Interfaith Dialogue Dinner Series Returns on Feb. 4 with ‘Atheism, Agnosticism and ‘Nothing in Particular’’

The University’s ongoing Interfaith Dialogue Dinner Series, “Common and Diverse Ground: Raising Consciousnesses by Acknowledging the ‘Hidden’ Things that Divide Us,” returns for spring 2020 on Tuesday, Feb. 4. The opening dialogue will include an in-depth discussion on atheism, humanism and those who may not prescribe to a specific faith. The three dialogue dinners this semester will be co-facilitated by community partners and Syracuse University students.

Chris Stedman

The first dialogue, “Atheism, Agnosticism and ‘Nothing in Particular,’” will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Noble Room of Hendricks Chapel. Dinner starts at 5 p.m. The guest co-facilitator for the evening’s discussion will be Chris Stedman, a writer, activist and community organizer living in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Stedman is the author of “Faitheist: How an Atheist Found Common Ground with the Religious” (2012) and the forthcoming “IRL: Finding Realness, Meaning and Belonging in Our Digital Lives” (2020). He has written for The Guardian, The Atlantic, Pitchfork, BuzzFeed, VICE and The Washington Post. Formerly the founding executive director of the Yale Humanist Community, he also served as a humanist chaplain at Harvard University and is currently a fellow at Augsburg University.

The gathering will include a shared meal, facilitated dialogue and two periods of mindful meditation (at the beginning and the end). American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation and inclusive food will be provided. Requests for accommodations or food queries should be made in advance by contacting Bonnie Shoultz at bshoultz@syr.edu.

The second and third Interfaith Dialogue Dinners of spring 2020 will take place in March. Both will be held in the Noble Room of Hendricks Chapel and will begin at 5 p.m. with dinner, followed by the discussion at 5:30 p.m. All events in the series are free, open to the public and do not require an RSVP. The dates are as follows:

• Tuesday, March 3: “Faith and Mental Health” featuring guest co-facilitator Shanti Das ’93
• Monday, March 23: “‘Moby Dick,’ Faith and Ecology” featuring guest co-facilitator Ralph Savarese

The spring 2020 “Common and Diverse Ground” series is co-sponsored by Hendricks Chapel, the Office of Interdisciplinary Programs and Outreach in the Burton Blatt Institute, Intergroup Dialogue and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Over the past five years, the series has brought members of the campus community together in an inclusive environment to explore challenging contemporary issues.

Learn more about the Feb. 4 dialogue dinner on the SU Events Calendar event posting. For more information on the event series, contact Hendricks Chapel at chapel@syr.edu or 315.443.2901.