Sightings Articles
Ringing the Changes on Change
This now-passing spring we have heard and seen changes in the religious spheres, which get described as “stunning,” “startling,” and more. We’ll reach into our internet deposit for just two which have shaken the world of Catholics and millions of the...
June 1, 2015
The Pitfalls of Meritocracy: James J. Tissot's "Prodigal Son" Etchings at the Smart Museum
James J. Tissot (1836-1902), a French artist best known for his paintings of society and fashion, produced a series of images restaging the parable of the Prodigal Son in 1880s England. I used his cycle of five etchings as part of a class I taugh...
May 28, 2015
Prelude to Censorship: The Toleration of Blasphemy in Ancient India
India today is experiencing a powerful wave of censorship of literary texts, films, and artworks. Such a degree of repression is unprecedented in India, but it is rooted in concepts of blasphemy that underwent a number of changes throughout Indian hi...
May 21, 2015
Rightist Critics of Pope Francis
Pope Francis enjoys universal acclaim. Almost.While the pontiff is building bridges to Communists in Cuba, nuns who had been under suspicion, Muslims, Jews, Protestants and even people outside the faith, two dissenting groups stand out: Catholics on ...
May 18, 2015
Liberating All Beings From Suffering, Women Included
The recent spotlight on sexual violence raises questions about gender injustice internationally, including in Buddhist societies. ...
May 7, 2015
Tony Tasset's "Pieta" and the Drive for intimacy with the Divine
Chicago artist Tony Tasset and the Pieta....