Friday, March 9, 7pm, The Steam Factory at The Ohio State University, 400 W. Rich St.

Across human cultures, religion has been one of the leading sources of both inspiration and conflict among individuals and groups. It has provided the motivation for some of the most significant movements for social reform and for some of the most significant violations of fundamental moral norms. It has both supported and stood in opposition to domination and social hierarchy.

In keeping with the COMPAS program’s mission of fostering civil and informed discussion of important and controversial issues of public concern, that program has been soliciting contributions in the visual arts from a wide range of religious and non-religious perspectives.

Suggested topics have included:

• The role of religion and pluralism in domestic and global politics

• Religion as a cause of violence and a force for peace

• Religious and secular understandings of human equality and social justice

• The relationship between religious and scientific modes of understanding

• The prospects for inter-religious cooperation to address challenges such as global poverty and environmental sustainability