Press Release
As Canada and the United States become more and more multicultural, we are being introduced to religious philosophies and theologies that often seem quite foreign to us.
In the past, it may have seemed reasonable—even beneficial—to carry on with our own way of life, complete with its values and religious traditions, and to ignore the influence the great world religions have upon our western civilization.
With the dawn of the new millennium, however, this way of “seeing the world” no longer seems to be an option.
From May 15-17, we will be privileged to have Prof. James Miller, associate professor of Chinese Religions from Queen’s University, with us in Fort Frances.
Prof. Miller, one of Canada’s leading Confucian/Taoist scholars, is the author of four books all dealing with traditional Chinese views of nature and environment.
He will be giving three public lectures each evening at 7 p.m. at St. John’s Anglican Church.
The lecture topics will include:
•the Confucian Vision for Self and Society;
•Taoism: the Way of Harmony; and
•the Resurgence of Religion in Contemporary China (film plus discussion).
In addition to his publishing, Prof. Miller regularly speaks at academic conferences and gives public lectures in North America and abroad.
His media outlets have included the Washington Post, CTV Newsworld, CTV Canada AM, the Christian Science Monitor, and many others.
As a scholar at a publicly-funded research institution, Prof. Miller is strongly committed to making his research accessible to the general public through a wide variety of media channels.
He is an experienced keynote speaker and public lecturer with extensive media experience.
Prof. Miller has given radio, television, and documentary interviews in English and Chinese, and has written articles for Canadian and international news media.
He has two main areas of expertise: philosophy to western audiences and understanding the significance of religion in shaping human values regarding the natural world.
One of his passions has to do with Taoism and how that religious tradition is being constructed as a “green religion.”
He believes that religious values can play a vital role in mobilizing a culture to engage in environmental issues.
These lectures are being sponsored by an interfaith study group which meets every Thursday at 7 p.m.
For more information, call 274-2540.
