Politics and religion have always been intertwined as political leaders used religious moral codes to pass various laws.
Elliot Ratzman, professor of religion and Jewish studies at Temple University and 1992 Ohio University Honors Tutorial College graduate, will discuss the role of religion in political and social change in his lecture titled “Soulcraft and Social Justice, or How to Be Better While Doing Good: Lessons from Philosophy, Politics and Religion” Monday night at the Honors Tutorial College, 35 Park Place.
“I will be talking about the different religious and political traditions which seek to create better people from those traditions,” Ratzman said. “I will be talking about the history of creating politically saintly people and the traditions of self-improvement to how they have or haven’t been applied to social justice and political activity.”
Ratzman will explore historical figures such as Gandhi and Benjamin Franklin to demonstrate how religion can be a factor in the way people lead.
“Gandhi was involved in experiments with himself with how much he could control, and he created a form of government through that, a form of new political experiment,” Ratzman said. “I am trying to show how people who are interested in social justice can learn from religious experiments with moral perspective.”
After the discussion at the Honors Tutorial College, Ratzman will speak at Hillel, 21 Mill St., about the pro-Israel organization J Street and its collegiate division J Street U, as well as Israeli-Palestinian relations.
Ratzman will focus on his experiences studying Jewish thought, history and religion when he was a student at OU and living in Jerusalem, as well as lessons he learned about working for justice, peace, and reconciliation in the most efficient way on and off campus.
“A lot of what I do now and write and teach about came from how I worked with religious activists at OU,” Ratzman said. “I was thinking of these issues as an undergrad, and I am glad to be back.”
ao007510@ohiou.edu
