
Learning Empathy and Learning Wonder: An Interrogation of Two Contrasting Aspirations in the Classroom
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Jessica Scott
A number of recent commentaries have asserted a connection between the practice of reading stories and the development of empathy. Parallel connections exist in accounts of the study of theology and religious studies, wherein the act of reading scriptural narratives belonging to different traditions is framed as enabling students to empathetically imagine a worldview apart from their own. In this paper, I first probe what is meant by ‘empathy’ in such accounts; second, I suggest a number of troubling implications contained in the affirmation of ‘empathy’; and, third, I propose, as an alternative, an aspiration to wonder as an experience to be pursued by educators in the classroom. My argument is formed through theological reflection and textual and conceptual analysis, in dialogue with theologians and literary critics, among them: Rowan Williams; Terry Eagleton; and Maria C. Scott. In its interrogation of ‘empathy’ and ‘wonder’ as contrasting aspirations, this research reckons with questions pertaining to how we may know and not know the ‘other’; how we may know and not know ourselves; and how distance and proximity can be negotiated in the practice of reading.
Formation of Women Leaders: The Influence and Effects of Catholic Education in the Philippines View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Joanna Marie Oliva
The Catholic Church tries to make its own contribution towards the promotion of the common good in various sectors but more importantly in the educational field. Catholic schools’ mission includes forming men and women to be ready to take their place in society, by preparing them to make a social commitment that will enable them to work for the improvement of social structures, and by making these structures more conformed to the principles of the Gospel (The Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education; 1982:19). Around the world, there is a growing demand and clamour for a more gender equal society. Political participation and women leadership are limited if not restricted in all sectors of the society. In order to truly achieve a balance and just society, it is important to give equal opportunity and representation for everyone – whatever race, religion or gender to take up leadership positions (UN Women; 2020: Online). The paper provides a summary of the historical perspective and cultural context of women leadership in the Philippines and how Christianity played a role in the formation of women. It discusses how women leadership emerged throughout history from pre-colonial Philippines, during the Spanish Colonization, American occupation and the recent context of women and leadership. How the research plans to proceed in identifying the effects and influences of Catholic Education in the formation of women in the country in the current context is also reviewed.
