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Milton Welcomes Ed Snow, Interfaith
Chaplain
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World
Religions
Religious and spiritual concerns are central to human
existence, touching some of the deepest dimensions of
human experience. The responses to these concerns have
been diverse, providing ways of understanding and living
in which people find challenge, guidance, and meaning.
Taking a global view, we will study those religious
and spiritual approaches to life which have had widespread
appeal and influence: Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism,
Islam, Judaism, and the traditions of China. Through
discussion, film, observation of religious and spiritual
practices, and presentations by students on topics of
their choosing, we will study each religion on its own
terms. We will read and discuss primary texts, explore
basic ideas and practices in each religion, and consider
religion in its personal and social dimensions. Students
will write short analytic essays and a research paper,
and they will also keep a journal.
Sampling of World Religions texts:
To Life! by Harold Kushner
Islam: Religion, History, and Civilization by Seyyed
Hossein Nasr
The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh
Bhagavad Gita, translated by Juan Mascaro
The Analects of Confucius, translated by Arthur Waley
Tao Te Ching, translated by Stephen Mitchell
Ethics
Class III. The big questions of life and death, the
use of human sexuality, the value of private property,
and individuals’ social responsibilities, are
discussed on a case-study basis. This course asks students
to identify the issues involved in each case, to determine
what they would do in the situation, and finally to
justify their chosen course of action. |
Ed Snow, former chaplain at the Baylor School in Tennessee,
joins Milton this fall as the Interfaith Chaplain.
Interfaith concerns have been central to Ed’s life for
over thirty years. “Raised in a non-religious home but
having a persistent spiritual interest, I am married to a
lifelong Roman Catholic and am ordained in the United Methodist
Church,” explains Ed. “I have studied, and continue
to study, the teachings and practices of Judaism, Islam, Hinduism,
and Buddhism and have found enduring value and friendships
in each tradition.”
As an undergraduate at Northwestern, in seminary at Yale,
and in his Ph.D. work at Harvard, Ed says he developed a respect
for, and appreciation of, various religious traditions and
their adherents. “I also see the power and importance
of pastoral work and the building of community that can occur
when a religiously diverse population gathers. In the Baylor
community as a whole, and especially in the residential community,
of which my wife and I were members for fourteen years, I
valued the opportunities I had to lead people in their own
traditions and in interfaith encounters.”
While at the Baylor School Ed insisted on being the chaplain
for the whole school and worked hard to make the chapel program
an educational one so that all members of the community "can
affirm who they are and have that honored.” Ed taught
Ethics, Bible and World Religions courses; organized chapel
services; advised the Religious Roundtable, a student organization
that hosts open discussions on a wide variety of religious
issues; and served as faculty sponsor of Baylor’s Habitat
for Humanity chapter. A three-sport athlete in high school,
Ed played Big Ten basketball at Northwestern used his experiences
on the court to help coach the Baylor School’s Varsity
girls’ basketball team to seven league championships.
At Milton, Ed will teach an Ethics and World Religions course.
In addition to teaching, Ed will organize Sunday evening chapel
services, help match dormitory students with local congregations
and coordinate special services.
Ed grew up doing chores on his family's farm in Virginia,
Illinois. After earning his master's at Yale, he spent the
next decade serving as a pastor of United Methodist churches
in Illinois, working in Illinois state prisons, and doing
the course work for a Ph.D. in comparative religions at Harvard.
Ed enjoys playing basketball, reading, and listening to folk
music. He and his wife, Kathy, have two children: Matt and
Katie.
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Chapel
Apthorp Chapel, located on the hill near Hallowell House,
is open during the day. A required chapel service is
held for all boarding students on Sunday evening at
5:30 p.m. and is followed by dinner. Guest speakers
of varying religious backgrounds or special programs
are presented each week as arranged by the chaplain.
The purposes of the chapel program are to bring the
boarding community together, to provide each student
with an opportunity for reflection in a spiritual/religious/moral
context, and to educate students about different religious
practices. Appropriate dress and behavior are expected
in the Chapel. For Sunday chapel and dinner (and other
formal occasions), a sports jacket, collared shirt,
tie, dress pants and dress shoes (no sneakers) are required
for boys. Girls should wear a dress or a skirt and blouse,
or dress pants and blouse. Denim (jackets, skirts, pants)
is not appropriate, nor is any other athletic wear (jackets,
shoes).
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