Religion and Emotion

How do different religious traditions and their spiritual practices make us feel as we experience the precariousness of being human? How do they connect with our deepest emotions?

UUSM Lifelong Learning presents a multi-session course taught by Professor Franz Metcalf, who has taught religious studies for three decades at Cal State LA. From Dr. Metcalf’s bio we learn that Franz’s life combines both spiritual and scholarly practice. He received his PhD from the University of Chicago and has been president of the American Academy of Religion, Western Region. He continues as founding book review editor at the Journal of Global Buddhism, and a founding editor of the international scholarly network H-Buddhism. He retired this year after three decades of teaching religious studies at Cal State LA. His first book was What Would Buddha Do? and his most recent is Being Buddha at Work. His deepest and most continuous practice is parenting his beloved daughter Pearl. Over the last fifteen years he has been involved in anti-racist work in Pearl’s schools and in his own teaching. He finds this integral to being a good parent, a good white person, and a good Buddhist.

We are  deeply fortunate that Dr. Metcalf  is offering this opportunity for UUSM members and friends to delve deeply with him into the topic of religion and emotion. Participants will explore what religion is at its core, read poetry, listen to George Harrison’s music, discuss grief and loss, and consider grace, in addition to many other topics.

After this first in-person event, there will be six more sessions all held on Zoom, every other Wednesday evening  at 7-8:30 beginning October 22. 

Please join us on Sunday, October 12 at 12:15pm in Room 4 upstairs in Forbes Hall to meet Franz and learn more about his course. Please contact adultre@uusm.org to register and also to let us know if the room 4 location poses an accessibility barrier for you.