On Thursday, April 17, at 6:00 pm, in Drake’s Sussman Theater (lower level of Olmsted Center), Dr. Max Thornton, independent scholar, will deliver a lecture on “Getting What We Deserve: Theologies at the Intersection of Disability and Work.”
Dr. Thornton’s lecture will think through some of the connections between disability, work, and the theological ideas that shape popular views on both in the US. Concepts of punishment for sin, redemptive suffering, and character formation are embedded in the ways we think about both disability and work; the place where they meet is shaped by racialized ideas about labor, poverty, and salvation, as well as the belief that God materially rewards the faithful. Yet disability theology offers an alternative to these habits of thought, asking us to rethink both our definition and our valorization of “work”; to withhold judgments about sin, punishment, redemption, and other metaphorical readings of disability; and to take seriously our shared human vulnerability.
On April 5, Drake’s Comparison Project will host “A Celebration of Islam in Des Moines,” in conjunction with the annual forum of the Abdelkader Education Project.
The event will occur in Meredith Hall from 2:00–4:30pm.
It will feature plenaries about Abd el-Kader and the Abdelkader Education Project, as well as dozens of breakout sessions on various topics, booths for the many Islamic communities in Des Moines, and a photo exhibition.
We will soon have more information posted about the event.
On Thursday, March 27, at 6:00 pm, in Drake’s Sussman Theater (lower level of Olmsted Center), Dr. Julia Watts Belser, Professor of Jewish Studies at Georgetown University, will deliver a lecture on “Radical Rest: Jewish Sabbath Practice as Resistance to Ableism.”
We live in a world pitched toward productivity, where we often face intense pressure to measure our worth on the basis of our work. In this talk, Julia Watts Belser brings the insights of disability culture into conversation with Jewish wisdom about Shabbat and Sabbath practice to explore how traditions of radical rest can counter productivity culture. How might Sabbath practice and other forms of intentional slowness offer resources for challenging ableism? How might reimagining religious practice to take seriously disabled people’s experiences of living with limits spur us to build a world that better honors the needs and the yearnings of all our bodies and minds?
On Thursday, March 6, at 6:00 pm, in Drake’s Sussman Theater (lower level of Olmsted Center), Dr. Amy Donahue, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Kennesaw State University, will deliver a lecture on “The Bhagavad Gītā’s Yoga Model of Disability.”
Contemporary medical models of disability assume notions of “normal” human embodiment and functioning that South Asia’s Hindu philosophical and religious traditions largely do not share and in many cases implicitly challenge. Rather than assuming normalcy and ability as default human conditions, Hindu traditions generally assume that human experience begins with ignorance and dysfunction. All persons, in other words, are in some state of “disability,” and overcoming our traumas takes work that no one initially wants to start. According to the Gītā, this work involves yoking reflexive tendencies, including deep-rooted habits of (mis)identification that distort a person’s authentic nature (svabhāva). Realization of our true selves requires, first, replacing attachments that lead to torpor, confusion, and conflict with habits leading to clarity and joy, and second, uprooting even these habits for the sake of a perfect harmony of all beings. This yoga model of disability found in the Gītā therefore contests contemporary medical accounts while offering critical guidance for contemporary cultural disability theorists.
On Sunday, February 23, from 3:00–5:00 pm, Drake University’s The Comparison Project, in conjunction with the “Iowa Interfaith Exchange,” hosts “Roads to Religion” in the Olmsted Center (Parents Hall) on Drake’s campus. The event, which is free and open to the public, features dozens of local religious communities, collectively representing at least a dozen religious traditions. These communities will be arranged throughout the hall as if on a map of the metro area. Visitors will receive a map to guide them in their exploration of them. Refreshments will be provided by Drake’s catering service, Sodexo.
The Comparison Project engages in the practice of comparative philosophy of religion, increases understanding of local-lived religion, and cultivates interfaith literacy and leadership. It is supported by Drake’s Center for the Humanities, Drake’s Slay Fund for Social Justice, Drake’s Stringfellow and Hay Lectureships, Humanities Iowa, and Cultivating Compassion: The Dr. Richard Deming Foundation.
The ”Iowa Interfaith Exchange” includes Drake’s The Comparison Project and three other local nonprofits: CultureALL, the Des Moines Area Religious Council, and Interfaith Alliance of Iowa.
October 16th, 6:30pm, Pure Land of Iowa, 8364 Hickman Rd, Clive
We will be joining this regular-meeting meditation group to hear about Buddhist dharma (teaching, truth) and practice Buddhist meditation. Visitors should dress comfortably (but also modestly), remove shoes at door, avoid pointing outstretched legs toward sacred objects (altars) or people (monks). Please also bring a face mask.Those leaving from Drake can meet outside the Olmsted Center at 6:00 pm. Rides are available from members of the Interfaith @ Drake student club. Below, is the entry for this session on the Pure Land of Iowa website.
Meditation and Discussion
This is a group for people who practice sitting meditation and have an interest in gaining greater understanding of “Dhamma/Dharma” however it is construed, and how we can improve the quality of life for ourselves and everybody else. The format will be a short, guided meditation, followed by the introduction of a concept or two, 20 to 30 minutes of discussion, and a closing 30-minute meditation. Comfort breaks can be taken at any time. Total time about 90 minutes.To protect everybody, we will be maintaining the recommended social distancing, and we will wear our masks. That being the case, you might want to try meditation while wearing a mask, just to get used to it.
Bhante Dhammapala
Bhante Dhammapala ordained with a Theravāda bhikkhu from Sri Lanka in 1979. Along with a group of 19 others, he practiced in the forestlands of northern California for two years. However there was extremely little support for a Theravāda saṅgha at that time and place, so the group disrobed, and disbanded, and pursued education and a livelihood. Bhante’s commitment was strong however, and he continued to practice religiously, daily for the next 30 years.In July, 2011 Bhante re-ordained as a bhikkhu, and set forth as a missionary, taking the Dhamma to the people. A vocation he continues to energetically pursue.
On September 15th at 6:00pm, Ezan: Islamic and Education Center (6206 Douglas Ave, Des Moines) holds a “mawlid” observance of the birthday of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
Ezan, Mosque, Islamic and Educational Center of Greater Des Moines
Join the community at Ezan: Islamic and Education Center for the observance and celebration of “mawlid” (“mevlud” in Bosnian), the birthday of Prophet Muhammad’ (pbuh). At the event, the community will recount the life of, recite Quranic verses and poetry involving, and sing hymns about the life of the Prophet (pbuh).
Men and women should be covered to ankles and below elbows; women should also cover hair. (A scarf is fine.) Shoes will be removed upon entering the building.
On November 21st at 6:00pm in Drake’s Sussman Theater (Olmsted Center), Comparison Project Interfaith Fellows, Alex Phillips and Catalina Samaniego, present ethnographically rich stories about the obstacles and opportunities of worship for local disabled religious practitioners.
Catalina Samaniego has been a Fellow with The Comparison Project since 2022, focusing on financial expansion and planning. She is a senior at Drake University studying Economics and International Relations with minors in German and Cybersecurity. She was the 2023 winner of the Ron and Jane Olson Outstanding Global Service Learning Award and Plymouth Career Scholarship, on the Dean Honor Roll for Social Impact, and has been honored on the floor of the Iowa State Senate for leadership in community outreach and building. Catalina can be found around town conducting research similar to those of the City of Des Moines R.I.A.S taskforce and the Iowa United Nations Association. After law school, she is pursuing a career in financial regulation.
Alex Phillips is a senior at Drake University, graduating with a Bachelors of Science in Psychology. Alex has been a Fellow with The Comparison Project since 2022. Being active in Pagan communities across the Midwest, Alex joined TCP in devotion to educating the local community in the diverse philosophies, religions, and cultures in the area. Alex has been a national competitor in the 100 Black Men’s Dollars and $ense Competition. He is involved in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)‘s initiatives surrounding awareness of systemic racism. Outside of class Alex can be found in the weight room, or studying Hermetic philosophy. After graduation, Alex will be pursuing a career in Industrial-Organizational Psychology and Fraud Investigation.
The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship that religion plays in the lives of physically disabled and neurodivergent. The relationship between religious identification, disability, and neurodivergence is a less often studied phenomenon. This study aims to examine this relationship in the context of quality of life, accessibility, and connectedness. This includes connectedness to one’s community, and to their corresponding minimally counterintuitive figures, if applicable. For many individuals with disabilities, religious communities serve as vital sources of social support and connectedness. These spaces offer opportunities for inclusion, where collective worship and dialogue can provide a sense of belonging. However, the relationship between religion and disability is not without its challenges. In some religious contexts, disability has historically been associated with negative connotations, such as divine punishment or moral failing. Understanding and addressing these dynamics is crucial for improving the overall quality of life for people with disabilities within religious settings.
